One of its most recent uses was its performance in a tribute to the child victims of the Sandy Hook massacre on The Voice. It has been used in funerals and weddings, in Christian worship, and in the midst of tragedies. These are just a handful of the artists that have added their voices to the canvas.
To this day, his version is considered definitive and has served as the inspiration for countless other renditions. In 2004, Rolling Stone declared Buckley's cover one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Sadly, Buckley would pass away just before the release of his second album-cutting short a career that had barely begun.īuckley has been posthumously recognized as a musical genius, and his cover of Cohen's "Hallelujah" was soon considered a classic. He would eventually record it on his debut album, Grace. Recordings of his early live performances reveal a treatment of the song that is undeniably both haunting and beautiful. To this day, few people play as Buckley did-performing on an electric guitar with the sensitivity of an acoustic folk "balladist" and the precision of a classical harp player, couched in a symphonic, clean, electric glow as haunting as his voice is.Įarly in his career, Buckley started playing Cohen's "Hallelujah," and his unique musical disposition took the under-appreciated masterpiece and turned it into something of a legend. He always performed on a Les Paul electric guitar. In a relatively recent interview (posted below) Cohen reminisces about being told that the album wasn’t good enough for an American market-and indeed it never really sold well. "Hallelujah" was released on the album Various Positions (1984). He was a musician from Canada, who is known for richly structured, soulful, poetic songs exploring the depths of despair, broken love, and politics-all of which are often laced with religious imagery drawn from his Jewish background. "Hallelujah" was originally composed by singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen and released in 1984. The sexual interpretation of Cohen's "Hallelujah" hinges on lines such as:Īnd every breath we drew was hallelujah Judaism in the Song "Hallelujah" He felt deep intimacy and passion when he made love to her, but that well of intimacy has dried up. Perhaps he is saddened because he feels that the relationship has died. But, she seems to have grown cold and holds back her true feelings from him.
Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah lyrics | LyricsFreak Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah lyrics | LyricsFreak Read or print original Hallelujah Now I've heard there was a secret chord / That david played, and it pleased the lord Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen song) 14.7 Leonard Cohen 12.4 Lyrics 12.2 Hallelujah 4.2 The Tractors 2.1 Chord (music) 2.1 Audio engineer 1.5 Various Positions 1.5 Album 1.5 Singing 1.3 Kenny Kosek 1.3 Harmonica 1.2 Sid McGinnis 1.2 Drum kit 1.2 Guitar 1.2 Jennifer Warnes 1.2 Lani Groves 1.2 Columbia Records 1.2 Anjani 1.2 Bass guitar 1."Below" could be in reference to his partner's sexual excitement.