You’ve almost certainly heard the story of Pattie Boyd, the beautiful blonde who had two great talents pining for her affection. But have you heard of Marianne Ihlen?

From a quaint village in Norway, Marianne fell in love with Axel Jensen, the “Norwegian Jack Kerouac.” Together they journeyed to the Greek island of Hydra, where they were among the first of the island’s ex-pat community. Just as their marriage fell apart, who should show up on Hydra but one of the greatest songwriters of all-time: Leonard Cohen. He will write several of his greatest songs about her, including “So Long, Marianne” and “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.” Her humility and kindness influenced Leonard across geographic borders, 3 albums, and beyond. This week on the Dolls Pod, we’re bringing Marianne’s story out from the shadows that her famous lovers’ legends ha ...