Leonard Cohen was a Canadian singer-songwriter and poet who was active in music from 1967 until his death in 2016. Cohen released 14 studio albums and eight live albums during the course of a recording career lasting almost 50 years, throughout which he remained an active poet. His entire catalogue is available on Columbia Records. His 1967 debut, Songs of Leonard Cohen, earned an RIAA gold record; he followed up with three more highly acclaimed albums: Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), before allowing Phil Spector to produce Death of a Ladies' Man for Warner Bros. Records in 1977. Cohen returned to Columbia in 1979 for Recent Songs, but the label declined to release his next album, Various Positions (1984) in the US, leaving it to American shops to import it from CBS Canada. In 1988, Columbia got behind Cohen again and gave full support to I'm Your Man, which brought his career to new heights, and Cohen followed it with 1992's The Future.
Cohen then took a nine-year hiatus, and returned with Ten New Songs in 2001, which he made with Sharon Robinson, following this with Dear Heather (2004). In 2008 Cohen began touring for the first time in 15 years and, as well as the release of several live albums, he released Old Ideas (2012), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This was the highest ranking ever for a Leonard Cohen album, and it became his first to top the Canadian Albums Chart, a feat he repeated with his follow-up, Popular Problems, released in 2014. Cohen released his final studio album, You Want It Darker, in October 2016, only 19 days prior to his death. A posthumous album titled Thanks for the Dance was released on November 22, 2019.
His live albums included Live Songs (1973), Cohen Live: Leonard Cohen in Concert (1994), Live in London (2009), Songs from the Road (2010), from his 2008–2009 world tour, and Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2009).
Albums Studio albums Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications CAN AUSLeonard Cohen in the Australian charts: Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to June 19, 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 19, 1988. Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from June 26, 1988: Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: AUT FINLeonard Cohen in Finnish Charts: GER IRE NLD NOR NZcharts.nz https://charts.nz/search.asp?search=Leonard+Cohen&cat=a Retrieved August 31, 2025. SWE UKLeonard Cohen in UK charts: Top 100 peaks: N.B. This site displays compressed chart (exclusion rules applied) peaks for positions 76–100. Top 200 peaks from November 1994 to December 2010: N.B. This site displays uncompressed chart (no exclusion rules applied) peaks for positions 76–200 between November 1994 and May 2001. US1967Songs of Leonard Cohen Released: December 27, 1967 Label: Columbia—81———40436—351383RIAA: Gold ARIA: Platinum BPI: Gold1969Songs from a Room Released: March 24, 1969 Label: Columbia10————8712———263 BPI: Silver1971Songs of Love and Hate Released: March 19, 1971 Label: Columbia638——24—211——4145 1974New Skin for the Old Ceremony Released: August 11, 1974 Label: Columbia—862—17—18———24—BPI: Silver 1977Death of a Ladies' Man Released: November 13, 1977 Label: Warner/Spector, Columbia—85—————20—1535— 1979Recent Songs Released: September 27, 1979 Label: Columbia——24—56——————— 1984Various Positions Released: December 11, 1984 Label: Columbia60521824399—3331252—BPI: Silver IFPI FIN: Gold1988I'm Your Man Released: February 2, 1988 Label: Columbia34—2223243161—648—MC: 2× Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold GLF: Platinum IFPI FIN: Gold IFPI NOR: 4× Platinum1992The Future Released: November 24, 1992 Label: Columbia7—51879—56342536—MC: 2× Platinum BPI: Silver GLF: Gold2001Ten New Songs Released: October 9, 2001 Label: Columbia467535167181—326143MC: Platinum BPI: Gold GLF: Gold IFPI NOR: Platinum2004Dear Heather Released: October 26, 2004 Label: Columbia5981322195342—834131BPI: Silver IFPI NOR: Gold2012Old Ideas Released: January 31, 2012 Label: Columbia122142111223MC: Platinum BPI: Gold GLF: Gold2014Popular Problems Released: September 22, 2014 Label: Columbia1612421115515 MC: Platinum2016You Want It Darker Released: October 21, 2016 Label: Columbia121721111147MC: Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold GLF: Gold 2019 Thanks for the Dance Released: November 22, 2019 Label: Columbia111217565246761 " — " denotes releases that did not chart.
