I think we can all agree that great music moves us like almost nothing else on earth can move us.
Great music can make you get up and dance, it can make you shed floods of tears and everything else in-between. It’s why most of the world loves music.
But then there’s the Leonard Cohen question. Let me say from the start that I’ve loved Leonard Cohen’s music since I first heard it back in the late 1960s. His music spoke to me in a way that almost no other artist has ever done. I love the melancholy vocals, the almost deadpan delivery. I love the seeming simplicity of his melodies and arrangements. Most of all I love his lyrics. I’d die for the ability to string words together like Leonard Cohen did.
So the question is – does Leonard Cohen’s music make you happy or sad?
Your answer isn’t right or wrong. It’s subjective. You either like his music or you don’t. But, I’d argue that if you do like his music then whilst his songs might make you feel sad at first they ultimately make you feel happy. They lift you up in an almost spiritual way.
And that’s the conundrum. How can something that’s often so sad make you smile, make you happy? In the end it’s music, music can and will make you happy if you like the song. It will resonate around your head until you are lifted up. Even when you’re crying.
So listen to music, it will make you feel happy.