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The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah"
“A venerated creator. An adored, tragic interpreter. An uncomplicated, memorable melody. Ambiguous, evocative words. Faith and uncertainty. Pain and pleasure.” Today, “Hallelujah” is one of the most-performed rock songs in history. It has become a staple of movies and television shows as diverse as Shrek and The West Wing, of tribute videos and telethons. It has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Bob Dylan, U2, Justin Timberlake, and k.d. lang, and it is played every year at countless events—both sacred and secular—around the world.
Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own?
Through in-depth interviews with its interpreters and the key figures who were actually there for its original recordings, acclaimed music journalist Alan Light follows the improbable journey of “Hallelujah” straight to the heart of popular culture. The Holy or the Broken gives insight into how great songs come to be, how they come to be listened to, and how they can be forever reinterpreted.
Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own?
Through in-depth interviews with its interpreters and the key figures who were actually there for its original recordings, acclaimed music journalist Alan Light follows the improbable journey of “Hallelujah” straight to the heart of popular culture. The Holy or the Broken gives insight into how great songs come to be, how they come to be listened to, and how they can be forever reinterpreted.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2012
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2929 people want to read
About the author
Alan Light
25 books69 followersA veteran music journalist, Alan Light is the author of The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" and Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. Light was previously the editor-in-chief of Vibe and Spin and a senior writer for Rolling Stone. He is also a frequent contributor to the New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 414 reviews
May 26, 2023
I got this book free in a neighbour swap library, glad I did to be honest. It takes some effort to write 235 pages about a nice tune with mysterious lyrics, and it takes even bigger effort to read those 235 pages about the said song.
This ditty was actually played in a dental waiting room while I waited earlier this month by a male / female duet. I had no idea who they were but can say hand on heart I was very happy to have got the call to have my mouth looked into to just get away from the tune.
At various times in these pages, the author mentions that there were calls for a moratorium on its use, even by the songwriter himself. It got used so often that at one time one writer wrote in disgust it had become “…… cheap emotional shorthand for overwhelming spiritual feelings.” The writer of that went on to say that it had become “…….so common that it had been drained of its power to move” Amen to that, I say.
I like the Shrek films version by the Velvet Underground bloke, but then I would because I consider him a genius. The fella who died in the river I caught live back in the day and do not even recall him doing the track, in fact the only three things I recall from that gig was him yelling obscenities at his mixing desk for it all being too loud, him doing a rip-roaring version of a song that starts with “And right now... right now... right now it's time to... kick out the jams, mother---------!” and a couple of young lasses next to me talking about how the chap we were seeing was doomed to an early death. How was that for prescient vision!
As to the composer (who I might add was lucky enough to have had his picture taken on a Greek Island with Charmian Clift in the 60's) as a homage to him, I dug out his album released on February 2, 1988 and had a play and can say that this would have been a far more interesting subject to write a book about.
Recommended to the couple that named their daughter after the song, but who as she got older called herself Lulu.
This ditty was actually played in a dental waiting room while I waited earlier this month by a male / female duet. I had no idea who they were but can say hand on heart I was very happy to have got the call to have my mouth looked into to just get away from the tune.
At various times in these pages, the author mentions that there were calls for a moratorium on its use, even by the songwriter himself. It got used so often that at one time one writer wrote in disgust it had become “…… cheap emotional shorthand for overwhelming spiritual feelings.” The writer of that went on to say that it had become “…….so common that it had been drained of its power to move” Amen to that, I say.
I like the Shrek films version by the Velvet Underground bloke, but then I would because I consider him a genius. The fella who died in the river I caught live back in the day and do not even recall him doing the track, in fact the only three things I recall from that gig was him yelling obscenities at his mixing desk for it all being too loud, him doing a rip-roaring version of a song that starts with “And right now... right now... right now it's time to... kick out the jams, mother---------!” and a couple of young lasses next to me talking about how the chap we were seeing was doomed to an early death. How was that for prescient vision!
As to the composer (who I might add was lucky enough to have had his picture taken on a Greek Island with Charmian Clift in the 60's) as a homage to him, I dug out his album released on February 2, 1988 and had a play and can say that this would have been a far more interesting subject to write a book about.
Recommended to the couple that named their daughter after the song, but who as she got older called herself Lulu.
September 3, 2013
It's hard to sustain an entire book based on an analysis of one song, but if there's a song to write a book on (other than perhaps one by Dylan), it'd be Hallelujah. Although Cohen sanctioned the writing of this, he did not participate in it - and his voice is notably missing. Then again, something might be lost if Mr. Cohen himself commented in any kind of a definitive way: as part of his thesis, Light repeatedly comes back to the idea that Hallelujah has enjoyed the slow build to popularity - many would say oversaturation - because it is so rife with multiple, layered meaning and therefore can be interpreted in so many ways to fit so many occasions by so many different artists.
Light gives almost every one of the major artists who've covered the tune (and even some of the minor ones) their due, but is clearly a fan of Buckley's. A surprise (for me) was Bon Jovi - whose version has been appreciated by Leonard Cohen himself as one of the stronger interpretations. While I'm not a fan of JBJ's rendition, I did appreciate his obvious depth of understanding of the lyric, the irony and the tension between the religious and secular meanings of the verses. (That said, Richie Sambora trying to put "Livin' on a Prayer" in the same category with Hallelujah kind of made me howl.)
For any of us who've listened, analyzed, compared and/or witnessed the performance of the song in any of the contexts that Light describes, there's not much new here (although I did finally get how the various verses, from the 80 that Cohen started with to the five included in Buckley's version, have been combined and recombined to different effect over the years). At the macro level, though, there is much to ponder in the journey of a song by a relatively obscure poet-songwriter becoming an iconic piece of popular culture.
Light gives almost every one of the major artists who've covered the tune (and even some of the minor ones) their due, but is clearly a fan of Buckley's. A surprise (for me) was Bon Jovi - whose version has been appreciated by Leonard Cohen himself as one of the stronger interpretations. While I'm not a fan of JBJ's rendition, I did appreciate his obvious depth of understanding of the lyric, the irony and the tension between the religious and secular meanings of the verses. (That said, Richie Sambora trying to put "Livin' on a Prayer" in the same category with Hallelujah kind of made me howl.)
For any of us who've listened, analyzed, compared and/or witnessed the performance of the song in any of the contexts that Light describes, there's not much new here (although I did finally get how the various verses, from the 80 that Cohen started with to the five included in Buckley's version, have been combined and recombined to different effect over the years). At the macro level, though, there is much to ponder in the journey of a song by a relatively obscure poet-songwriter becoming an iconic piece of popular culture.
November 24, 2012
in the nearly thirty years since leonard cohen first recorded "hallelujah," it has gone from largely overlooked album track to one of the most covered songs in recent history. rock editor and journalist alan light traces the improbable trajectory of this now infamous song from its painstaking birth (it took years to compose) to its enduring ubiquity. the holy or the broken focuses mostly on the bard of montreal and the late singer-songwriter responsible for its most well-known (and perhaps most stirring) rendition.
since the turn of the millennium, "hallelujah" has appeared in films, on television programs, as part of globe-spanning tribute concerts, in olympic coverage, and, most recently, on nearly every conceivable incarnation of reality tv singing competition ever to grace the airwaves. with hundreds of available covers, "hallelujah" has been performed by everyone (after cohen, john cale, & jeff buckley) from rufus wainwright, k.d. lang, regina spektor, and bono to bon jovi, justin timberlake, willie nelson, neil diamond, susan boyle, and even michael bolton. following brief biographical backgrounds on both cohen and buckley, light follows the mania that has often accompanied the song, interviewing dozens of musicians for whom the song proved pivotal, poignant, or commercially lucrative.
composing an entire book about a single song is a lofty endeavor, but light's work is well-researched and often interesting. in addition to reporting upon the nearly exhausting number of cover versions, light also considers the lyrical complexity and musical qualities that have made the song so appealing across so wide a spectrum. apparently now somewhat of a regular at weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, and church services, light outlines the song's allure in both spiritual and secular contexts. if you've ever referred to "hallelujah" as "the shrek song," this is probably a book that you should consider required reading posthaste.
since the turn of the millennium, "hallelujah" has appeared in films, on television programs, as part of globe-spanning tribute concerts, in olympic coverage, and, most recently, on nearly every conceivable incarnation of reality tv singing competition ever to grace the airwaves. with hundreds of available covers, "hallelujah" has been performed by everyone (after cohen, john cale, & jeff buckley) from rufus wainwright, k.d. lang, regina spektor, and bono to bon jovi, justin timberlake, willie nelson, neil diamond, susan boyle, and even michael bolton. following brief biographical backgrounds on both cohen and buckley, light follows the mania that has often accompanied the song, interviewing dozens of musicians for whom the song proved pivotal, poignant, or commercially lucrative.
