"You Want It Darker" is a song by Canadian poet and musician

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, released on September 21, 2016, Cohen's 82nd birthday. It is the title track from Cohen's album ''

You Want It Darker ''You Want It Darker'' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on October 21, 2016, by Columbia Records, 17 days before Cohen's death. The album was created at the end of his life and focuses on death, ...

''. The song earned the artist a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for

Best Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for ...

and features the vocals of Cantor Gideon Zelermyer and Shaar Hashomayim Choir.

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...

describes the song as "a menacing critique of religion" that "flips from anger to resigned acceptance and back again". '' Far Out'' and ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' ranked the song number seven and number three, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Leonard Cohen songs. The song was recorded by

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

for the 2022 tribute album ''Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen''.https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/iggy-pop-cover-leonard-cohen-you-want-it-darker/

References

{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance 2016 songs Leonard Cohen songs Songs written by Leonard Cohen Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance Columbia Records singles