Who by Fire (song)

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"Who by Fire"
Song by Leonard Cohen
from the album New Skin for the Old Ceremony
Released1974-08-30
RecordedFebruary 1974
Studio Sound Ideas Studio, New York
Genre Folk rock
Length2:33
Label Columbia
Songwriter Leonard Cohen
Producers Leonard Cohen
John Lissauer

"Who by Fire" is a song written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen in the 1970s. It explicitly relates to Cohen's Jewish roots, echoing the words of the Unetanneh Tokef prayer. [1] [2] In synagogues, the prayer is recited during the High Holy Days. [3] The song was written after Cohen's improvised concerts for Israeli soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula during the Yom Kippur War. [4] The song is sung as a duet with Jewish-American singer Janis Ian. It was included on Cohen's 1974 album New Skin for the Old Ceremony .

Contents

Background

On October 6, 1973, the Yom Kippur War started when an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria, launched a surprise attack on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. [4] Amid high fatalities among Israeli soldiers and a sense of despair in the country, Cohen arrived in the country to perform on the battlefield in the Sinai Peninsula for small groups of soldiers. He said: “I am joining my brothers fighting in the desert,” adding “I don’t care if their war is just or not. I know only that war is cruel, that it leaves bones, blood and ugly stains on the holy soil.” [3] He arrived to perform with a pickup band of four Israeli musicians. [4] Cohen wrote and shelved a manuscript about the experience. [4]

The song is a meditation on death and was inspired by the Unetanneh Tokef prayer recited in synagogues during the High Holy Days. [3] The prayers begins: “On Rosh HaShanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. [3] How many will pass and how many will be created.” In his adaptation of the prayer, Cohen added a question to the traditional liturgy: “And who shall I say is calling?" [3]

Cultural impact

In 2022, Canadian-Israeli journalist Matti Friedman referenced the song title with his book, Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai. The book is an account of Cohen's experience performing in the Sinai. [4]

A 2024 French-Canadian film, Who by Fire , directly references the song in its English-language title. [5]

Cover versions

Reception

The song was one of the best received by critics reviewing the album collection.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. ↑ Koral, David (September 27, 2012). "Leonard Cohen's Lyricism". The New York Jewish Week. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  2. ↑ Zelermyer, Cantor Gideon (November 18, 2016). "Leonard Cohen's Temple of Song". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Leonard Cohen: Life, Death, and the Days of Awe | Reform Judaism". reformjudaism.org. September 3, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Friedman, Matti. "Leonard Cohen's Songs of the Yom Kippur War". Tabletmag.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. ↑ Grisar, P. J. (October 5, 2024). "How Leonard Cohen — and a Yom Kippur prayer — inspired a coming-of-age epic". The Forward. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ Brown, Helen (March 25, 2021). "First Aid Kit review, Who by Fire: A live covers album Leonard Cohen would have loved". The Independent. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  7. ↑ First Aid Kit - Topic (March 25, 2021). Who by Fire / As the Mist Leaves No Scar (Live) . Retrieved December 5, 2024– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Peacock, Tim (August 19, 2022). "Listen To PJ Harvey's Haunting Cover Of Leonard Cohen's 'Who By Fire'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ Grow, Kory (September 14, 2023). "Beth Orton and Skinny Pelembe Find New Skin for the Old Ceremony in Leonard Cohen Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  10. ↑ Deaux, Jon (October 30, 2024). "LUCIFER release cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Who By Fire' ft. Bobby Liebling (Pentagram)". All About The Rock. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
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