composing an entire book about a single song is a lofty endeavor, but light's work is well-researched and often interesting. in addition to reporting upon the nearly exhausting number of cover versions, light also considers the lyrical complexity and musical qualities that have made the song so appealing across so wide a spectrum. apparently now somewhat of a regular at weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, and church services, light outlines the song's allure in both spiritual and secular contexts. if you've ever referred to "hallelujah" as "the shrek song," this is probably a book that you should consider required reading posthaste.
this world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled, but there are moments when we can transcend the dualistic system and reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that's what i mean by "hallelujah." ~leonard cohen
it's a hymn to being alive. it's a hymn to love lost. to love. even the pain of existence, which ties you to being human, should receive an amen - or a hallelujah. ~jeff buckley
December 25, 2017
This book for me turned out to be one of those that I wish I'd read sooner. The real life stories that revolve around just a single song `Hallelujah` are all amazing, especially the ones of Cohen and Buckley as the cover points out. Unlike some other composers; Cohen was courageous and experimental enough to let go of this piece to have its own life and like all beings that are let free to go with love; the song returned back to him (and to us all) in an magical and magnificent way.
If you like reading about contemporary music you may vastly enjoy this book.. From Dylan to Costello to KD Lang to Cale, so many great musicians` stories are being told with regard to their relation to Cohen and Hallelujah. This is a great book about a beautiful enigmatic song.
PS. One of the versions I liked best is of Timberlake and Morris` at Hope for Haiti..
If you like reading about contemporary music you may vastly enjoy this book.. From Dylan to Costello to KD Lang to Cale, so many great musicians` stories are being told with regard to their relation to Cohen and Hallelujah. This is a great book about a beautiful enigmatic song.
PS. One of the versions I liked best is of Timberlake and Morris` at Hope for Haiti..
January 25, 2013
The repetitive, superficial, and soul-crushing history of the transformation of the world's most underrated singer's most overrated song into thoroughgoing cultural commodity--into an easy to swallow, easy to digest, instant serving of innocuous spirituality-lite or meaningful-sadness-on-demand, useful as a temporary soul substitute for a culture, a century, and a generation that has successfully sloughed off their own.
A nauseating history, nauseatingly told in standard NPR lite-relativist philistine style, taking insider pride in knowing the song before the kids got to it, while worshipfully cooing with glee over every mass culture confirmation of its worth from Buckley to Boyle, the OC to Shrek to American Idol, tsk-tsking over censored lyrics, while respectfully repeating the sacred middlebrow mantra: "it's great because it means all things to all people." It is everything, therefore it is nothing, hooray.
As a culture, we of course deserve the torturous eternal recurrence of this self-flagellation disguised as music--as does Cohen for attaching some of his most brilliant lyrics to such a trite, cheap, and emotionally manipulative melody. The song's grim afterlife was an inevitable tragedy, perhaps, but it's repellent to read about in detail and even more stomach-turning to see it presented as celebration rather than mourning.
A nauseating history, nauseatingly told in standard NPR lite-relativist philistine style, taking insider pride in knowing the song before the kids got to it, while worshipfully cooing with glee over every mass culture confirmation of its worth from Buckley to Boyle, the OC to Shrek to American Idol, tsk-tsking over censored lyrics, while respectfully repeating the sacred middlebrow mantra: "it's great because it means all things to all people." It is everything, therefore it is nothing, hooray.
As a culture, we of course deserve the torturous eternal recurrence of this self-flagellation disguised as music--as does Cohen for attaching some of his most brilliant lyrics to such a trite, cheap, and emotionally manipulative melody. The song's grim afterlife was an inevitable tragedy, perhaps, but it's repellent to read about in detail and even more stomach-turning to see it presented as celebration rather than mourning.
January 29, 2015
"There is a religious hallelujah, but there are many other ones," Leonard Cohen once said. "When one looks at the world, there's only one thing to say and it's hallelujah. That's the way it is."
Well, that was a fascinatingly dry read.
I've been on a huge Jeff Buckley kick lately. I just cannot get enough of Grace. It's amazing and Hallelujah is really the shining point on that album. So, when I came across this book, I decided to check it out. It's really fascinating to read about all of the various incarnations that one song has taken on. Much to my dismay, however, the author ensured that he told us about pretty much every single one. After a while, it became a little tedious to wade through everything, which made it hard to really hammer home the importance that this song has had for people over the years. I also wish that I could have actually read more about Cohen and Buckley themselves, since they are in the title of the book. I take that back, Cohen was a big focus but it seemed that it was taking more of his opinion on everyone else's version instead of his own.
Anyway. The idea behind this was interesting. This is an important song in pop culture. It's also one of the most over played, so I guess seeing it picked apart repeatedly in this books kind of fits. It doesn't make for super interesting reads though. On the plus side for this book, I'm definitely want to hunt down quality biographies on both Cohen and Buckley now. Guess that is something.
Well, that was a fascinatingly dry read.
I've been on a huge Jeff Buckley kick lately. I just cannot get enough of Grace. It's amazing and Hallelujah is really the shining point on that album. So, when I came across this book, I decided to check it out. It's really fascinating to read about all of the various incarnations that one song has taken on. Much to my dismay, however, the author ensured that he told us about pretty much every single one. After a while, it became a little tedious to wade through everything, which made it hard to really hammer home the importance that this song has had for people over the years. I also wish that I could have actually read more about Cohen and Buckley themselves, since they are in the title of the book. I take that back, Cohen was a big focus but it seemed that it was taking more of his opinion on everyone else's version instead of his own.
Anyway. The idea behind this was interesting. This is an important song in pop culture. It's also one of the most over played, so I guess seeing it picked apart repeatedly in this books kind of fits. It doesn't make for super interesting reads though. On the plus side for this book, I'm definitely want to hunt down quality biographies on both Cohen and Buckley now. Guess that is something.
July 23, 2013
This was great -- if you like music or think about the meaning behind words or lyrics or why the song Hallelujah took on the life it has, this is a must-read. Prepare to spend hours on YouTube watching different renditions and dissecting the performances.
There's a particularly great one of Cohen performing his original and the expressions when he sings make it clear he's written some FUNNY STUFF into the song (though I love how Buckley bleeds his heart out into his version of it). And I'm firmly now in the camp that Wainwright's version isn't that great, that it's too fast, and that the piano versions, in general, take something away from the song.
I guess this made me have some opinions I never otherwise would have thought to have. That's what a good piece of long-form journalism (which is really what this is) does.
There's a particularly great one of Cohen performing his original and the expressions when he sings make it clear he's written some FUNNY STUFF into the song (though I love how Buckley bleeds his heart out into his version of it). And I'm firmly now in the camp that Wainwright's version isn't that great, that it's too fast, and that the piano versions, in general, take something away from the song.
I guess this made me have some opinions I never otherwise would have thought to have. That's what a good piece of long-form journalism (which is really what this is) does.
November 23, 2012
Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" is the antithesis of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Even though both songs are undeniable classics written by two of the world's greatest living songwriters, they stand world's apart - or so Alan Light suggests in his book, The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah".
According to Light, a former editor-in-chief of Vibe and Spin magazines and a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Rolling Stone, Dylan, along with Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, the Beatles, and the like, ended the Tin Pan Alley tradition of songwriting. After Dylan and company, it became a badge of honor for musicians to perform their own material. If someone under the age of 30 performed Cole Porter's standard "Night and Day" in 1967, they were considered square and belonged with the unhip likes of Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Ella Fitzgerald. They could never sport a kaftan, smoke dope in Brian Wilson's living room tent, and hang with the Maharishi.
Well, according to Light, Cohen's 1984 composition "Hallelujah" changed all that. And The Holy or the Broken (which in its book-length exploration of a single song resembles Greil Marcus' stunning book, Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads) explores how it became a new pop standard, perhaps the only one that's been written outside of R&B in almost 30 years.
Light's story is fascinating. Cohen, by his own admission, worked on the song for almost six years, compiling over 80 verses. Ever the perfectionist, Cohen took years to decide which verses would fit the meaning that he wanted to convey in the song's powerful melody.
When it came time to record the Various Positions album in 1984, Cohen felt that "Hallelujah" was good to go. His arrangement, instrumentation, and vocal phrasing gave the song an over-the-top feel, resulting in an ironic and even cheesy tone. The rest of Various Positions was quite similar, and Columbia records refused to release it. Cohen had to opt for the smaller Passport Records, which didn't have the distribution power of Columbia.
