In 1979, Cohen returned with the more traditional ''Recent Songs'', which blended his acoustic style with jazz, East Asian, and Mediterranean influences. Cohen's most famous song, "Hallelujah", was released on his seventh album, ''Various Positions'' (1984). ''I'm Your Man'' in 1988 marked Cohen's turn to synthesized productions. In 1992, Cohen released its follow-up, ''The Future'', which had dark lyrics and references to political and social unrest.
Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of ''Ten New Songs'', a major hit in Canada and Europe. His eleventh album, ''Dear Heather'', followed in 2004. In 2005, Cohen discovered that his manager had stolen most of his money and sold his publishing rights, prompting a return to touring to recoup his losses. Following a successful string of tours between 2008 and 2013, he released three albums in the final years of his life: ''Old Ideas'' (2012), ''Popular Problems'' (2014), and ''You Want It Darker'' (2016), the last of which was released three weeks before his death. His posthumous, fifteenth, and final studio album ''Thanks for the Dance'', was released in November 2019.
In 2023, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked him number 103 in their "200 Greatest Singers of All Time" list.