Live albums Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications CAN AUS AUT FIN GER IRE NLD NOR NZcharts.nz https://charts.nz/search.asp?search=Leonard+Cohen&cat=a Retrieved August 31, 2025. SWE UK US1973Live Songs Release: April 1973 Label: Columbia — — 8 — 30 — — —— — — 1561994Cohen Live: Leonard Cohen in Concert Release: June 28, 1994 Label: Columbia — — — — — — — —— — 35 —2001Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 Release: February 20, 2001 Label: Columbia — — — — — — — —— — 195 —2009Live in London Release: March 31, 2009 Label: Columbia 7 26 9 7 13 3 7 84 14 19 76MC: 3× Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold IRMA: GoldLive at the Isle of Wight 1970 Release: October 19, 2009 Label: Columbia — — — — — 73 56 —— — 169 —ARIA: Gold2010Songs from the Road Release: September 14, 2010 Label: Columbia 10 — 7 37 36 — 26 711 39 68 112ARIA: Platinum BVMI: Gold MAHASZ: Gold IRMA: Platinum ZPAV: Gold AFP: Platinum 2014 Live in Dublin Release: December 2, 2014 Label: Columbia — — 33 — 53 17 19 —— — 84 — 2015 Can't Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour Release: May 12, 2015 Label: Sony Legacy 8 39 17 — 23 5 4 —29 39 18 100 " — " denotes releases that did not chart.
Compilation albums Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications CAN AUS AUT FIN GER IRE NLD NOR NZcharts.nz https://charts.nz/search.asp?search=Leonard+Cohen&cat=a Retrieved August 31, 2025. SWE SWI UK US 1975 The Best of Leonard Cohen /Greatest Hits Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, LP, 8-track 43 — — — 43 — 86 —— — 41 88—RIAA: Gold ARIA: 2× Platinum BVMI: Gold BPI: Platinum 1980 Liebesträume – Leonard Cohen singt seine schönsten Lieder Released in Germany only Label: CBS Format: LP — — — — 3 — — —— — — —— 1989 So Long, Marianne Label: Columbia Records Format: CD — — — — — — — —— — — —— ARIA: Gold 1997 More Best of Leonard Cohen Released: October 7, 1997 Label: Columbia Records Formats: CD, CS, LP 33 — 41 19 — — 69 7— 22 — 82— ARIA: Gold RIAA: Gold 2002 The Essential Leonard Cohen Released: October 22, 2002 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, LP 4 9 14 6 31 5 10 329Later reached #5 as The Essential 3.0. 8 5 2613 ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Gold GLF: Gold IFPI FIN: Gold IFPI NOR: Platinum RIAA: Gold 2008 The Collection Released: June 27, 2008 Label: Columbia Format: CD Box set — — — 17 — — — —— — — —— 2009 Greatest Hits Released: July 13, 2009 Label: Columbia Format: CD Remastered version with new track listing — — 11 34 51 3 — —— — 18 29— 2011 The Complete Studio Albums Collection Released: October 10, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD Box set — — — — 58 — 72 33— — — —— 2022 Hallelujah & Songs From His Albums Released: October 14, 2022 Label: Sony Format: CD, digital — — 27 — 43 — — —— — 20 —— " — " denotes releases that did not chart.
Notes A The Best of Leonard Cohen, or Greatest Hits as it was released in Europe, did not chart in the Netherlands and UK when it was released in 1975, but the album did chart when re-issued on CD in 1988–1989. In UK it initially reached a peak at number 99 in 1988 and then at 88 in 1995. In Netherlands it reached number 86 in April 1989. B The Essential Leonard Cohen was re-released in 2008 as The Essential Leonard Cohen 3.0, a 3-disc edition which charted in Australia in February 2009. C The Essential Leonard Cohen initially peaked at number 70 in 2003. The album re-entered the charts in 2008 at number 57, before peaking at number 26 after Cohen's death in November 2016.
