Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah": The greatest song ever?

[Pale Blue Dot]

I've heard many artists cover this song: Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, k.d. lang, and Cohen himself, and each time the result is absolutely stunning. If you have never heard this song before, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen. The fact that it was a major theme in the original "Shrek" does not diminish its appeal in the least.



I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music do you?
It goes like this
The fourth,
The fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne and cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Baby I've been here before
I know this room I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I've seen your flag on the Marble Arch
Love is not a Victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Now Maybe there's a God above
But all I ever learned from love
was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It's not a cry you can hear at night
It's not a pilgrim who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time when you let me know
What was real and going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you?
The Holy Dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
But I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much,
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch,
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. Even Mike Meyers (in Shrek) covered it. It is one of the best songs indeed

brings my fiancée (and me too) to tears. But Leonard's version is the best.

[kohodog]

2. Cohen is one of my favorites

My famlily is tired of listening to him, but I will need to get this one!

[gmoney]

3. The John Cale version is magnificent

From the "I'm Your Fan" tribute album... I think a lot of the recent covers are based on Cale's version.

[Pale Blue Dot]

7. Thank you!

His version is the one that is played in "Shrek", but on the soundtrack it's the Wainwright version.

It's a great, gritty performance, and it fits perfectly with the lyrics.

What a great song.

[Minstrel Boy]

4. Quite possibly.

I almost always prefer Cohen's renditions of his own songs to covers, but my favourite version of "Hallelujah" is John Cale's.

I remember - well, half-remember - reading a story of Dylan and Cohen talking about songwriting. Dylan said he loved "Hallelujah," and asked how long he'd taken to write it. Leonard was embarrassed to admit the truth, and cut the time in half, to something like two years. He then asked Bob about a song of his he admired, "I and I." Dylan said he'd written it in 15 minutes.

[Philostopher]

5. I've only heard Cohen's version once or twice.

Much more familiar with Jeff Buckley's version. Another album, along with Sarah McLachlan's 'Solace,' that was retired because the songs were already pretty powerful and they provided the soundtrack to the disintegration of my first marriage. I've heard Rufus's cover, too. Never heard anybody tackle it who didn't give it everything -- which is all, really, the song asks. Everything.

[Kire]

6. I just bought it on iTunes

thanks

[Dookus]

8. yup

it's heartbreakingly beautiful.

[The empressof all]

9. L Cohen is one of our most over-looked song writers.

Probably because he is generally very depressing and hard to sing along with.

However he is clearly one of the most brilliant poets/songwriters of the 20th/21st Century. He never fails to move me.

[Flaxbee]

10. can you recommend a good Cohen recording?

I had the "Waiting for the Miracle" CD until an ex swiped it, and I don't have any other albums of his... can you suggest one or two good ones? Many thanks...

[greendog]

14. "The Essential Leonard Cohen" and "The Future"

"Essential" is a 2 CD overview of Cohen's career.

"The Future" is one of the most incredible albums ever recorded.

[tjdee]

11. Greatest. Song. Ever.

They also played it when C.J.'s boyfriend got shot on the West Wing.
I think it was the Buckley version too.

First time I heard it was by Jeff Buckley, and you're right.
It's just a haunting, deep song. Especially when you consider that Christians believe Hallelujah to be the highest praise available to human lips.

Cohen is good--one of his songs was on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack which I liked....dunno why I never picked up a cd of his.

[greendog]

12. Hallelujah might be the second best song........

...I think "Suzanne" is better.

If you listen real close to Dylan's 2nd and 3rd albums...you can figure out what Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" is all about. Cohen often pays tribute to Dylan in his songs (Suzanne holds the mirror).

*****

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. LOL

Great minds, you know...

[Zero Division]

17. Yep, my favorite Cohen song. Great pick.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. I always liked this one:

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

[Zero Division]

16. Jeff Buckley's version absolutely blows me away

I don't say this lightly: his live performance of Hallelujah is the most emotionally affective and beautiful thing I've ever heard. If you don't feel chills down your spin as a result, you may have to wonder about your humanity.

I've only heard one version of it from Leonard Cohen. I'm usually quite fond of Cohen, but this particular version just didn't come close to Buckley's. Perhaps I just haven't heard the right version from Cohen.

[tjdee]

18. Jeff Buckley sang like an angel.

:cry:

[Zero Division]

20. He did. I can't think of any better male rock vocalist.

His untimely death was an immense loss for music.

[tjdee]

21. I didn't know he had already died when I first heard him.

It was a sad discovery.

[Zero Division]

24. I just listened to his live version of Hallelujah from the live CD...

Mystery White Boy and it's funny seeing your sig from Morrissey, since this version has a short medley of The Smiths song "I know it's over".

Aside from Mystery White Boy, I'd also recommend the live DVD Jeff Buckely Live in Chicago if you don't already own those.

[tjdee]

25. He also does a beautiful version of "Boy With the Thorn in His Side"

Apparently he was a fan of the Smiths!

I worked backward from Sketches from My Sweetheart the Drunk to Grace, and I've not had the heart yet to pick up any of the live albums--though I've been eyeing Mystery White Boy. And that was before I knew about "I know it's over"!

[whalerider55]

19. it may be, but...

have you ever heard his song "Joan of Arc"...

lordy, the man can wield the word like no-one I've ever heard...

whalerider55

[greendog]

22. Great song.....

My favorite version is on the Jenifer Warnes album "Famous Blue Raincoat". Leonard joins her in a duet.

[miss_kitty]

23. you know, I don't like this song at all

but I can't tell you why. It's on the Jeff Buckley CD I have and I skip it.