So hardly anyone heard "Hallelujah" when it was originally released. But then, in 1988, Cohen's career took a dramatic turn for the better when he released the classic I'm Your Man album. The album became a favorite of hipster musicians new and old, with R.E.M., Nick Cave, Pixies, John Cale, and others collaborating on the Cohen tribute album I'm Your Fan in 1991.
Cale, who was a lifelong fan of Cohen and knew him in the 1960s when they both frequented Andy Warhol's Factory, chose "Hallelujah" for his contribution to I'm Your Fan. Cohen faxed Cale all the song's verses, and Cale restructured the song and sang it to his own solo piano accompaniment, which gave it a harsh and bitter meaning that transformed the song.
Cale's version became very popular with young musicians because it appeared alongside R.E.M.'s "First We Take Manhattan," Pixies' "I Can't Forget," and Cave's "Tower of Song" on I'm Your Fan. In fact, a young singer-songwriter named Jeff Buckley discovered Cale's version on the record and began performing it in New York clubs.
Buckley's performance of Cale's "Hallelujah" transformed the song yet again, this time into an ode to lust and sexual abandon. Buckley, according to Light, looked almost like the biblical David himself (a key figure in the song) as he performed a searching version of the song to the meandering arpeggios of his Fender Telecaster.
Buckley's version eventually appeared on his 1994 album Grace, which gained in popularity and critical regard throughout the remainder of the 1990s. Musicians, including Bono (who, by his own admission, butchered the song in a rap-falsetto hybrid that sounds like the deformed offspring of "The Fly"), were already covering it when Cale's version appeared in the 2001 movie Shrek, Rufus Wainwright's version appeared on the movie's soundtrack, and Buckley's version became a staple on VH1 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
After Shrek and 9/11, according to Light, the song became a standard whose meaning could change with each new performance. TV dramas such as ER picked up the song (usually Cale's, Buckley's, or Wainwright's version) to suggest sadness. k.d. lang, on the other, made the song into a spiritual, her most lauded and powerful performance being at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. And, lest we forget, the song is now a staple on American Idol and has been covered by pop artists as mainstream as Michael Bolton, Céline Dion, and - wait for it - Susan Boyle.
"Hallelujah" has now been covered so many times that at one point Cohen himself asked for a moratorium on new performances. Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile even recalled seeing a sign at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin requesting that singers don't perform the song.
Light doesn't seem bothered by the fact that Cohen's (or is it Cale's? Or is it Buckley's?) masterwork has attained such pop cultural ubiquity. He likes the fact that the song can generate so much meaning in so many different contexts.
If there's a flaw in The Holy or the Broken, it's that Light, near the end of the book, seems satisfied to go over as many meanings of and performances of "Hallelujah" that he can. But the success of the beginning of the book, which traces the rise of the song from Cohen to Shrek is fascinating reading about a fascinating song.
According to Light, a former editor-in-chief of Vibe and Spin magazines and a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Rolling Stone, Dylan, along with Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, the Beatles, and the like, ended the Tin Pan Alley tradition of songwriting. After Dylan and company, it became a badge of honor for musicians to perform their own material. If someone under the age of 30 performed Cole Porter's standard "Night and Day" in 1967, they were considered square and belonged with the unhip likes of Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Ella Fitzgerald. They could never sport a kaftan, smoke dope in Brian Wilson's living room tent, and hang with the Maharishi.
Well, according to Light, Cohen's 1984 composition "Hallelujah" changed all that. And The Holy or the Broken (which in its book-length exploration of a single song resembles Greil Marcus' stunning book, Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads) explores how it became a new pop standard, perhaps the only one that's been written outside of R&B in almost 30 years.
Light's story is fascinating. Cohen, by his own admission, worked on the song for almost six years, compiling over 80 verses. Ever the perfectionist, Cohen took years to decide which verses would fit the meaning that he wanted to convey in the song's powerful melody.
When it came time to record the Various Positions album in 1984, Cohen felt that "Hallelujah" was good to go. His arrangement, instrumentation, and vocal phrasing gave the song an over-the-top feel, resulting in an ironic and even cheesy tone. The rest of Various Positions was quite similar, and Columbia records refused to release it. Cohen had to opt for the smaller Passport Records, which didn't have the distribution power of Columbia.
So hardly anyone heard "Hallelujah" when it was originally released. But then, in 1988, Cohen's career took a dramatic turn for the better when he released the classic I'm Your Man album. The album became a favorite of hipster musicians new and old, with R.E.M., Nick Cave, Pixies, John Cale, and others collaborating on the Cohen tribute album I'm Your Fan in 1991.
Cale, who was a lifelong fan of Cohen and knew him in the 1960s when they both frequented Andy Warhol's Factory, chose "Hallelujah" for his contribution to I'm Your Fan. Cohen faxed Cale all the song's verses, and Cale restructured the song and sang it to his own solo piano accompaniment, which gave it a harsh and bitter meaning that transformed the song.
Cale's version became very popular with young musicians because it appeared alongside R.E.M.'s "First We Take Manhattan," Pixies' "I Can't Forget," and Cave's "Tower of Song" on I'm Your Fan. In fact, a young singer-songwriter named Jeff Buckley discovered Cale's version on the record and began performing it in New York clubs.
Buckley's performance of Cale's "Hallelujah" transformed the song yet again, this time into an ode to lust and sexual abandon. Buckley, according to Light, looked almost like the biblical David himself (a key figure in the song) as he performed a searching version of the song to the meandering arpeggios of his Fender Telecaster.
Buckley's version eventually appeared on his 1994 album Grace, which gained in popularity and critical regard throughout the remainder of the 1990s. Musicians, including Bono (who, by his own admission, butchered the song in a rap-falsetto hybrid that sounds like the deformed offspring of "The Fly"), were already covering it when Cale's version appeared in the 2001 movie Shrek, Rufus Wainwright's version appeared on the movie's soundtrack, and Buckley's version became a staple on VH1 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
After Shrek and 9/11, according to Light, the song became a standard whose meaning could change with each new performance. TV dramas such as ER picked up the song (usually Cale's, Buckley's, or Wainwright's version) to suggest sadness. k.d. lang, on the other, made the song into a spiritual, her most lauded and powerful performance being at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. And, lest we forget, the song is now a staple on American Idol and has been covered by pop artists as mainstream as Michael Bolton, Céline Dion, and - wait for it - Susan Boyle.
"Hallelujah" has now been covered so many times that at one point Cohen himself asked for a moratorium on new performances. Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile even recalled seeing a sign at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin requesting that singers don't perform the song.
Light doesn't seem bothered by the fact that Cohen's (or is it Cale's? Or is it Buckley's?) masterwork has attained such pop cultural ubiquity. He likes the fact that the song can generate so much meaning in so many different contexts.
If there's a flaw in The Holy or the Broken, it's that Light, near the end of the book, seems satisfied to go over as many meanings of and performances of "Hallelujah" that he can. But the success of the beginning of the book, which traces the rise of the song from Cohen to Shrek is fascinating reading about a fascinating song.
August 8, 2024
Hallelujah is so much more than just a song, and while reading this book it became for me a bit of an obsession. It may the most covered, misunderstood, and widely-known song out there. What I never expected to learn here was just how important the movie Shrek was to the meteoric popularity of the song. Thanks Shrek.
Book was good! Thorough to a fault, but good audiobook background while driving.
Book was good! Thorough to a fault, but good audiobook background while driving.
May 4, 2013
This book amazed me. I first heard the song Hallelujah on a John Cale live CD called Fragments of a Rainy Season and was very hypnotized by Cale's solo piano live rendition and subsequently saw him perform it live several times, including once with a stringed quartet. The song led me to Leonard Cohen who wrote it and I soon became addicted to his music and poetry. For half a decade I enjoyed the song in solitude and knew it only through the original 1984 Cohen and the 1992 Cale version. To my amazement, this book chronicles the unexpected journey the song has taken since 2001 when I last listened to it. I was unaware of Jeff Buckley's rendition, was ignorant of the extensive use of it in mass media, including television shows, commercials, Hollywood movies and reality TV. I didn't know that Buckley's version had seized an entire generation, or everyone from Celine Dion to Susan Boyle was covering it. The song has became a brand, known by billions, an anthem of post 9/11 hope and defiance. I don't know whether I'm happy for the song or not, but I do have nostalgia for the days when I was the only person I knew who had heard of it, and I couldn't have a conversation with anyone about it if I tried. After reading this book I was perplexed. Why this song? Many of Cohen's songs before Hallelujah were just as good, and many he wrote after were just as good. Was it because this song was chosen for the Shrek soundtrack? Or Jeff Buckley's lock on the 20 something generation has given it extensive privilege? Either way, it is a universally spiritual and deeply human song, full of pain, exhalation, faith and confusion. It pronounces the Joycean Yes: "She tied you to a kitchen chair/She broke your throne/She cut your hair/But from your lips she drew a Hallelujah." Seek down all versions on YouTube and watch and enjoy. Just stay away from the Bono version which defies reason and perhaps even physics.
