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Leonard Cohen's Nervous Breakthrough

Mark Rowland, Musician, July 1988

"I THINK IF I HAD ONE OF THOSE GOOD VOICES, I WOULD HAVE DONE IT COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY," Leonard Cohen ruminates. "I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SUNG THE SONGS I REALLY LIKE RATHER THAN BE A WRITER. WHEN I WAS A KID I ALWAYS HAD THIS FANTASY OF SINGING WITH A BAND. WE'D HAVE GET-TOGETHERS AND I'D SING 'RACING WITH THE MOON,' STUFF LIKE THAT. I JUST DON'T THINK ONE WOULD HAVE BOTHERED TO WRITE IF ONE COULD HAVE REALLY LIFTED ONE'S VOICE IN SONG. BUT THAT WASN'T MY VOICE. THIS IS MY VOICE."

Total word count of piece: 7696

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