Songs About Places: Coverfolk from The Chelsea Hotel
(lots of Leonard Cohen covers + Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Nico and more!)
There are many folk songs about geographical place, from old ballads of small Irish towns to American troubadour songs of the dustbowl and prairie to the Bleecker Street songs of the singer-songwriter sixties. In most cases, of course, these songs are more about events or movements inimitably tied to place: for example, though our recent paean to Woodstock did not look past the event itself, Joni Mitchell’s song of the same name would lend credence to this view.
Fewer, however, are songs about particular buildings. And why this is so is simple: there are few addresses in this world which can successfully represent a particular modality to singers and listeners alike.
The Chelsea Hotel is the exception that proves the rule. In part because it has for so long offered long-term rooms to those who were willing to trade comfort for community, a call to the Chelsea is both a reference to a particular place and time, and a nod to the oft-underfunded life of the musician in squalor. And because both neighborhood and hotel are such dominant figures in the formative lives of a myriad of musicians and artists, the NYC landmark has been featured prominently in well over thirty songs from those who have lived and composed their during its heyday.
The most popular of these is easily Chelsea Hotel No. 2, Leonard Cohen’s famous tribute to his days with Janis Joplin in the “unmade bed” of their shared hotel room - a song which may well hold the record for “most covered” over at YouTube. But as Wikipedia helpfully notes, numerous songs by folkies and others mention the place, from Joni Mitchell’s Chelsea Morning, Nico’s Chelsea Girl, and Bob Dylan’s Sara to eponymous songs by Alejandro Escovedo, Jon Bon Jovi, Patti Scialfa, Jefferson Airplane, Ryan Adams, Dan Bern, Okkervil River, and others.
Not all have been covered, of course. But enough have found voice in the hands of others to remind us of how deeply the Chelsea Hotel figured in the lives and transitions of the folk community. Today, we look at covers of a few songs which make reference to the famous landmark, whether or not they are known to have been composed there.
- Regina Spektor: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (orig. Leonard Cohen)
(unknown source; more Regina Spektor) - Lauren Hoffman: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (ibid)
(live on Le Fou Du Roi, 2006; more Lauren Hoffman) - Lewis & Clarke: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (ibid)
(from Light Time, 2009) - Keren Ann: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (ibid)
(live on Oui FM, 2005; more Keren Ann) - Josh Ritter: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (ibid)
(from Mojo Presents Cohen Covered, 2008; more Josh Ritter) - Rufus Wainwright: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (ibid)
(from Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man OST, 2006; more Rufus Wainwright) - Carissa’s Wierd ft. Sam Beam: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (ibid)
(from Scrap Book [out of print], 2003)
- Fairport Convention: Chelsea Morning (orig. Joni Mitchell)
(from Fairport Convention, 1968) - Marian Call: Chelsea Morning (ibid)
(from Vanilla, 2007) - Will Taylor & Strings Attached w/ Molly Venter: Chelsea Morning (ibid)
(from Back to the Garden: A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, 2007)
- Michael Walker: Sara (orig. Bob Dylan)
(from this YouTube video, 2008; more Michael Walker)
- Emily Lacy: The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song (orig. Jeffrey Lewis)
(from Friendship Quilt: Emily Lacy sings Jeffrey Lewis Songs, 2007)
- Elliott Smith: Chelsea Girls (orig. Nico)
(live bootleg, 1999; more Elliott Smith)
Cover Lay Down posts religiously every Sunday and Wednesday, and the occasional otherday.
Category: Uncategorized
October 11th, 2009 at 9:05 am
For more info on the Chelsea Hotel:
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/chelsea.html
While there is no recorded Chelsea Hotel No. 1 the above article includes a first draft of the lyrics (scroll to the bottom).
October 12th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Could also add “Hotel Chelsea Nights” by Ryan Adams from his ‘Love Is Hell’ album.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I would if it were a cover, Rupe! Incidentally, I’ve been keeping an eye open for Ryan Adams covers, but haven’t found much out there…any thoughts?
October 13th, 2009 at 10:51 am
What a great list. Thanks for posting.
http://www.chelseahotelblog.com
October 13th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Lloyd Cole’s cover of “Chelsea Hotel” (from the Cohen tribute album, “I’m Your Fan”) is also quite good.
The hotel remains a popular location for photo shoots–particularly among music artists (the aforementioned Lloyd Cole and Rufus Wainwright among them).
Great post!
October 13th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Good call, West23rd: I misplaced my copy of “I’m Your Fan” a while back, but remember the Cole cover as particularly solid.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Loved this post - my husband and I have tickets to see Cohen this Saturday night and, being a fan for 35+ years, I am beyond excited!
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
[...] link to the download site follows: Songs About Places: Coverfolk from The Chelsea Hotel _____________________Previous Heck Of A Guy visits to Grateful Breed include Neil Young’s [...]
November 10th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Joe Purdy did a nice version on Live from the Living Room to the Loft.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:48 am
[...] covered by folk artists. Sometimes, it offers many versions of one song such as Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel No. 2 done by artists ranging from Regina Spektor, the Soviet-born American singer and pianist, to [...]
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:46 am
Amazing collection of covers. Thanks for this excellent blog.
January 14th, 2010 at 8:43 am
[...] adolescent longing. I’d been holding out for a full feature on the lad, but we dropped his great cover of Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel a few months ago, and today’s theme just wouldn’t be complete without a few favorites, [...]
February 8th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
J — Ryan Adams covers, eh? Well, he’s COVERED plenty of songs … and oddly, for someone so prolific and well-regarded, it isn’t working out the other way ’round.
I’ve been a bit of an Adams fanatic, and out of 204 songs in my iTunes lib under his name, only 3 covers came up — 2 of ‘Oh, My Sweet Carolina’ (by Red Molly and Portastatic) and ‘Firecracker’ - a studio acoustic recording by friend Janelle Daddona … I will forward if you’re still seeking.