March 8, 2013
This is a book about a song. A single song. A single song that has been covered hundreds of times, but still, a single song. It's a testament to the song that while reading the book I listened to various versions of the song hundreds of times, and never got tired of it.
Leonard Cohen, John Cale, Jeff Buckley. That's the main thrust of the song here, John Cale playing an under-heralded part in bringing Cohen's song to Jeff Buckley, who then brought it to the mainstream. As a lifelong Cohen fan who saw him before he retreated to Baldy mountain, it's a bit hard to take sometime. As someone who's had the honor of seeing Cohen, Cale and Buckley all perform the song live, I can understand, however. As someone who doesn't consider Hallelujah Cohen's finest work, it's a bit hard to take. For the life of me I can't understand why no one's done the same for "Anthem."
Still, Light's book is fascinating, if a bit overly-extended. It's worth it for no other reason than to see Bono apologize for his crap version of the song.
Leonard Cohen, John Cale, Jeff Buckley. That's the main thrust of the song here, John Cale playing an under-heralded part in bringing Cohen's song to Jeff Buckley, who then brought it to the mainstream. As a lifelong Cohen fan who saw him before he retreated to Baldy mountain, it's a bit hard to take sometime. As someone who's had the honor of seeing Cohen, Cale and Buckley all perform the song live, I can understand, however. As someone who doesn't consider Hallelujah Cohen's finest work, it's a bit hard to take. For the life of me I can't understand why no one's done the same for "Anthem."
Still, Light's book is fascinating, if a bit overly-extended. It's worth it for no other reason than to see Bono apologize for his crap version of the song.
March 7, 2013
It's hard for me to tease out my feelings for the book, when the book is an exercise in conjuring the song. Like nearly everyone else, I adore the song. I have a favorite version, maybe three. I've sat in concert halls and listened to Cohen sing it, tears running down my face, exactly twice. So far.
Well written, well-researched, this book is fascinating to read if you are at all interested in the long strange trip this song has taken, and what many of the singers think about it. It's a special song, and it's fun to hear what so many singers have to say about it. Recommended.
Well written, well-researched, this book is fascinating to read if you are at all interested in the long strange trip this song has taken, and what many of the singers think about it. It's a special song, and it's fun to hear what so many singers have to say about it. Recommended.
August 29, 2025
I don't remember how this gem of a book found me, just like I don't remember how I first discovered the song. I do know it was Buckley's version I first fell in love with. And I also know that I've never really been able to consider Leonard Cohen's version to be something I'd come back to. But I do at least appreciate his creation and his version more now.
Light has such a grasp on his subject(s) and intention here. His expertise and unwavering devotion to why he chose to document the so-called "unlikely ascent" of such a transcendent song stays strong throughout the entire book. Never lingering too long on any point, nothing about this full story is belabored, but neither is anything kept hidden or skimmed over.
"No matter how many times I do the song, it goes deeper every time. It's like a good book—three hundred times later, you feel like you're just getting it for the first time. You could never really exhaust the feeling of that song." —Michael McDonald, The Holy or the Broken
The balance of this deep dive is perfect and turned me into the reader I rarely am ... a mm-hmming, nodding participant. Light just gets it — and there's such a sense of sharing in this celebration that complemented and supported the reason for the book in the first place.
Light has such a grasp on his subject(s) and intention here. His expertise and unwavering devotion to why he chose to document the so-called "unlikely ascent" of such a transcendent song stays strong throughout the entire book. Never lingering too long on any point, nothing about this full story is belabored, but neither is anything kept hidden or skimmed over.
"No matter how many times I do the song, it goes deeper every time. It's like a good book—three hundred times later, you feel like you're just getting it for the first time. You could never really exhaust the feeling of that song." —Michael McDonald, The Holy or the Broken
The balance of this deep dive is perfect and turned me into the reader I rarely am ... a mm-hmming, nodding participant. Light just gets it — and there's such a sense of sharing in this celebration that complemented and supported the reason for the book in the first place.
December 29, 2012
Few modern songs are so deep in the cultural psyche as “Hallelujah.” The first time I remember REALLY hearing it was an episode of The West Wing, Posse Comitatus. This beautiful, haunting song provided the only sound while a number of scenes played out before our eyes. The song provided more emotion than even Aaron Sorkin’s writing and the stellar cast could convey.
I heard it again in Shrek, but it wasn’t until years later when I saw The Watchmen that I heard it by the man who wrote it, Leonard Cohen. And at that moment, Hallelujah became an integral part of the soundtrack of my life (and as an added bonus, exposed me to the genius that is Mr. Cohen).
Alan Light’s The Holy or The Broken explores how this originally obscure song became a global anthem, hymn, song of praise, song of mourning.
Light explores the origins of the song- after modest success, Columbia records didn’t want to release Various Positions, the album on which Hallelujah originally appeared. Light goes on to recount how John Cale began the resurrection of the song, and ultimately how it ended up in Buckley’s hands, and from there became a cultural phenomenon.
Part religion, part pure sex, Hallelujah means different things to different people. And although even most of us ardent fans are beginning to experience Hallelujah fatigue, few songs evoke the emotion this one does. So many covers of this song. Some are brilliant, Rufus Wainwright, kd lang; others are atrocious- I’m looking at you, Bono, as much as it pains me to type it. But still, the song resonates with nearly everyone.
That is one of things I like best about the book. Light captures so well what the song means to different people. I found myself marking pages, and highlighting passages. One I adore is this: ”Leonard Cohen said the song represented absolute surrender in a situation you cannot fix or dominate, that sometimes it means saying, ‘I don’t fucking know what’s going on, but it can still be beautiful.’” Yes! Yes! That is exactly how I feel about this song. It’s a praise, a lament, a mourning, a cry of hope.
Fans of Hallelujah- and perhaps Cohen and Buckley- and maybe even music fans in general will enjoy this book, the history of the song. As I was reading the book, I found myself out on Spotify, putting together a playlist of every version of Hallelujah that I could find. I listened to it near constantly as I read the book. Hearing the multiple interpretations discussed in the book only added to my enjoyment of reading it. And, for what it’s worth, the line that still resonates with me most is: “I couldn’t feel so I learned to touch.”
I heard it again in Shrek, but it wasn’t until years later when I saw The Watchmen that I heard it by the man who wrote it, Leonard Cohen. And at that moment, Hallelujah became an integral part of the soundtrack of my life (and as an added bonus, exposed me to the genius that is Mr. Cohen).
Alan Light’s The Holy or The Broken explores how this originally obscure song became a global anthem, hymn, song of praise, song of mourning.
Light explores the origins of the song- after modest success, Columbia records didn’t want to release Various Positions, the album on which Hallelujah originally appeared. Light goes on to recount how John Cale began the resurrection of the song, and ultimately how it ended up in Buckley’s hands, and from there became a cultural phenomenon.
Part religion, part pure sex, Hallelujah means different things to different people. And although even most of us ardent fans are beginning to experience Hallelujah fatigue, few songs evoke the emotion this one does. So many covers of this song. Some are brilliant, Rufus Wainwright, kd lang; others are atrocious- I’m looking at you, Bono, as much as it pains me to type it. But still, the song resonates with nearly everyone.
That is one of things I like best about the book. Light captures so well what the song means to different people. I found myself marking pages, and highlighting passages. One I adore is this: ”Leonard Cohen said the song represented absolute surrender in a situation you cannot fix or dominate, that sometimes it means saying, ‘I don’t fucking know what’s going on, but it can still be beautiful.’” Yes! Yes! That is exactly how I feel about this song. It’s a praise, a lament, a mourning, a cry of hope.
Fans of Hallelujah- and perhaps Cohen and Buckley- and maybe even music fans in general will enjoy this book, the history of the song. As I was reading the book, I found myself out on Spotify, putting together a playlist of every version of Hallelujah that I could find. I listened to it near constantly as I read the book. Hearing the multiple interpretations discussed in the book only added to my enjoyment of reading it. And, for what it’s worth, the line that still resonates with me most is: “I couldn’t feel so I learned to touch.”
