Arts & Culture

Who amongst us hasn't cried once while listening to Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen?

I was listening to CBC Metro Morning's Sound of the Season earlier in December and heard Francisco Yates' cover of Hallelujah and I blush to admit I teared up a bit while half asleep getting ready for work.  

When I read the lyrics it's not an especially festive song, yet one of the many cover versions always seems to be playing at this time of year. The strength of the song may lie with the mutable quality – sometimes mournful – sometimes joyous and uplifting. Leonard Cohen wrote the original in 1984 for the album Persuasions and began to perform it at concerts from 1985 forward.   Poet, writer and singer Cohen has produced an abundance of creative works and is also the subject of a mini publishing boom so if you're interested in reading more about him it's a deep field.

It does have very strong Canadian connections, aside from Cohen's roots, and you likely know the Rufus Wainwright or k.d. lang version of the song. I personally think the John Cale version is better than Jeff Buckley's but then I am not expert as I needed my husband to tell me that it also showed up in Shrek (Wainwright recorded it for the movie and his cover is on the soundtrack but John Cale's version is in the actual movie).

There has been a LOT written about the song though including:

• Newsweek's "60 Versions of Leonard Cohen’s 'Hallelujah,' Ranked"
• Rolling Stone's "Book Excerpt: Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' in 'The Holy or the Broken' "
• Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley Songfacts
• The Telegraph's Hallelujah – 20 facts about Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah

You may be interested in some of my earlier song choices:

• in 2014 I thought Es ist ein Ros entsprungen was the best.
• in 2013 I thought Jingle Bells….Batman Smells was the best.

• In 2012 I thought Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses was the best.

• In 2011 I thought Christmas Is by Lou Rawls was the best.

 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!