| Hallelujah (song) |
Article Index for Hallelujah |
Information AboutHallelujah (song) |
|
The song deals with ambiguous topics and there is much debate over Cohen's intentions or messages. Religious themes and sexual lyrics imply that the track deals with the dynamic of a relationship by using a spiritual metaphor, and the tone is often described as depressive or sorrowful. COVER ARTISTS The most acclaimed cover of the song to date is by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley . Most subsequent covers have copied Buckley's version, which in turn follows John Cale 's 1991 recording. Rufus Wainwright also covered the track, emphasizing the Piano – and his version was included on the '' Shrek '' soundtrack in 2001, although it was John Cale 's recording from the tribute album '' I'm Your Fan '' that inspired Wainwright's and was used in the film itself. (Wainwright apparently replaced him on the soundtrack because he is signed with Dreamworks SKG and Cale is not.) The ''Shrek'' theme music was also based on "Hallelujah." Among the many other musicians who have performed covers of this song are from the album December. An A Cappella version by Clemson University 's "Take Note" is included on the "Best of College A Cappella 2006" CD. MOVIE AND TV SOUNDTRACKS "Hallelujah" has been used in movies as diverse as '' Basquiat '', '' The Edukators '', '' A Lot Like Love '', '' Shrek '', '' St. Ralph '', '' Barfuss '' and '' Lord Of War '', and TV series such as '' Grey's Anatomy '', '' Holby City '', '' House '', '' The O.C. '', '' Scrubs '', '' The West Wing '', '' Without A Trace '', '' Cold Case '', and '' Criminal Minds ''. LYRICS With each different musical interpretation of Cohen's song, it is interesting to note how the lyrics have changed and evolved. However, although individual words do change between various versions, most of the variation may be more due to selection than actual change. In a 2001 interview with '' The Observer '', John Cale said: After I saw {Link without Title} perform at the Beacon I asked if I could have the lyrics to "Hallelujah". When I got home one night there were fax paper rolls everywhere because Leonard had insisted on supplying all 15 verses. When Cohen recorded the song in 1984 and 1988, he probably made different selections from these verses. As for the latter version, it is not the first time he has performed song verses live that are not on any studio album. The original recording from 1984 is noted for containing explicit after watching her bathe from his roof. The line "she broke your throne and she cut your hair" is likely a reference to the source of Samson 's strength from the Book Of Judges . The third verse mentions "the name" ( Tetragrammaton ). Typically for Cohen, the lyrics in addition to being metaphorical are also multilayered; one line calls King David the "the baffled king", a referance not only to David's confusion, but also to his title "the Battle King". In 1994 Cohen released a substantially different version on the album '' Cohen Live '' (recorded in 1988), retaining only the final verse from ''Various Positions''. In this version, the lyrics became more explicitly sexual and indicated a yearning without the religious overtones, and the music was slighty reworked. Many cover artists tend to mix both versions (using the original melody), as well as occasionally adding their own touches (such as Wainwright for some reason singing "holy dark" instead of "holy dove"). Cale, and later Buckley, admittedly mixed the different lyrics, which gave the work a very different touch – the new combination of lyrics giving a mixture of religious, romantic, and existential tone to the song. CHORD PROGRESSION The goes IV–vi–IV–I,V–I,V. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|