Thanks for the Dance

Thanks for the Dance is the fifteenth and final studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released posthumously through Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on November 22, 2019.[1] It is the first release following Cohen's death in November 2016, and includes contributions from various musicians, such as Daniel Lanois, Beck, Jennifer Warnes, Damien Rice and Leslie Feist.[2] The song "The Goal" was released with the announcement of the album, on September 20, 2019.[3]

Thanks for the Dance
Studio album by Leonard Cohen
Released	November 22, 2019
Recorded	2016
Length	29:17
Label	Columbia Legacy
Producer	Adam Cohen
Leonard Cohen chronology
You Want It Darker (2016) Thanks for the Dance (2019)
Singles from Thanks for the Dance
"The Goal" Released: September 20, 2019 "Happens to the Heart" Released: October 25, 2019 "Moving On" Released: January 31, 2020

Described as a "continuation" of Cohen's previous studio album, You Want It Darker (2016), the album's vocal tracks were recorded during the same sessions, with Cohen's son and album producer Adam Cohen noting that the album should not be considered an album of "discarded songs or B sides".[4]

Background

The songs on the album comprise "sketches" left over from the sessions for Cohen's final studio album You Want It Darker that were finished by Cohen's son Adam Cohen in a "garage near his father's old house".[5] Regarding the tracks, Cohen noted: "Had we had more time and had [Leonard] been more robust, we would have gotten to them. [We had] conversations about what instrumentation and what feelings he wanted the completed work to evoke – sadly, the fact that I would be completing them without him was given."[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	6.9/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]

Thanks for the Dance received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 25 reviews.

Rolling Stone gave the album 4 stars, praising the album and saying it is "a magnificent parting shot that's also that exceptionally rare thing — a posthumous work as alive, challenging, and essential as anything issued in the artist's lifetime".[8]

The album was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.[9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Leonard Cohen.

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Happens to the Heart"	Adam Cohen	4:33
2.	"Moving On"	A. Cohen Patrick Leonard	3:11
3.	"The Night of Santiago"	A. Cohen	4:15
4.	"Thanks for the Dance"	Anjani Thomas	4:13
5.	"It's Torn"	A. Cohen Sharon Robinson	2:57
6.	"The Goal"	A. Cohen	1:12
7.	"Puppets"	A. Cohen	2:39
8.	"The Hills"	L. Cohen	4:17
9.	"Listen to the Hummingbird"	A. Cohen	2:00
Total length:			29:17

