This is an earnest rendering of Leonard Cohen's song-poem. Folk singers on acoustic guitar aren't really my favourite style, but Mr. Harrison has a pleasant enough voice. This is suitable for a coffee shop early on a spring morning.
Noel Harrison (1934-2013) was from the Kensington district of London and was the son of actor Rex Harrison. In 1949, his mother took him out of school to live in the Swiss Alps (as one does). In the 1950s, he was a member of the British ski team, competing in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympic Games.
In 1965, Harrison moved to the United States and started playing in nightclubs there. His first single, "A Young Girl (Of Sixteen)", was released that year; it reached #5 nationally in Canada and #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 but did not get airplay in Toronto. (Songs about underage girls were quite common in the 1960s - someday, I might write all of them up. Examples include "Young Girl" and "Go Away Little Girl".) "Suzanne" was his second single; it only reached #56 on the Hot 100 and did not chart nationally in Canada, so it was a local hit in Toronto.
In 1968, Harrison recorded "The Windmills Of Your Mind", which was played during the opening credits of the movie The Thomas Crown Affair. It was released as a single in 1969 and reached #8 on the UK singles chart but did not chart in North America. I found that it took itself so dreadfully seriously that I could only make it through 44 seconds of it. (I'm reasonably certain that the Bonzo Dog Band song "Canyons of Your Mind" is a satire based on this song's title. I think that the Bonzo Dog Band is awesome.)
Harrison moved to rural Nova Scotia in 1972 and played in touring theatrical productions in the United States in the 1970s. He returned to the UK in 2004 and passed away from a heart attack in 2013.
Created October 23, 2026.