Marianne from Leonard Cohen's "So Long, Marianne" is dead

Marianne Jensen (later Marianne Ihlen) who inspired Leonard Cohen's classic hit "So Long, Marianne" died on July 28th, 2016.

The sad news was announced on the singer's official Facebook Page:

"So Long, Marianne" was written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen. It was featured on his debut album "Songs of Leonard Cohen" (released in 1967). 

The song was inspired by Marianne Jensen (later Marianne Ihlen), whom Cohen met on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960. Cohen said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. She had recently been left by her husband, the Norwegian writer Axel Jensen, leaving her and her six-month-old son alone on the island. The two hit it off and Cohen ultimately took her from Hydra back to her home in Oslo, Norway. He later invited her and her son to live with him in Montreal, an offer which she accepted. The two lived together throughout the 1960s, commuting between New York, Montreal and Hydra.

Cohen dedicated his third volume of poetry "Flowers for Hitler" to her, and she directly inspired many of his other songs and poems. A photo of her appears on the back cover of his second album "Songs from a Room".

So Long, Marianne performed live by Leonard Cohen in 2014

"So Long, Marianne" became a classic of folk music and has been covered by many artists (including Beck, John Cale with Suzanne Vega, Brian Hyland, James, Bill Callahan, Russian Red, Cohen's own son, Adam Cohen and Straitjacket Fits).

In early 1984, José Hoebee and TV personality Ron Brandsteder had a hit record with their version of this track. It peaked at #11 on Holland's Top 40 and #6 on the Nationale Hitparade (currently Single Top 100). It also reached the 20th position on the Flemish BRT Top 30.

Nederland Muziekland (March 11th, 1984)

Click here to read information about "So Long, Marianne" by José & Ron Brandsteder.

Yesterday, José posted a message about "Marianne" on Facebook. She told that she fell in love with this song when she was 15. Her family and friends didn't understand that a teenager could appreciate this track. 

Source: Facebook, Wikipedia...