Limes with Orange

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

For whatever reason, I've recently been thinking a lot about the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah." The first time I remember hearing it was Jeff Buckley's version used in an episode of The West Wing (Posse Comitatus, the devastating 3rd season finale when CJ's secret service agent is killed). I instantly fell in love with the song. I've since heard it sung by Jasmine, a local Calgary musician, and her version blew me away. Then someone told me that the John Cale version was their favourite. So I figured I should check that out and maybe finally listen to the Leonard Cohen version. My internet research also turned up a Rufus Wainwright version that is on the Shrek soundtrack (which confuses me because apparently the version actually heard in the film is John Cale's). So if anyone wants to take this journey with me, here are some samples to listen to (just click on the singer's name to hear the sample):

Leonard Cohen (on Various Positions)
Jeff Buckley (on Grace)
John Cale (on Fragments of a Rainy Season)
Rufus Wainwright (on Shrek)
Jasmine Whenham (her recording is a demo version, but check out her website)

My reviews, from least to most fave:

Wainwright – Enjoyable but too much like pop music for me. It lacks the depth of the other versions.

Cohen – It always seems so unfair to me not to prefer the version sung by the songwriter. After all, they're the ones who crafted the exquisite lyrics and the haunting melody. But Cohen's version is a little plodding and almost dirge-like—doesn't really move me at all (though I'd like to have a listen to his live version and see if it's much different).

Cale – Although I know that Cale's Hallelujah is considered by many to be the defining version, I would only rank it third. There's a wonderfully rough quality to Cale's voice that makes you believe that the suffering he sings of is his own. But there's something about the way he sings it that sounds defeated. It doesn't expand to fill the void.

Buckley – I realize that we're often drawn to the first version that we hear of a song. So that could explain why this is one of my favourites. Though I think I also prefer the guitar backing rather than the piano. Which seems strange to me, since I'm usually a piano kind of grrl. But something about the nature of the song seems to lend itself better to the guitar. And Buckley's voice holds the perfect combination of pain and inspiration. A baffling balance.

Jasmine – Her version just about wrecks me every time I hear it... so damn powerful and moving. Much as I love the Buckley version, Jasmine's Hallelujah is my favourite now.

Read the powerfully poetic lyrics (though bear in mind that they do seem to vary a bit from version to version).

And here's an interesting article about the song:

Perfect Moments In Pop: Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

If anyone knows of any other notable versions of this song, I'd love to hear from you. [I've since discovered that Bono does a not very inspiring version on The Tower of Song, a Leonard Cohen tribute album. And I've read about a version by Custard, an Australian band (on the bonus disc to their Goodbye Cruel World CD), but I haven't been able to find a sample of theirs to listen to. Anyone able to help me out here?]

P.S. Since writing this post over a year ago, I've come across more covers of this song than I can count. K.D. Lang does a beautiful — if somewhat passionless — version (listen to sample) that I would rate on par with Cale's. But, aside from that, I haven't found any that I would rate as highly as the versions I've already discussed, so I'm feeling no need to expand on that at this time. If I get knocked on my ass by another version of this song in the future, I'll be sure to mention it.

P.P.S. (4.19.2004) I've just been introduced to Allison Crowe's version of Hallelujah and this one is definitely worth a listen. It's on Tidings and you can listen to it here.

Addendum: A lot of people are searching for the meaning of this song. In Cohen's own words:

Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means "Glory to the Lord." The song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist. I say: "All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value." It's, as I say, a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion. (from a magazine interview in "Guitare et Claviers," 1985)

For more of Cohen's comments on the song, check out Diamonds in the Lines: Leonard Cohen in his own live words.

There is also some interpretation of the song's religious imagery on Songfacts:

Cohen used a lot of religious imagery, including references to some of the more notorious women in the bible. Here's some lyrical analysis:
"You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you." — Bathsheba, who tempted the king to kill her husband so he could have her.
"She tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair" — Delilah, who cut off Sampson's locks that held his superhuman strength.
"But remember when I moved in you and the holy dove was moving too" — This could be a reference to the divine conception and Mary.

And some articles about the song on Speaking Cohen: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen and His Words. And a whole discussion about it on the radio hidebound forum.

My interpretation? I would have to borrow some of Cohen's own words for that...
To me the song is a fundamental truth, affirming that all the broken hallelujahs (the loves gone bitterly wrong) have value, too.

Labels: music