Singles and EPs Year TitleLeonard Cohen singles discography: Chart positions Certifications Album CANLeonard Cohen in the Canadian Singles Chart: "Hallelujah" and "You Want It Darker": "Closing Time": CAN ACLeonard Cohen in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart: "Passing Through": "Dance Me to the End of Love": "Closing Time": "The Future": "Never Any Good": AUT FIN FRA GER NLD SWE UK US 1967 "Suzanne" — — 39 — 3 61 79 — — — BPI: Silver Songs of Leonard Cohen 1968 "So Long, Marianne" / "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" — — — — 28190 — — — — — 1969 "Bird on the Wire" — — — — 137 — — — — — Songs from a Room "The Partisan" — — — — 22 — — — — — 1971 "Joan of Arc" — — — — — — — — — — Songs of Love and Hate "Diamonds in the Mine" — — — — — — — — — — "Dress Rehearsal Rag" / "Avalanche" — — — — — — — — — — "The Stranger Song" — — — — — — — — — — Songs of Leonard Cohen /McCabe & Mrs. Miller "Winter Lady" — — — — — — — — — — "So Long, Marianne" / "Bird on the Wire" — — — — — — — — — — Songs of Leonard Cohen /Songs from a Room 1973 "Passing Through" — 62 — — — — — — — — Live Songs 1974 "Lover Lover Lover" — — — — — 9 — — — — New Skin for the Old Ceremony 1975 "Tonight Will Be Fine" — — — — — — — — — — Songs from a Room 1976 "Suzanne" [re-issue] — — — — — — — — — — Greatest Hits "Do I Have to Dance All Night" [live] [non-album song] /"The Butcher" [live] — — — — — — — — — — non-album single 1977 "Memories" — — — — — — — — — — Death of a Ladies' Man "True Love Leaves No Traces" — — — — — — — — — — 1978 "Suzanne" / "Bird on the Wire" [re-issue] — — — — — — — — — — Songs of Leonard Cohen/Songs from a Room 1979 "The Guests" — — — — — — — — — — Recent Songs 1984 "Dance Me to the End of Love" — 29 — 5 42 — — — — — Various Positions "Hallelujah" 17 — 13 — 1 27 — — — — BPI: Silver 1986 "Take This Waltz" [original version] — — — 6 — — — — — — Poets in New York 1988 "First We Take Manhattan" — — — — — — — — — — I'm Your Man "I'm Your Man" — — — — 57 — — — — — "Ain't No Cure for Love" — — — — — — — — — — "Everybody Knows" — — — — 88 — — — — — 1989 "I Can't Forget" — — — — — — — — — — 1991 Solid Gold EP:"First We Take Manhattan" / "Suzanne" / "So Long, Marianne" — — — — — — — — — — I'm Your Man /Greatest Hits 1991 Juno Hall of Fame Award Commemorative Sampler:"Hallelujah" / "Ain't No Cure for Love" / "Everybody Knows" / "Tower of Song" — — — — — — — — — — Various Positions /I'm Your Man 1992 "Closing Time" 70 5 — — — — — — — — The Future "Democracy" — — — — — — — — — — 1993 "The Future" — 17 — — — — — — — — "Be for Real" — — — — — — — — — — 1994 "Dance Me to the End of Love" (live) — — — — — — — — — — Cohen Live: Leonard Cohen in Concert 1997 "Never Any Good" — 44 — — — — — — — — More Best of Leonard Cohen 2001 "In My Secret Life" — — — — — — — — — — Ten New Songs 2002 "Boogie Street" — — — — — — — — — — 2004 "The Letters" — — — — — — — — — — Dear Heather 2007 "So Long, Marianne" / "Bird on the Wire" [re-issue] — — — — — — — — — — Songs of Leonard Cohen /Songs from a Room "Hallelujah" [re-issue] — — 67 — — — 27 16 36 59 ARIA: Gold The Essential Leonard Cohen 2009 "The Future" (live) / "Suzanne" (live) — — — — — — — — — — Live in London 2011 "Show Me the Place" — — — — — — — — — — Old Ideas 2012 "Darkness" — — — — — — — — — — Live in Fredericton EP:"Bird on the Wire" / "Dance Me to the End of Love" / "Heart with No Companion" / "In My Secret Life" / "Who by Fire" — — — — — — — — — —Live in Fredericton EP 2016 "You Want It Darker" 73 — 33 — 36 81 76 52 — — You Want It Darker 2019 "Happens to the Heart" — — — — — — — — — — Thanks for the Dance "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Notes D Leonard Cohen's 1984 track "Hallelujah" charted in Sweden in December 2007 due to download sales. At the same time Jeff Buckley's version also entered the charts, and the week of December 13, 2007, Buckley's version peaked at No. 5 with Cohen's original reaching its peak position No. 16 the same week.