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78 reviews for:
The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah"
Alan Light
3.56 AVERAGE
78 reviews for:
The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah"
Alan Light
3.56 AVERAGE
Hallelujah has an odd place in Leonard Cohen's discography. It isn't even close to his best song, but it has grown beyond him and reached a place in the public consciousness where it isn't really equated with one artist or vision, not even entirely with Buckley. The book is an interesting analysis of the song and why it has reached the place it has in the public, as well as talking about a lot of versions of it and artists who have been important in its history and development. Nothing about it was necessarily new to me, but I found it an enjoyable and interesting read.
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The first half of the book, with mini-bios of Cohen and Buckley is pretty good, but the second half is just "...and then this person recorded it," over and over again. Ambitious idea for a book, but maybe not enough there for it to succeed.
A microhistory of a single song. I've heard the iconic Buckley version and the Wainwright version, but I like the John Cale version the best. That said, the story of how a single, otherwise forgotten song became a enduring, worldwide anthem was fascinating and highlights the role of interpretation in performance. What Cohen did with the song was uniquely his, and what Buckley did with the song was uniquely his. Cale sits between them, and makes for a third "reading" of the same text. The structure of the book falls apart a bit at the end as the narrative unravels, unfortunately. Once Buckley makes the song his own and then dies young, the song takes off, and the plot leaves us where we are right now: the song is both timeless and ubiquitous, meaningful and trite. Getting to that point, the telling just spirals off in countless directions. That said, reading the mini-biography of Buckley and the impressively detailed comparative descriptions of the versions of the song are highlights.
This is probably a case of hearing an NPR interview with an author and discovering the interview was likely enough and I didn't need to read the whole book. The book traces the history and rise of Leonard Cohen's " Hallelujah." It looks at how it's become a modern day hymn, touching our "spiritual, not religious" society's soul and the commercialization of the song by Hollywood when it needs to insert some instant melancholy and longing into a scene. It was somewhat interesting, and I would recommend it for any for any Leonard Cohen or Jeff Buckley fan. I was surprised to hear that Cohen wrote at least 80 verses and a couple of the published verses are usually dropped when covered by other artists to cut the length (including the book's title) but I really liked the cut verses. (I think prefer Cohen's poetry to his music). I liked this Cohen commentary , "When one looks at the world, there's only one thing to say,and it's hallelujah. That's the way it is."
Another thing I liked about the book is that is comes with a list of QR codes of videos of various performances so the reader can follow along with the evolution of the song. Very cool.
Another thing I liked about the book is that is comes with a list of QR codes of videos of various performances so the reader can follow along with the evolution of the song. Very cool.
I'm not sure I had high hopes to begin with -- it did re-kindle my love for this song. But then expertly squashed it with droll tale after droll tale of how the song has been used ad nauseam in television shows, films, commercials, and by teen pop idols. It may turn me on to listening to some more Leonard Cohen, which is always a good thing. Of course, I've had my obsession with Buckley, and maybe I'll return to that as well for a spell.
p.s. While I've considered doing a cover myself, I think I might sit this one out :/
p.s. While I've considered doing a cover myself, I think I might sit this one out :/
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is one of a handful of modern day songs that has a history worthy of a 200 page book. The painstaking toil Cohen put into the lyrical precision of every verse, the song's obscure beginnings on a Cohen album all but destined to be ignored, John Cale and Jeff Buckley creating their own arrangements that nudged the song into the limelight, and the years that followed as the song became one of the most revered and covered songs in popular music (everyone from kd lang and Neil Diamond to Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi. Susan Boyle seems to be the one responsible for completely missing the boat as far as interpreting the song is concerned.)
All of that is here, and then some. Light does a fine job of capturing the stories that align with the song, as well as the lives of Cohen and Buckley. It's fascinating to watch how the song's reemergence opened it up to an international audience. It's frustrating to read about the scores of people - audiences and artists alike - who assumed it was Buckley's composition. And it's a bit of a letdown at the end of the book to read about the song's over saturation, and the "American Idolization" of the song. The song, perhaps, needs a rest, so that it can retain its power as one of the dozen or so best songs of contemporary music.
A quick read, a must-read for Cohen fans. Most of all, it makes one want to listen to the very best versions of the song. For me, that's Cohen's live interpretation (try the 2012 Live in London version) and Jeff Buckley.
All of that is here, and then some. Light does a fine job of capturing the stories that align with the song, as well as the lives of Cohen and Buckley. It's fascinating to watch how the song's reemergence opened it up to an international audience. It's frustrating to read about the scores of people - audiences and artists alike - who assumed it was Buckley's composition. And it's a bit of a letdown at the end of the book to read about the song's over saturation, and the "American Idolization" of the song. The song, perhaps, needs a rest, so that it can retain its power as one of the dozen or so best songs of contemporary music.
A quick read, a must-read for Cohen fans. Most of all, it makes one want to listen to the very best versions of the song. For me, that's Cohen's live interpretation (try the 2012 Live in London version) and Jeff Buckley.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Best read while listening to the songs referred to in the book's discography.