Leonard Cohen: the duty of lovers

Int Rev Psychiatry. 2023 Feb;35(1):136-146. doi: 10.1080/09540261.2023.2181058. Epub 2023 Mar 20.

Abstract

Leonard Cohen sang that the duty of lovers is to tarnish the Golden Rule and that love is not a victory march but a cold and broken Hallelujah. This article explicates what erotics, romance, and love means in Cohen's songs. It compares his conception to those of other notable writers, then arrives at its own definition of love.

Keywords: Leonard Cohen; love; relationships; romance.