Larry Hnetka Goes HMmmm

I’ve been listening to Rufus Wainwright recently and was intrigued by his interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s classic Hallelujah.

“Hallelujah”, which has music as a secondary theme, begins by evoking the biblical king David composing a song that “pleased the Lord”.

I found many interpretations of the song but the best analysis came from Colin Cooper’s article HERE.

Cooper’s ends his article with these questions:

“. . . is Leonard Cohen a prophet? No, he’s a folk singer. Is “Hallelujah” the lost Psalm? No, it’s a pop lyric. But there’s one more point for debate, one far less clear-cut and worthy of the scholarly attention it will no doubt receive in years to come: is “Hallelujah” poetry? As the original Bard might (but probably wouldn’t) have said—that is the question.”

Questions that I asked when I heard the song again by Wainwright.

On a mission, I found about fifteen versions of Hallelujah from such diverse artists as Sheryl Crow, k.d. lang, Jeff Buckley , Alison Crowe, Bono, Bob Dylan, Damien Rice and Imogen Heap to name but a few.

Every interpretation brought new insights into how lyrics are emotionally delivered by an artist. Perhaps a testament to how powerful lyrics make equally powerful poetry.

Personally, I like the Jeff Buckley cover and then Rufus Wainwright’s version. None of them compare of course to Cohen’s original monotone version with orchestral background.

As an added bit of trivia, I found out Rufus Wainwright’s song “Memphis Skyline” is a tribute to the late singer Jeff Buckley, who drowned in Memphis in the Mississippi in 1997.

The two knew each other during the ’90s when they were both up-and-coming (and at times rival) performers. The song references “Hallelujah,” a Leonard Cohen song which Buckley notably covered, and which Wainwright later did likewise.

I’d encourage you to revisit this Cohen classic and the newer interpretations.

For those of you who want to delve into the debate over whether this song is poetry or pop lyrics, go to the next page for the original lyrics by Leonard Cohen.

LEONARD COHEN
Hallelujah

Now 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 and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
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
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Original lyrics
Hallelujah

Now 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 he fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

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

You say I took the name in vain
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

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I learned 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 lips but Hallelujah

additional verses

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,
But love is not some kind of victory march,
No it’s a cold and it’s a very broken Hallelujah.

There was a time you let me know
What’s really going on below,
but now you never show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you,
And the holy dove was moving too,
and every breath we drew was Hallelujah.

Now maybe there’s a God above,
As for me, all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
and it’s no complaint you hear tonight,
and It’s not some pilgrim who’s seen the light
it’s a cold and it’s a very lonely Hallelujah.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 24th, 2006 at 8:37:03 PM and is filed under JOURNAL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.