This Day in Music

January 31st

A Canadian legend, a British bad apple, Wall St., and Elvis is in New York, on this day in Music.

Releases

2012: Legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen releases his 12th studio album, "Old Ideas," his first record in eight years.

Cohen hadn't expected to still be making music at 77 years old. However, following the discovery that his former manager had stolen his entire fortune, Cohen went out on several North American and European tours from 2006 to 2009 to re-earn his retirement income, and enjoyed it so much he decided to keep making albums, rather than focus on poetry and novels.

And what an album! Forty-four years following his debut, "Old Ideas" ranks as one of his best, earning widespread critical acclaim, for a MetaCritic Score of 85/100. Songs like "Going Home," "Darkness," "Crazy to Love You," and "Come Healing" resonated with audiences, making the album a huge commercial success.

The LP reached No. 1 on the Music Canada album chart, where it was certified Platinum, No. 3 on the Billboard 200, which was the highest-placing US album of his career, and No. 1 across the EU, Scandinavia, the Baltics, and Central and Eastern Europe, where he always enjoyed great popularity. In Finland, Cohen became the oldest artist to chart a No. 1 album.

He would make three more studio albums and two more live albums before his death in October of 2016. His final studio album, "Thanks for the Dance," was released posthumously in 2019 following its completion by his son, Adam Cohen.

People

1956: John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, frontman for punk pioneers, Sex Pistols, is born in the Finsbury Park neighbourhood of The London Borough of Hackney. Though he only made one album with Sex Pistols, he would go on to form the post-punk band Public Image Ltd., with whom he has made eleven albums to date, including "End of World," released in 2023, and has issued one solo LP.

Happy 70th Birthday, Johnny, 'ya gobshite!

Events

1997: Wall St. firm Fahnestock & Co. issues the first “Bowie Bonds,” a Standard & Poor's-rated fixed-income security against the music catalog of David Bowie, which he had re-acquired following the expiration of his licensing deal with RykoDisc. At a face value of $1,000, and a coupon rate of 7.9%, the bonds would mature in 15 years. All of the bonds were purchased by the investment wing of Prudential, raising $55 million for Bowie. He was the first artist to become a Wall St. investment vehicle.

The Daily Elvis

1956: Elvis records at RCA Studios New York in the afternoon, during which time he commits “Tutti Frutti” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)” to tape.

Attached: Leonard Cohen reveals the answer to life’s great mysteries at 5:14 of this wonderful performance in London. Treat yourself and listen to the entire piece.