The Holiness and Unholiness of Hallelujah

25 Million New & Used CDs / Vinyl Records

Music Forum

My Account / Login

The Holiness and Unholiness of Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
by Alexis Andrews - November 17, 2008

Leonard Cohen, original composer of

The first song I ever learned to play in the guitar is "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It is fairly easy to study; it starts with a C major chord and moves in the manner as described in the first verse: F (“the fourth”), G (“the fifth”), A minor (“the minor fall”), and F (“the major lift”). According to Cohen, however, writing and composing the record (which might be considered as belonging in the folk rock genre) proved to be a frustrating and difficult process: “I filled two notebooks and I remember being in the Royalton Hotel (in New York),” he said, “on the carpet in my underwear, banging my head on the floor and saying, ‘I can't finish this song.’”

And so for years, the singer-songwriter from Canada wrote and rewrote the song’s lyrics, changed its tempo, tinkered countless times with its arrangement. Word has it that Cohen had come up with at least eighty verses for “Hallelujah”; Velvet Underground founder John Cale was faxed fifteen of these verses when he had asked permission from the author to cover the song.

The first original release of “Hallelujah” can be found in the 1984 Leonard Cohen album, Various Positions. A second version was recorded live in 1988, and it is this version which then appeared in the 1994 album, Cohen Live. Cohen sings the words in his deep, almost shattered voice, which then belts out the soaring, triumphant chorus. Lyrically, the record contains various Biblical references and liturgical themes, alluding to the Books of Samuel and Judges as well as containing mentions of the Tetragrammaton name. While some interpreters ascribe various kinds of religious feelings to the song, others still see “Hallelujah” as less holy – with subtle but intentional sexual innuendos.

Whatever it means, “Hallelujah” remains as one of the most hauntingly beautiful and poetic songs I’ve ever heard. Which is probably why over 170 records and cover versions of it exist. With its “unfinished” nature and ever-changing lyrical composition, the song has thus become as open to interpretation as any other – mimicked almost as often as has been that other Cohen single, Suzanne. It has been played in most of this past decade’s saddest TV and movie scenes – in Shrek, Lord of War, Without A Trace, The West Wing, The O.C., ER, Ugly Betty, to name a few. The most popular versions include that of John Cale (in his 1992 live album Fragments of a Rainy Season); late American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley (in his 1994 album, Grace); Rufus Wainwright, whose version appeared in the soundtrack album of the animated film Shrek; Allison Crowe; k.d. Lang; Bob Dylan; even Bon Jovi and dreadlocked American Idol contestant Jason Castro.

Little-known alt-folk pop band Romantica, from Belfast-slash-Minneapolis, has one of the most unique takes of this phenomenal Leonard Cohen record. It is quick, contemporary, with the rhythm and feel of a rollicking country song. It's different from the rest. Which fits the essence of what “Hallelujah” is all about. While others are eager to pinpoint to a definitive version of the song, I still think that – like a poem – “Hallelujah” is a piece best described as purgatorial: tough to manage in its black-and-whiteness, and is neither wholly holy nor unholy.

Subscribe to Latest Articles

Recent Postings

New Music Releases – November 24, 2009 - Nov 24

New Music Releases – November 17 - Nov 16

New Music Releases – November 10, 2009 - Nov 9

New Music Releases – November 3, 2009 - Nov 2

New Music Releases - October 27, 2009 - Oct 27

New Music Releases - October 20, 2009 - Oct 19

Happy 40th Birthday To Abbey Road - Oct 1

New Music Releases – September 29, 2009 - Sep 29

Ask Mr. Music - September 29, 2009 - Sep 29

Bird and Animal Names In Rock and Roll History-part thirty-two - Sep 27

Categories

Recent Postings

Recent Comments