December 31, 2012
If you’re looking for the meaning of lyrics to ‘Hallelujah’ or what Leonard Cohen was thinking about when he wrote the song or what the lyrics mean to him you won’t find it in this book or anywhere else. Cohen, very wisely I think, won’t talk about the song’s lyrics. This isn’t a book about Leonard Cohen or Jeff Buckley who sang the most celebrated version of the song. It’s a book about the history of the song itself. It was originally ignored by Cohen fans and music critics but it was discovered 10 years later by Jeff Buckley and a small group of his dedicated fans. But it was another 10 years before it found its way into some movies and television shows. It was 25 years after the song was first written when it finally made it onto the charts as many other performers started to covered it.
I’m a big fan of the singer/songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s. I’ve enjoyed reading some of the many biographies about that era which seem to be showing up with more and more frequency. This book started out sounding like it was going to be one of those books. There are short biographical sketches of Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and other people who contributed to the early performances and recordings of the song. I especially liked the scene when Leonard Cohen first arrives in New York and shows one of his songs to Judy Collins. I thoroughly enjoyed that first half of the book.
But, in the second half, the author starts to talk about practically every performance of ‘Hallelujah’ ever done. He names all the contestants who sang it on American Idol. He describes how each contestant’s version differed from each other and from Buckley’s version and which lyrics the contestant left out or kept in and why. Maybe it’s my age but I really don’t care how many votes an American Idol contestant got when they sang ‘hallelujah’ or how many people in the audience were in tears. The author talks about how the song brings people to tears at weddings. I’m pretty sure you can bring people to tears at a wedding no matter what song you sing. My eyes glazed over as he talked about people singing ‘hallelujah’ at summer camp, funerals, memorials and the Olympics.
Never-the-less I’m glad I read this small book for the early history of the song and the insights into the lives Cohen and Buckley.
I’m a big fan of the singer/songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s. I’ve enjoyed reading some of the many biographies about that era which seem to be showing up with more and more frequency. This book started out sounding like it was going to be one of those books. There are short biographical sketches of Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and other people who contributed to the early performances and recordings of the song. I especially liked the scene when Leonard Cohen first arrives in New York and shows one of his songs to Judy Collins. I thoroughly enjoyed that first half of the book.
But, in the second half, the author starts to talk about practically every performance of ‘Hallelujah’ ever done. He names all the contestants who sang it on American Idol. He describes how each contestant’s version differed from each other and from Buckley’s version and which lyrics the contestant left out or kept in and why. Maybe it’s my age but I really don’t care how many votes an American Idol contestant got when they sang ‘hallelujah’ or how many people in the audience were in tears. The author talks about how the song brings people to tears at weddings. I’m pretty sure you can bring people to tears at a wedding no matter what song you sing. My eyes glazed over as he talked about people singing ‘hallelujah’ at summer camp, funerals, memorials and the Olympics.
Never-the-less I’m glad I read this small book for the early history of the song and the insights into the lives Cohen and Buckley.
August 27, 2016
We had a community sing-along of "Hallelujah" a few weeks ago, and I eagerly participated because it is one of my favorite songs, after all. But when I arrived and saw a verse with which I wasn't familiar on our handout, and it was so clearly about sex and orgasm, I was a little uncomfortable singing with my neighbors, especially children. I mentioned this to my husband and my friend, and both looked at the verse and they weren't sure they agreed with me. How could they not? It was blatant. Then I started to think...wait a minute, isn't this song is about the changing meaning of "hallelujah" throughout many experiences, both holy, sacred, and non-religous human suffering? A song about loving and losing, finding sacred in the every day? It's a bit of a sad, sacrilegious song, and I love to study the lyrics and experience my change in interpretation over the years, but it's musical beauty is universally loved. I assume it's the only reason groups like my community come together to sing it and listen to it. But if we have children singing, "remember when I moved in you/and the holy dove was moving too,/ and every breath we drew was Hallelujah!" there is clearly a universal lack of attention to the lyrics (besides the one-word chorus).
Well this book satisfies lit majors and music aficionados. The first few chapters provide everything you wanted to know about the history of the song; how it was a failure at worst, mostly ignored at best when it was recorded in 1984 by Cohen, to a reference to what we all know it has become today. Within the first 60 pages, the reader gets this history plus delicious literary interpretation of the lyrics, the musical components, and the variations. However, by page 70, I realized that the whole rest of the book will just be a history and interpretation of each and every recorded version of the song, and I don't really need 160 more pages of this. So I quit on page 78 and feel content and properly educated.
I was right about that verse, by the way, and I was also right that the majority of fans of the song pay no attention at all to the lyrics. In fact, some people even mistake it for a religious hymn simply because of the title and chorus. ! All I can say to that is....wow. I won't be attending any more sing-alongs... It's a song best enjoyed alone (rather than singing alongside children).
Well this book satisfies lit majors and music aficionados. The first few chapters provide everything you wanted to know about the history of the song; how it was a failure at worst, mostly ignored at best when it was recorded in 1984 by Cohen, to a reference to what we all know it has become today. Within the first 60 pages, the reader gets this history plus delicious literary interpretation of the lyrics, the musical components, and the variations. However, by page 70, I realized that the whole rest of the book will just be a history and interpretation of each and every recorded version of the song, and I don't really need 160 more pages of this. So I quit on page 78 and feel content and properly educated.
I was right about that verse, by the way, and I was also right that the majority of fans of the song pay no attention at all to the lyrics. In fact, some people even mistake it for a religious hymn simply because of the title and chorus. ! All I can say to that is....wow. I won't be attending any more sing-alongs... It's a song best enjoyed alone (rather than singing alongside children).
May 17, 2013
A quick, informative read about the strange fortunes of a song that has become one of today's most covered and most popular: Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." It was nearly ignored when first released int he mid-1980s; the album it was on couldn't even get a U.S. release. Nevertheless, its simple, beautiful melody and religio-erotic imagery have captured musical artist after musical artist to do his or her own interpretation. Light offers insights about what precisely has made "Hallelujah" adaptable to so many different situations, moods, and implied meanings. For the "Halleljah" lover or Cohen completist, there's lots of interest here. I learned of many covers of the song that I'm now listening to with pleasure for the first time.
April 26, 2014
I really enjoyed this. It's a brief bio of Leonard Cohen, a briefer bio of Jeff Buckley (R.I.P.), and, of course, a comprehensive bio for a song. The writing is inviting and entertaining, and the explication of the various versions of "Hallelujah" is interesting. But what I found most fascinating were the descriptions of the creative process: Cohen's when he wrote the song, and various other artists' when they were figuring out how to interpret it. Sure, there are times when an entire book about one song gets a bit repetitive, but on the whole I'd recommend this for most music lovers.
June 6, 2013
Hallelujah is one of my favourite songs. The history of how this book went from a little song on an unreleased album to one of the great hymns of the 21st century is amazing. I have to admit that I had to listen to the Buckley version on YouTube because I couldn't remember hearing it. It's okay but for me no version will ever be better than k.d. lang's at the Vancouver Olympics.
I would recommend this book to any fans of the song.
I would recommend this book to any fans of the song.
August 28, 2013
This is the first review I have written.I was first exposed to the song "Hallelujah" several years ago and fell in love with it. I was mystified when people nodded knowingly but seemed a bit bored with my enthusiasm to a newly found song. This book explains the history and omnipresence of this absolutely amazing melody and words. Alan Light's book is very thorough about the historical development of the song and includes fascinating music history.
July 25, 2020
Someone managed to turn an annoying factoid fueled party conversation into a published work.
January 2, 2024
If you love "Hallelujah" and writing by people who live and breathe music, pick this one. Leonard Cohen has owned my heart for decades. Now,even more so.
July 8, 2013
Frank Zappa said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. To an extent that is a very true statement. Taking a piece of art that was expressed in one medium and trying to explain; examine it in another medium can be a daunting task. But in the hands of a knowledgeable and dedicated craftsman such as Alan Light it expands on the beauty of the subject piece. Alan Light is one of the foremost music journalists working today and has written a fascinating account of the making, remaking and unlikely popularization of one of the most played and recorded songs in recorded history. The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" takes an in-depth look at the song and attempts to define its universal appeal. Today, it is one of the most covered rock songs in history, covered by literally hundreds of artists including U2, Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion, and Willie Nelson to name just a few. The song has been sung by numerous American Idol contestants, opera stars and punk bands. Decades after its creation it climbed into the Top Ten throughout Europe and Scandinavia. In 2008, different versions simultaneously held the number one and two positions on the UK Singles Chart, with Cohen’s original climbing into the Top 40 at the same time. Light focuses on, perhaps, the three most iconic interpretations of the song, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright and Leonard Cohen’s original delivery while at the same time, through interviews and discussions, examining the interpretations of the many other artists who have covered the song. From Bob Dylan to Bono and with input from other non-musical artists such as Salman Rushdie.
