The Essential Leonard Cohen

{{Infobox album

| name = The Essential Leonard Cohen

| type = greatest

| artist = Leonard Cohen

| cover = Essential Leonard Cohen cover.jpg

| alt =

| released = October 22, 2002

| recorded = 1967–2004

| studio =

| genre = Folk rock

| length = 02:34:10

| label = *Columbia

Legacy

| producer = Digitally remastered by Leonard Cohen and Bob Ludwig

| prev_title = Ten New Songs

| prev_year = 2001

| next_title = Dear Heather

| next_year = 2004

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r605176}}

| rev2 = Robert Christgau

| rev2score = {{Rating-Christgau|A}}[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=791&name=Leonard+Cohen link]

| rev3 = Rolling Stone

| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20070305213901/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/leonardcohen/albums/album/181716/review/5945901/the_essential_leonard_cohen link]

| noprose = yes

}}

The Essential Leonard Cohen is a career-spanning collection of Leonard Cohen songs released in 2002. It is part of Sony's The Essential series.

The songs are arranged in chronological order; all studio albums released before 2002 are represented, except the 1977 album Death of a Ladies' Man. All tracks were digitally remastered by Leonard Cohen and Bob Ludwig. All songs on the compilation were chosen by Cohen himself.

The album was re-released in August 2008 with an extra disc of previously not included tracks (presented as the selection of "fans' favorite" songs).

Track listing

{{Tracklisting

| headline = Disc one

| title1 = Suzanne

| length1 = 3:47

| title2 = The Stranger Song

| length2 = 4:59

| title3 = Sisters Of Mercy

| length3 = 3:33

| title4 = Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye

| length4 = 2:54

| title5 = So Long, Marianne

| length5 = 5:37

| title6 = Bird on a Wire

| note6 = misspelled as "Bird on a Wire" on tracklist

| length6 = 3:25

| title7 = The Partisan

| length7 = 3:25

| title8 = Famous Blue Raincoat

| length8 = 5:07

| title9 = Chelsea Hotel #2

| length9 = 3:05

| title10 = Take This Longing

| length10 = 4:05

| title11 = Who By Fire

| length11 = 2:33

| title12 = The Guests

| length12 = 6:39

| title13 = Hallelujah

| length13 = 4:39

| title14 = If It Be Your Will

| length14 = 3:42

| title15 = Night Comes On

| length15 = 4:39

| title16 = I'm Your Man

| length16 = 4:26

| title17 = Everybody Knows

| length17 = 5:34

| title18 = Tower of Song

| length18 = 5:37

}}

Notes

{{plainlist|indent=1|

Tracks 1–5 are from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
Tracks 6–7 are from Songs from a Room (1969)
Track 8 is from Songs of Love and Hate (1971)
Tracks 9–11 are from New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974)
Track 12 is from Recent Songs (1979)
Tracks 13–15 are from Various Positions (1984)
Tracks 16–18 are from I'm Your Man (1988)

}}{{Tracklisting

| headline = Disc two

| title1 = Ain't No Cure For Love

| length1 = 4:49

| title2 = Take This Waltz

| length2 = 5:58

| title3 = First We Take Manhattan

| length3 = 5:50

| title4 = Dance Me to the End of Love

| note4 = live

| length4 = 6:04

| title5 = The Future

| length5 = 6:41

| title6 = Democracy

| length6 = 7:13

| title7 = Waiting For The Miracle

| length7 = 7:42

| title8 = Closing Time

| length8 = 5:58

| title9 = Anthem

| length9 = 6:06

| title10 = In My Secret Life

| length10 = 4:53

| title11 = Alexandra Leaving

| length11 = 5:22

| title12 = A Thousand Kisses Deep

| length12 = 6:26

| title13 = Love Itself

| length13 = 5:22

}}

Notes

{{plainlist|indent=1|

Tracks 1–3 are from I'm Your Man (1988)
Track 4 is from Cohen Live (1994)
Tracks 5–9 are from The Future (1992)
Tracks 10–13 are from Ten New Songs (2001)

}}{{Tracklisting

| headline = Disc three (The Essential 3.0)

| title1 = Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

| length1 = 3:39

| title2 = Love Calls You By Name

| length2 = 5:38

| title3 = A Singer Must Die

| length3 = 3:17

| title4 = Death Of A Ladies' Man

| length4 = 9:19

| title5 = The Traitor

| length5 = 6:14

| title6 = By The Rivers Dark

| length6 = 5:20

| title7 = The Letters

| length7 = 4:48

}}

Notes

{{Plainlist|Track 1 is from Songs from a Room

Track 2 is from Songs of Love and Hate

Track 3 is from New Skin for the Old Ceremony

Track 4 is from Death of a Ladies' Man

Track 5 is from Recent Songs

Track 6 is from Ten New Songs

Track 7 is from Dear Heather}}

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"

!scope="col"|Chart (2002)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Finland|6|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

