In 1967, Leonard Cohen heard a song that saved his career: “Made me want to continue”
Leonard Cohen said that hearing the Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror” inspired him to continue writing songs, showing how the band’s influence reached beyond its small underground audience. The connection is notable because Cohen’s folk-based music differed sharply from the group’s abrasive experimental rock.
Lou Reed recalled meeting Cohen at New York’s Chelsea Hotel and Max’s, where Cohen told him the song had encouraged him to keep songwriting. “I’ll Be Your Mirror” appeared on the Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut album, the same year Cohen released his own debut, *Songs of Leonard Cohen*, which had limited commercial success but outperformed the band’s record at the time.
- “I’ll Be Your Mirror” encouraged Cohen to keep writing songs.
- Reed recalled Cohen sharing this at New York venues.
- Both artists released debut albums in 1967.
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Leonard Cohen and the Velvet Underground were musicians emerging in New York in the late 1960s. Cohen’s songs drew on folk music and literary storytelling, while the Velvet Underground, led by Lou Reed, made a more experimental kind of rock.
Cohen released his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, in 1967, the same year the Velvet Underground issued their debut, which included “I’ll Be Your Mirror”. The song’s significance lies in how one musician’s work could encourage another, even when their musical styles and audiences were quite different.