To get an idea of how many people have performed and listened to this song, you simply need go to YouTube. When you count up the number of times the song has been watched on the site by the various artists and in its numerous interpretations you’ll find that the total is well into the hundreds of millions.Yet, when Cohen presented his record company with the album, Various Positions in 1984, which included the song “Hallelujah” they turned the album down. What’s more they hated the song. In fact the record company thought so little of the song that it didn’t even make Leonard Cohen’s Greatest Hits. This song, which tortured Cohen for years in the writing, seemingly written to be forgotten some how broke through the judgment of the ‘suits’ to become one of the most recorded songs in music history. Alan Light delves into this Phoenix like rise from obscurity and explores the universal appeal of the song. The way it touches millions of listeners and how it was interpreted by so many important artists. Not all of them musicians.
Leonard Cohen, the singer-song writer, poet and novelist, is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating personages of the late ‘60s. Never having the goal of being a pop music super star, he has somehow retained an audience across four decades of music-making. With the exception of Bob Dylan and maybe Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen , in terms of influence, still captures the attention of critics and younger musicians more firmly than any other musical figure from the 1960s who is still working.
“Halleujah” Original Studio VersionAmong the accolades this reclusive troubadour has garnered over the years are to win the Canadian Juno Award, Cohen has been inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2011 Cohen received a Prince of Asturias Award for literature.
He was rowed down from the north in a leather skiff manned by a crew of trolls. His fur cape was caked with candle wax, his brow stained blue by wine - though the latter was seldom noticed due to the fox mask he wore at-all times. A quill in his teeth, a solitary teardrop a-squirm in his palm, he was the young poet prince of Montreal, handsome, immaculate, searching for sturdier doors to nail his poignant verses on.
Cohen published his first poems in 1954 after a stellar scholastic career. His first published book of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies was published in 1956. That was followed by The Spice-Box Of Earth in 1961. Cohen continued to write poetry and fiction throughout much of the 1960s and preferred to live in quasi-reclusive circumstances after he bought a house on Hydra, a Greek island in the Saronic Gulf.
In Manhattan, grit drifted into his ink bottle. In Vienna, his spice box exploded. On the Greek island of Hydra, Orpheus came to him at dawn astride a transparent donkey and restrung his cheap guitar. From that moment on, he shamelessly and willingly exposed himself to the contagion of music. To the secretly religious curiosity of the traveler was added the openly foolhardy dignity of the troubadour. By the time he returned to America, songs were working in him like bees in an attic. Connoisseurs developed cravings for his nocturnal honey, despite the fact that hearts were occasionally stung. – Tom Robbins introduction speech for Leonard Cohen at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
“Hallelujah” Jeff BuckleyBy 1967, disappointed with his lack of financial success as a writer, Cohen moved to the United States and pursued a career as a folk music singer-songwriter. During the 1960s, he hung out on the fringe of Andy Warhol's "Factory" crowd. His song "Suzanne" became a hit for Judy Collins and was for many years his most covered song. After performing at a few folk festivals, he came to the attention of Columbia Records representative John H. Hammond who signed Cohen to a record deal.
Between 1967 and 1984 Columbia was to release some half dozen Leonard Cohen albums, most to outstanding critical acclaim, if not financial success. His music astounded the luminaries of the day and crossed generations from Bob Dylan to Kurt Cobain who once sang “Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld / so I can sigh eternally,” in tribute to the only songwriter , many believe, who belongs in a class with Bob Dylan.
Yet for nearly ten years after the release of the album, and the song, it gained limited exposure with a few scattered covers versions filling up albums for a disparate list of artists. Then in 1994 Jeff Buckley performed the song on his album Grace. The album served as a pivot point for the song’s popularity. But even that presentation took a number of years to catch on with the listening public.
Only then did the songs universal appeal become clear to artists and the public. And everybody had their own idea of what the song meant.
On the surface the song touches on the biblical stories of David and Samson, however the song is far from a pious hymn
offering such charged language as “I remember when I moved in you/ and the holy dove was moving too.” Yet, the single word chorus brings the focus back to the hymnlike chant of “hallelujah,” to contrast with the romantic. As Light says in the forward to the book, “..(it) raises an eternal pop music dilemma: are people really paying attention to all the words, and does it matter.”
Perhaps Salman Rushdie, no stranger to the near mythical power of words to transcend their dictionary meaning, said it best: (it’s) joyous and despondent, a celebration and a lament, a juxtaposition of dark Old Testament imagery with an irresistibly uplifting chorus, “Hallelujah” is an open-ended meditation on love and faith.”
Singer songwriter Brandi Carlile refers to the song as “the greatest song ever written,” and goes on to say that it provided her with the key to reconcile her Christian Faith and her homosexuality. “To me, it really outlines how people tend to misconstrue religion versus faith, she said. “I felt that this song was, in a real pure, realistic way, describing what ‘hallelujah’ actually is. ‘it’s not a cry that you hear at night/ It’s not somebody that’s seen the light’ – ‘hallelujah is not something that you shout out on Sunday in a happy voice; it’s something that happens in a way that’s cold and broken and lonely.”
Bon Jovi siad, “it’s got sexuality in the song right away, the chorus is like the climax the rest is foreplay.” But for Rabi Ruth Gan Kagan, who includes the song in the Yom Kippur service at the Nava Tehila congregation in Jerusalem, “it’s a hymn of the heretic, a piyut [liturgical poem] of a modern, doubtful person.” Justin Timberlake described the song to Light this way," “For some, it’s this ability of “Hallelujah” to contain multitudes, to embrace contradictions, that gives it such power.”
And it is that power that Light explores in detail throughout the book. He examines not only how the song was seemingly resurrected from a spurned album, what it means to so many artists, themselves not unfamiliar with the power of song. He charts it’s performance history, which surely lent to the songs acceptance and it’s ability to appeal not only to a wide variety of musicians in and endless list of genre, but it’s ability to touch so many different audiences among the listening public.
AlanLight01_smLight has an ability to look at this song from so many different perspectives and this book doesn’t leave any of those fascets unexplored. Yet, it’s not so steeped in musical terms, literary examination, nor irreverent or whimsical interviews with various artists that it loses the readers interest. Indeed, the readers will find themselves reading and wanting to listen to the song at the same time. You’ll have YouTube open, bios of the various artists, references to Light’s other work, and lyric’s on display in a webpage. Light will suck you into his thesis on this song which has been called I Ching of songwriting. Yet you don’t have to be a musicologist to follow along. Cohen himself said the song represents absolute surrender in a situation you cannot fix or dominate, that sometimes it means saying, “I don’t fucking know what’s going on, but it can still be beautiful.” That was the power Jeff Buckley’s version, had over a nation after the events of 9/11 when it was applied as a balm to grieving nation and again when it was a point of national pride when it served as the opening statement a the Olympic ceremonies of the 2010 games in Vancouver, Canada.
Cohens lyrics have always had a strikingly evocative and literary appeal. There is something of the French chansonnier in his style. Yet something that plays around with cabaret. The brooding, dark imagery, but with a knowing and humorous smile. All of that comes together in “Hallelujah” and Light, calling on his time as a fact checker with Rolling Stone in the late ‘80s used all that knowledge, all that experience in pulling this book together, yet the reader isn’t left feeling like it is an exhaustive book, but a labor of love.
The Dirty Lowdown
To get an idea of how many people have performed and listened to this song, you simply need go to YouTube. When you count up the number of times the song has been watched on the site by the various artists and in its numerous interpretations you’ll find that the total is well into the hundreds of millions.Yet, when Cohen presented his record company with the album, Various Positions in 1984, which included the song “Hallelujah” they turned the album down. What’s more they hated the song. In fact the record company thought so little of the song that it didn’t even make Leonard Cohen’s Greatest Hits. This song, which tortured Cohen for years in the writing, seemingly written to be forgotten some how broke through the judgment of the ‘suits’ to become one of the most recorded songs in music history. Alan Light delves into this Phoenix like rise from obscurity and explores the universal appeal of the song. The way it touches millions of listeners and how it was interpreted by so many important artists. Not all of them musicians.
