Spyke wrote
I hope so... Listened to some of the 80's (Cohen) stuff and was seriously wondering how he made money. Sounded like an Idols audition.
He wouldn't make it now. Fortunately for him he came along in the 60s when tastes and radio playlists were more diverse and it wasn't necessary to be a pretty boy or for a boy to have a pretty voice. Also Dylan had recently created a market for songs where the words were important and got listened to as much as the tune if not more. Dylan and Cohen both have far more sophistication in their lyrics than in their melodies.
A theory I've heard about Cohen is that he marries his most complex lyrics to his most simple tunes and vice versa.
He owes a lot to radio as well. There were still a lot of individually owned radio stations then in the USA and they had few constraints as to what they could and would play. Cohen's first album suited the emerging FM because that was great for people who wanted to LISTEN. It was a big hit, even though Cohen didn't tour to support it.
