So Long, Marianne

"Marianne" in this song is Marianne Ihlen, who met and lived with Leonard Cohen and her son on the Greek island of Hydra. Later, all three moved to Montreal. Marianne's son, Axel, was from a former marriage with the Norwegian novelist Axel Jensen, who also lived on Hydra at that time. Cohen wrote this song when they split up, but they got back together and lived together on and off until 1973, even after Cohen had a son, Adam, with another woman in 1972. Marianne left a lasting impression on Cohen, who had several other passionate relationships that informed his songs.

The Marianne this song is about was Norwegian and pronounced her name "Ma-ri-AN-ah." Cohen used a standard English pronunciation (like "Mary-Ann") for the song because the extra syllable wouldn't fit.

Judy Scott, who met Marianne on Hydra in 1973 and became very close with her, told Songfacts what she was like: "My first impression was of a lovely, tall, tanned blonde woman of about 35. I came to know her better. She mentioned the song 'So Long, Marianne' and told me it was originally titled 'Come On, Marianne' but later Leonard changed it. She loved the song, even if it did evoke the evolving nature of their relationship. When I visited her in Oslo she played the song on her small stereo, and looking out the window, she said to me, 'The thing with Leonard is, he actually did what he set out to do. He succeeded where many others failed. It makes him almost inescapable in my life.'"