Leonard Cohen, the singer-song writer, poet and novelist, is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating personages of the late ‘60s. Never having the goal of being a pop music super star, he has somehow retained an audience across four decades of music-making. With the exception of Bob Dylan and maybe Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen , in terms of influence, still captures the attention of critics and younger musicians more firmly than any other musical figure from the 1960s who is still working.
“Halleujah” Original Studio VersionAmong the accolades this reclusive troubadour has garnered over the years are to win the Canadian Juno Award, Cohen has been inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2011 Cohen received a Prince of Asturias Award for literature.
He was rowed down from the north in a leather skiff manned by a crew of trolls. His fur cape was caked with candle wax, his brow stained blue by wine - though the latter was seldom noticed due to the fox mask he wore at-all times. A quill in his teeth, a solitary teardrop a-squirm in his palm, he was the young poet prince of Montreal, handsome, immaculate, searching for sturdier doors to nail his poignant verses on.
Cohen published his first poems in 1954 after a stellar scholastic career. His first published book of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies was published in 1956. That was followed by The Spice-Box Of Earth in 1961. Cohen continued to write poetry and fiction throughout much of the 1960s and preferred to live in quasi-reclusive circumstances after he bought a house on Hydra, a Greek island in the Saronic Gulf.
In Manhattan, grit drifted into his ink bottle. In Vienna, his spice box exploded. On the Greek island of Hydra, Orpheus came to him at dawn astride a transparent donkey and restrung his cheap guitar. From that moment on, he shamelessly and willingly exposed himself to the contagion of music. To the secretly religious curiosity of the traveler was added the openly foolhardy dignity of the troubadour. By the time he returned to America, songs were working in him like bees in an attic. Connoisseurs developed cravings for his nocturnal honey, despite the fact that hearts were occasionally stung. – Tom Robbins introduction speech for Leonard Cohen at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
“Hallelujah” Jeff BuckleyBy 1967, disappointed with his lack of financial success as a writer, Cohen moved to the United States and pursued a career as a folk music singer-songwriter. During the 1960s, he hung out on the fringe of Andy Warhol's "Factory" crowd. His song "Suzanne" became a hit for Judy Collins and was for many years his most covered song. After performing at a few folk festivals, he came to the attention of Columbia Records representative John H. Hammond who signed Cohen to a record deal.
Between 1967 and 1984 Columbia was to release some half dozen Leonard Cohen albums, most to outstanding critical acclaim, if not financial success. His music astounded the luminaries of the day and crossed generations from Bob Dylan to Kurt Cobain who once sang “Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld / so I can sigh eternally,” in tribute to the only songwriter , many believe, who belongs in a class with Bob Dylan.
Yet for nearly ten years after the release of the album, and the song, it gained limited exposure with a few scattered covers versions filling up albums for a disparate list of artists. Then in 1994 Jeff Buckley performed the song on his album Grace. The album served as a pivot point for the song’s popularity. But even that presentation took a number of years to catch on with the listening public.
Only then did the songs universal appeal become clear to artists and the public. And everybody had their own idea of what the song meant.
On the surface the song touches on the biblical stories of David and Samson, however the song is far from a pious hymn
offering such charged language as “I remember when I moved in you/ and the holy dove was moving too.” Yet, the single word chorus brings the focus back to the hymnlike chant of “hallelujah,” to contrast with the romantic. As Light says in the forward to the book, “..(it) raises an eternal pop music dilemma: are people really paying attention to all the words, and does it matter.”
Perhaps Salman Rushdie, no stranger to the near mythical power of words to transcend their dictionary meaning, said it best: (it’s) joyous and despondent, a celebration and a lament, a juxtaposition of dark Old Testament imagery with an irresistibly uplifting chorus, “Hallelujah” is an open-ended meditation on love and faith.”
Singer songwriter Brandi Carlile refers to the song as “the greatest song ever written,” and goes on to say that it provided her with the key to reconcile her Christian Faith and her homosexuality. “To me, it really outlines how people tend to misconstrue religion versus faith, she said. “I felt that this song was, in a real pure, realistic way, describing what ‘hallelujah’ actually is. ‘it’s not a cry that you hear at night/ It’s not somebody that’s seen the light’ – ‘hallelujah is not something that you shout out on Sunday in a happy voice; it’s something that happens in a way that’s cold and broken and lonely.”
Bon Jovi siad, “it’s got sexuality in the song right away, the chorus is like the climax the rest is foreplay.” But for Rabi Ruth Gan Kagan, who includes the song in the Yom Kippur service at the Nava Tehila congregation in Jerusalem, “it’s a hymn of the heretic, a piyut [liturgical poem] of a modern, doubtful person.” Justin Timberlake described the song to Light this way," “For some, it’s this ability of “Hallelujah” to contain multitudes, to embrace contradictions, that gives it such power.”
And it is that power that Light explores in detail throughout the book. He examines not only how the song was seemingly resurrected from a spurned album, what it means to so many artists, themselves not unfamiliar with the power of song. He charts it’s performance history, which surely lent to the songs acceptance and it’s ability to appeal not only to a wide variety of musicians in and endless list of genre, but it’s ability to touch so many different audiences among the listening public.
AlanLight01_smLight has an ability to look at this song from so many different perspectives and this book doesn’t leave any of those fascets unexplored. Yet, it’s not so steeped in musical terms, literary examination, nor irreverent or whimsical interviews with various artists that it loses the readers interest. Indeed, the readers will find themselves reading and wanting to listen to the song at the same time. You’ll have YouTube open, bios of the various artists, references to Light’s other work, and lyric’s on display in a webpage. Light will suck you into his thesis on this song which has been called I Ching of songwriting. Yet you don’t have to be a musicologist to follow along. Cohen himself said the song represents absolute surrender in a situation you cannot fix or dominate, that sometimes it means saying, “I don’t fucking know what’s going on, but it can still be beautiful.” That was the power Jeff Buckley’s version, had over a nation after the events of 9/11 when it was applied as a balm to grieving nation and again when it was a point of national pride when it served as the opening statement a the Olympic ceremonies of the 2010 games in Vancouver, Canada.
Cohens lyrics have always had a strikingly evocative and literary appeal. There is something of the French chansonnier in his style. Yet something that plays around with cabaret. The brooding, dark imagery, but with a knowing and humorous smile. All of that comes together in “Hallelujah” and Light, calling on his time as a fact checker with Rolling Stone in the late ‘80s used all that knowledge, all that experience in pulling this book together, yet the reader isn’t left feeling like it is an exhaustive book, but a labor of love.
The Dirty Lowdown
November 17, 2023
some people are lowkey haters but i think for dumb reasons. i've seen criticisms levied against light for this book and its organization because he talks mainly about hallelujah only. like be fr right now. that's exactly what the book was written to do lol
so, for me, i found this interesting and insightful into investigating the unassuming history of one of the most popular songs today. he's right about its cult status, multiple uses despite the sexual overtones paired with religious imagery, and amount of reinterpretations. as a lover, a true lover of this song, of leonard cohen, and also of jeff buckley, this book exists at the perfect intersection of all three, delving into this perfect union. i enjoyed how light focused on leonard's career and its unconventional path which kind of mirrors his most famous song's life. it would've been cool to have more snippets or interviews with leonard but light addresses this lack due to leonard's more reserved nature and choice to opt out of press promotions which i really respect. i also liked how light tracked jeff's ascent to fame as well and kind of gave a brief biography of his too brief life. it's saddening to think about the beautiful art we'll never get to experience from what jeff would've/could've released as a burgeoning and enigmatic artist on the scene. he really captures emotion in a beautiful way that leonard's lyrics evoke (leonard's much more of a deadpan/monotonous kind of singer, which i still love) which is the point light makes about the holy union of leonard's song with jeff's interpretation that launched the song out of obscurity and into everyone's heart. i also also enjoyed how we got the lowdown on hallelujah's life - where and when it tended to appear and how it was used and also altered throughout the past 30-40ish years since its inception. i learned a lot about its verses and editing and production in a way that i never even knew for a song that i've long loved. so that was a boon. excited to read more books on music, songs, or artists in the future!
actually a 3.5-4 to me honestly.
so, for me, i found this interesting and insightful into investigating the unassuming history of one of the most popular songs today. he's right about its cult status, multiple uses despite the sexual overtones paired with religious imagery, and amount of reinterpretations. as a lover, a true lover of this song, of leonard cohen, and also of jeff buckley, this book exists at the perfect intersection of all three, delving into this perfect union. i enjoyed how light focused on leonard's career and its unconventional path which kind of mirrors his most famous song's life. it would've been cool to have more snippets or interviews with leonard but light addresses this lack due to leonard's more reserved nature and choice to opt out of press promotions which i really respect. i also liked how light tracked jeff's ascent to fame as well and kind of gave a brief biography of his too brief life. it's saddening to think about the beautiful art we'll never get to experience from what jeff would've/could've released as a burgeoning and enigmatic artist on the scene. he really captures emotion in a beautiful way that leonard's lyrics evoke (leonard's much more of a deadpan/monotonous kind of singer, which i still love) which is the point light makes about the holy union of leonard's song with jeff's interpretation that launched the song out of obscurity and into everyone's heart. i also also enjoyed how we got the lowdown on hallelujah's life - where and when it tended to appear and how it was used and also altered throughout the past 30-40ish years since its inception. i learned a lot about its verses and editing and production in a way that i never even knew for a song that i've long loved. so that was a boon. excited to read more books on music, songs, or artists in the future!
actually a 3.5-4 to me honestly.