{{album chart|Germany4|76|id=4304|artist=Cohen, Leonard|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 18, 2024}}

{{album chart|Norway|3|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

{{album chart|Sweden|8|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

{{album chart|Switzerland|98|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"

!scope="col"|Chart (2008)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Austria|23|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

{{album chart|Netherlands|10|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"

!scope="col"|Chart (2009)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Australia|9|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential 3.0|accessdate=August 14, 2013|note=The Essential 3.0}}

{{album chart|Czech|10|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|date=200936|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

{{album chart|Spain|51|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential|accessdate=August 14, 2013}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"

!scope="col"|Chart (2016)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|New Zealand|5|artist=Leonard Cohen|album=The Essential 3.0|accessdate=November 2, 2021|note=The Essential 3.0}}

{{album chart|Scotland|26|date=20161118|access-date=August 18, 2024}}

{{album chart|UK2|26|date=20161118|accessdate=November 19, 2016}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"

!scope="col"|Chart (2018)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Poland|2|id=1119|accessdate=January 25, 2018|refname=Poland}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"

!scope="col"|Chart (2019)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Poland|1|id=1205|accessdate=April 18, 2019|refname=Poland1}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
scope="col"\| Chart (2002) ! scope="col"\| Position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan){{cite web\|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/83?dspy=2002&dspp=1\|title=Årslista Album – År 2002\|publisher=Sverigetopplistan\|language=Swedish\|accessdate=November 7, 2020}} \| style="text-align:center"\|51
scope="col"\| Chart (2008) ! scope="col"\| Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100){{cite web\|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2008&cat=a\|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 2008\|website=dutchcharts.nl\|accessdate=November 7, 2020}} \| style="text-align:center"\|96
scope="col"\| Chart (2009) ! scope="col"\| Position
Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web\|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2009/albums-chart\|title=ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2009\|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association\|accessdate=November 2, 2021}} {{small\|The Essential 3.0}} \| style="text-align:center"\|87
scope="col"\| Chart (2019) ! scope="col"\| Position
Polish Albums (ZPAV){{cite web\|url=http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/aktualnosci.php?idaktualnosci=1813\|title=Najpopularniejsze albumy i single 2019 roku\|publisher=Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry\|language=Polish\|accessdate=January 28, 2020}} \| style="text-align:center"\|33

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

scope="col"| Chart (2002)

! scope="col"| Position

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan){{cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/83?dspy=2002&dspp=1|title=Årslista Album – År 2002|publisher=Sverigetopplistan|language=Swedish|accessdate=November 7, 2020}}

| style="text-align:center"|51

scope="col"| Chart (2008)

! scope="col"| Position

Dutch Albums (Album Top 100){{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2008&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 2008|website=dutchcharts.nl|accessdate=November 7, 2020}}

| style="text-align:center"|96

scope="col"| Chart (2009)

! scope="col"| Position

Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2009/albums-chart|title=ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2009|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|accessdate=November 2, 2021}}
{{small|The Essential 3.0}}

| style="text-align:center"|87

scope="col"| Chart (2019)

! scope="col"| Position

Polish Albums (ZPAV){{cite web|url=http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/aktualnosci.php?idaktualnosci=1813|title=Najpopularniejsze albumy i single 2019 roku|publisher=Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry|language=Polish|accessdate=January 28, 2020}}

| style="text-align:center"|33

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2016|access-date=August 23, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Gold|salesamount=17,896|access-date=August 15, 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=album|title=The Essential Leonard Cohen|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Gold|relyear=2002|certyear=2023|access-date=January 31, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Gold|relyear=2002|certyear=2016|access-date=10 December 2018}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Platinum|source=archive|access-date=August 15, 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Platinum|relyear=2002|relmonth=10|certyear=2003|salesamount=47,000|salesref={{cite web|url=https://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/i/mPO8p/guttas-aar|title=Guttas år|publisher=Aftenposten|language=no|first=Veronica|last=Karlsen|date=13 December 2002|access-date=20 July 2023}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Platinum|relyear=2010|certyear=2019|access-date=May 30, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Gold|relyear=2002|certyear=2002|relmonth=10|access-date=1 May 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Platinum|relyear=2002|certyear=2022|id=6913-2139-2|salesamount=235,749|salesref={{cite news|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-olly-murs-fifth-album-debuts-at-no-1/066613|title=Official Charts Analysis: Olly Murs fifth album debuts at No.1|last=Jones|first=Alan|date=November 18, 2016|work=Music Week|publisher=Intent Media|access-date=November 24, 2016|url-access=subscription }}|access-date=August 15, 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=The Essential|artist=Leonard Cohen|award=Gold|access-date=August 15, 2013}}

References

Category:2002 greatest hits albums

Category:Leonard Cohen compilation albums

Category:Columbia Records compilation albums

Category:Sony Music compilation albums

Category:Legacy Recordings compilation albums