Around 1982, Leonard Cohen noticed his voice changing. He blamed “50,000 cigarettes” and swimming pools of whiskey

Leonard Cohen said his voice began to deepen around 1982, a change he initially attributed to years of smoking and drinking. The shift matters because it became a defining feature of his later music, though the article argues it developed gradually across his career rather than beginning at one precise moment.

Cohen described his voice as having grown “very, very deep” and blamed “50,000 cigarettes and several swimming pools of whiskey”, but its lowering continued after he gave up smoking. His debut album features a more delicate register; later records show a gradual move towards darker, richer vocals, alongside changes in his confidence, arrangements and musical themes. By Various Positions, recorded when he was about 50, his voice had become notably croakier and more introspective.