July 30, 2018
3.5 stars
Rufus Wainwright's version is the one I've probably heard the most. K.D. Lang's version is my absolute favorite. I've only heard Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley's versions a few times. I love the song Hallelujah and I enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed hearing the differing interpretations of the meaning of the song. What I didn't know was that after first recording the song, Leonard Cohen continued to tinker with it and added, changed and deleted lyrics on a continual basis. So not only have there been many different arrangements of the music, there have been many different combinations of the lyrics performed.
Because of the fact that so many different verses and combinations of them are out there it makes sense that it's difficult to pin down the meaning of the song. Different combinations emphasize different sets of verses and therefore can make the song tragic, uplifting, sorrowful, sexual, or celebratory.
This book follows Cohen's original writing and recording of the song and then follows the song through many of its most important performers and performances. I will probably be scouring You Tube to hear many of them, but apparently there are a few pretty awful versions out there too. Because it's been covered by so many artists it's been on and off the charts in many countries many different times. In December 2008 there were two versions of the song (Jeff Buckley's and X-Factor Winner Alexandra Burke's) in the top two spots on the UK Singles Chart.
I liked this book. It's essentially a biography of a song and just happens to be about a song I like.
Rufus Wainwright's version is the one I've probably heard the most. K.D. Lang's version is my absolute favorite. I've only heard Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley's versions a few times. I love the song Hallelujah and I enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed hearing the differing interpretations of the meaning of the song. What I didn't know was that after first recording the song, Leonard Cohen continued to tinker with it and added, changed and deleted lyrics on a continual basis. So not only have there been many different arrangements of the music, there have been many different combinations of the lyrics performed.
Because of the fact that so many different verses and combinations of them are out there it makes sense that it's difficult to pin down the meaning of the song. Different combinations emphasize different sets of verses and therefore can make the song tragic, uplifting, sorrowful, sexual, or celebratory.
This book follows Cohen's original writing and recording of the song and then follows the song through many of its most important performers and performances. I will probably be scouring You Tube to hear many of them, but apparently there are a few pretty awful versions out there too. Because it's been covered by so many artists it's been on and off the charts in many countries many different times. In December 2008 there were two versions of the song (Jeff Buckley's and X-Factor Winner Alexandra Burke's) in the top two spots on the UK Singles Chart.
I liked this book. It's essentially a biography of a song and just happens to be about a song I like.
December 27, 2019
This was delightfully different -- a biography of a song and not the songwriter. Plenty of info is given about the late great songwriter Leonard Cohen and the singer who made "Hallelujah" famous -- the ill-fated Jeff Buckley. But the focus (more or less) remains on the one song you either love or hate but cannot ignore.
That the book was given approval by Cohen speaks as to the authenticity of the book and it's weird reinterpretations from singers, movie soundtracks, the Olympic opening ceremonies and 9-11. This was also a brief course in American pop culture for me since I was living in England during 2000 to 2005, when many of the events in this book are described.
There are brief reviews of the major cover versions of "Hallejujah", including the much-maligned version by Bono. Am I the only person in the world that actually LIKES Bono's cover? I guess so, because even Bono hates it, as shown in this book.
One problem -- although the book mentions that at one point Cohen had about 80 verses for this song, only the usual lot are published here, with edits mentioned in some prominant versions. I would have liked to see some of the other verses, even if they were rejected for the orthodox two versions.
Some pictures would have been nice, too, but I guess the author was expecting readers to Google singers -- like I did.
All in all, a short, lively look at how a song became many people's favorite.
That the book was given approval by Cohen speaks as to the authenticity of the book and it's weird reinterpretations from singers, movie soundtracks, the Olympic opening ceremonies and 9-11. This was also a brief course in American pop culture for me since I was living in England during 2000 to 2005, when many of the events in this book are described.
There are brief reviews of the major cover versions of "Hallejujah", including the much-maligned version by Bono. Am I the only person in the world that actually LIKES Bono's cover? I guess so, because even Bono hates it, as shown in this book.
One problem -- although the book mentions that at one point Cohen had about 80 verses for this song, only the usual lot are published here, with edits mentioned in some prominant versions. I would have liked to see some of the other verses, even if they were rejected for the orthodox two versions.
Some pictures would have been nice, too, but I guess the author was expecting readers to Google singers -- like I did.
All in all, a short, lively look at how a song became many people's favorite.
August 18, 2020
Written four years before the death of Leonard Cohen, and here I am reading it 4 years after his death. I’m glad Alan Light wrote it, and that I could read it. Leonard Cohen was a musician I appreciated in my college years, and I appreciate him so much more after reading this book. Even though it’s primarily about HALLELUJAH, his most covered song, I appreciated the background on other songs he wrote, which were covered by Judy Collins, the Beatles and others. It’s because of the Beatles and Judy Collins singing his songs that I bought my first Leonard Cohen album. Thanks to McKenzie Hill for recommending this book, and for her Mom, Nicki Holland, seconding that recommendation. My husband says he wants to read it next!
April 4, 2018
I keep choosing books that I wind up loving, and this is no exception. It's quite remarkable that a book that takes as its subject a single song ... Leonard Cohen's iconic "Hallelujah" ... could sustain a reader's interest through over two hundred pages, but Alan Light manages to do just that. I loved learning the history of the song and being introduced to dozens of versions, each with its own story. I read the book with one hand holding it and the other the remote to my able tv, so I could watch youtube versions of the renditions he was describing in such perfect detail. Along the way, I even karaokied the song, which gave me a deeper understanding of how the melody works. My love for this song, which has existed since I first heard it, has grown even greater through exploring the depth and richness of its meanings and history. Light had Cohen's blessing to do this book and interviewed some of the greats and lesser knowns of those who have sung the song, so it's definitely a book for music aficionados and not just fans of Leonard Cohen and his magnificent song.
March 15, 2023
The title was chosen for a book discussion by our Volumemaniacs Facebook group for this month. The book was written by Light, one of the hosts of Debatable, a show from the former SiriusXM music-talk channel Volume. Besides that show, I also knew him from his earlier book on Prince Let's Go Crazy from 2014.
Admittedly, I knew very little about Cohen or Buckley prior to reading this one. I knew the names, sure, but did not have much of their music in my collection nor know their stories. And I only first discovered "Hallelujah" thanks to Rufus Wainwright's version from the Shrek soundtrack. Since then, I have heard many covers and such of the song from TV shows, American Idol and other tribute shows in times of tragedy.
I wondered how much there could be written about a single song. Could it sustain an entire book? Turns out, this song could. Light does an outstanding job covering the varied history and the evolution of the tune from its 1984 release through 2012. The book kept me interested as the song wound through its iterations and recordings. Thanks to the author and his thorough research, there are several versions of the song and performers I will be checking out afterwards.
Admittedly, I knew very little about Cohen or Buckley prior to reading this one. I knew the names, sure, but did not have much of their music in my collection nor know their stories. And I only first discovered "Hallelujah" thanks to Rufus Wainwright's version from the Shrek soundtrack. Since then, I have heard many covers and such of the song from TV shows, American Idol and other tribute shows in times of tragedy.
I wondered how much there could be written about a single song. Could it sustain an entire book? Turns out, this song could. Light does an outstanding job covering the varied history and the evolution of the tune from its 1984 release through 2012. The book kept me interested as the song wound through its iterations and recordings. Thanks to the author and his thorough research, there are several versions of the song and performers I will be checking out afterwards.
July 30, 2022
You wouldn’t think that a song could warrant 230 pages of discussion, but Hallelujah might just be the song that needs it. This songs journey is as wild, beautiful and raw as Cohen’s lyrics and Buckley’s voice.
If you are the type of person (like me) who likes learning the history of songs, you will love this.
If you are the type of person (like me) who likes learning the history of songs, you will love this.
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