Personnel

• Leonard Cohen – vocals (1–9)
• Pietro Amato – horns (8)
• Erika Angell – vocals (8)
• Kobi Arditi – trombone (1)
• Avi Avital – mandolin (2)
• Beck – Jew's harp (3), acoustic guitar (3)
• Romain Bly – trumpet (1)
• Charlie Bisharat – violin (1)
• Jacob Braun – cello (1)
• David Campbell – conductor (1)
• Cantus Domus – choir (7)
• Matt Chamberlain – drums (8), percussion (8)
• Michael Chaves – bass (1,2,3,4,5,7,9), acoustic guitar (1,5,8), claps (3), drums (4), percussion (5), electric guitar (7,8), synthesizer (8)
• Adam Cohen – acoustic guitar (3), claps (3), synthesizer (7), vocals (9)
• Stewart Cole – trumpet (4), flugelhorn (4), clarinet (4), modular synthesizer (4)
• Carlos de Jacoba – acoustic guitar (3)
• André Deritter – conductor (1)
• George Doering – baritone ukulele (4)
• Andrew Duckles – viola (1)
• Leslie Feist – vocals (4)
• Caimin Gilmore – double bass (1)
• Larry Goldings – flute (1), piano (9)
• Steve Hassett – vocals (9)
• Rob Humphreys – percussion (1)
• Daniel Lanois – piano (1,3), vocals (3), guitar effects (5)
• Lilah Larson – vocals (8)
• Patrick Leonard – piano (6)
• Javier Mas – Spanish laud (1,4), acoustic guitar (2,3,4,6,9), claps (3)
• Dustin O'Halloran – piano (5)
• Georg Paltz – clarinet (1)
• Silvia Perez Cruz – vocals (2,3)
• Zac Rae – felt piano (1,3), ride cymbal (2), Wurlitzer (2,3), vibraphone (2,4), toy piano (2), synthesizer (3,5), kick drum (3), organ (4), zither (5), strings (6,7), piano (7), bells (7), keyboard (9)
• Zoe Randell – vocals (9)
• Mariza Rizou – vocals (2)
• Richard Reed Parry – bass (3)
• Damien Rice – vocals (9)
• Sharon Robinson – percussion (5), vocals (5)
• Shaar Hashomayim Men's Choir – choir (7)
• Jason Sharp – saxophone (8)
• Jessica Staveley-Taylor – vocals (9)
• Mishka Stein – bass (8)
• Aaron Sterling – cymbals (4)
• Dave Stone – string bass (1)
• Alistair Sung – cello (1)
• Molly Sweeney – vocals (8)
• Jamie Thompson – drums (8)
• Maaike van der Linde – flute (1)
• Marlies van Gangelen – oboe (1)
• Josefina Vergara – violin (1)
• Mariam Wallentin – vocals (9)
• Jennifer Warnes – vocals (4)
• Patrick Watson – organ (8), synthesizer (8 and 9), horn arrangement (8)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2019) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 11 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 2 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 10 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] 1 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[15] 7 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[16] 3 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 5 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 17 French Albums (SNEP)[19] 15 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 5 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[21] 23 Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] 6 Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] 11 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[24] 58 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 4 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26] 2 Polish Albums (ZPAV)[27] 5 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[28] 1 Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 6 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[30] 7 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 6 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 4 UK Albums (OCC)[33] 7 US Billboard 200[34] 61

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[35] 28 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 33 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[37] 157 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 93 French Albums (SNEP)[39] 121 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 93 Polish Albums (ZPAV)[41] 91 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 56 Chart (2020) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 73 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] 63 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[46]	Gold	7,500
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. DeVille, Chris (September 20, 2019). "New Leonard Cohen Album Thanks For The Dance Out This Fall". Stereogum. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
2. Monroe, Jazz (September 20, 2019). "New Leonard Cohen Album Thanks for the Dance Announced: Listen to "The Goal"". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
3. Reilly, Nick (September 20, 2019). "Thanks For The Dance: Leonard Cohen's son unveils new posthumous album and shares first track". NME. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
4. Zoladz, Lindsay (November 20, 2019). "TA Last Dance for Leonard Cohen". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
5. Snapes, Laura (September 21, 2019). "Thanks for the Dance: posthumous Leonard Cohen album announced". The Guardian. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
6. "Reviews for Thanks for the Dance by Leonard Cohen". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
7. Hewitt, Ben (November 21, 2019). "Leonard Cohen: Thanks for the Dance Albm Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
8. Hermes, Will (November 21, 2019). "Leonard Cohen's Profound 'Thanks for the Dance' Is a Posthumous Grace Note". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
9. Melody Lau, "Alessia Cara and Tory Lanez lead the 2020 Juno nominations". CBC Music, January 28, 2019.
10. "Australiancharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
11. "Austriancharts.at – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
12. "Ultratop.be – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
13. "Ultratop.be – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
14. "Leonard Cohen Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
15. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201948 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
16. "Danishcharts.dk – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
18. "Leonard Cohen: Thanks for the Dance" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
19. "Top Albums (Week 48, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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26. "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 48, 2019". VG-lista. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
27. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
28. "Portuguesecharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
29. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
30. "Spanishcharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
31. "Swedishcharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
32. "Swisscharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
33. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
34. "Leonard Cohen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
35. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2019". austriancharts.at. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
36. "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
37. "Rapports Annuels 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
38. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2019". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
39. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2019" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
40. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
41. "Najpopularniejsze albumy i single 2019 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
42. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2019". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
43. "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
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45. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2020". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
46. "Austrian album certifications – Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved December 16, 2019.