The Best of Leonard Cohen
The Best of Leonard Cohen is a greatest hits album by Leonard Cohen, released in 1975. It covers songs recorded from 1967 to 1974, and runs 46 minutes and 45 seconds. It was released by Columbia and produced by Bob Johnston, John Lissauer, and John Simon.
In Europe, the album was often called Greatest Hits. Cohen had full artistic control: he chose the songs, designed the packaging, and insisted that the lyrics be included.
The album didn’t become a big hit in the United States, but it did well in Europe. Cohen toured to promote it in 1976, from Berlin to London. During that tour he recorded Do I Have To Dance All Night at Musicland Studios; the single was released only in Europe.
The front cover photo was taken in 1968 in a Milan hotel room by a photographer named Gino. This image later inspired the cover of Ween’s 1991 album The Pod.
In July 2009, the compilation was re-released in England as Greatest Hits with new artwork and a revised track list. Four songs from the original 1975 version were removed — Lady Midnight, The Partisan, Last Year’s Man, and Take This Longing — and nine post-1975 tracks were added: Everybody Knows, Waiting for the Miracle, A Thousand Kisses Deep, The Future, Closing Time, Dance Me to the End of Love, First We Take Manhattan, I’m Your Man, and Hallelujah.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:39 (CET).