The Original Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox
Biggest Influence on My Music
The jukebox. I lived beside jukeboxes all through the fifties. There was “The Great Pretender,” “Cross Over the Road.” I never knew who was singing. I never followed things that way. I still don’t. I wasn’t a student of music; I was a student of the restaurant I was in — and the waitresses. The music was a part of it. I knew what number the song was.
Leonard Cohen1
Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox: Over the years, Leonard Cohen mentioned a number of specific songs he favored. Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox is a Cohencentric feature that began collecting these tunes for the edification and entertainment of viewers on April 4, 2009. All posts in the Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox series can be found at The Original Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox Page.
I did get a chance to tell him [Tim Hardin] how much I loved his songs – “Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep” … is a great, great song. I asked him to play it for me, and he did.
Leonard Cohen2
Tim Hardin is best known for writing “If I Were a Carpenter” (the Bobby Darin version of which is also on Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox) and “Reason to Believe,” but “Don’t Make Promises” was the first track on Tim Hardin’s debut album Tim Hardin 1, released in 1966. While overshadowed by the hit, “Reason to Believe,” “Don’t Make Promises” did receive some air play and was covered by, among others, Bobby Darin, Marianne Faithfull, Three Dog Night, Helen Reddy, Joan Baez, and The Kingston Trio.
Also See: Tim Hardin’s Cover Of “Bird On A Wire” Is On Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox
Tim Hardin – Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
I am republishing selected posts from my former Leonard Cohen site, Cohencentric, here on AllanShowalter.com (these posts can be found at Leonard Cohen). This entry was originally posted Oct 24, 2015.
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