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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
informative
medium-paced
I was interested up until the author wrote about jeff buckley’s passing which was less than halfway through. Then all I remember is the mentioning of Shrek. It had a lot of cool moments, but honestly this was too long of a book to be talking about a singular song.
I was surprised that a biography about a song that doesn't even include an interview with the writer is as interesting as it is. You'll definitely learn something about a song that you may feel is already overdone. Well worth the read.
The might of the popularity of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" was definitely an interesting topic for investigation, but unfortunately might have been better suited to a magazine article than an entire book (even a relatively short one). I'd initially compared the idea to some kind of graduate thesis, but Light unfortunately doesn't really have one. The text meanders between anecdotes, ranging between the sublime (background on the lives of Cohen and Buckley) to the ridiculous (the story of the journey of a father who decided to name his daughter after the song). I would have liked Light to have provided a more critical take on the song, and not simply reported on its use, but perhaps searched even harder for why it became so popular. He touches on the potential connections, but never develops them. That said, it was a pleasant enough read.
This book was a bit of a sleeper. Initially, I found it tedious as it dwelled on minutiae, and the author's tone grated on me. However, as it progressed, I was quickly drawn into the tangled history of this immensely popular song, and found myself listening to various covers online throughout my reading. (Sidenote: QR codes? Really? I've owned a smartphone for nearly 3 years now and still don't know how to use them. Do you really need a QR code to go find a cover of a song on YouTube?)
This little volume was hugely informative, and full of interesting facts about Cohen, Buckley, and the numerous other artists to have covered Hallelujah. Like many others, I first came across the song through Shrek. It's likely I procured the soundtrack on Limewire, and as a result the Rufus Wainwright version lives in my iTunes library to this day. I discovered the Jeff Buckley rendition through a friend in college. - See? Anyone can tell their Hallelujah stories - And this book revealed to me infinite layers to this song, in its consideration of the lyrics, the melody, and the endless interpretations over the years.
The book itself was not particularly well written. Alan Light seems fairly full of himself, and oft-compelled to include a reference to that time he was editor-in-chief of Spin magazine, or so-and-so rising music industry star who worked for him. That being said, it was an enjoyable and entertaining read.
This little volume was hugely informative, and full of interesting facts about Cohen, Buckley, and the numerous other artists to have covered Hallelujah. Like many others, I first came across the song through Shrek. It's likely I procured the soundtrack on Limewire, and as a result the Rufus Wainwright version lives in my iTunes library to this day. I discovered the Jeff Buckley rendition through a friend in college. - See? Anyone can tell their Hallelujah stories - And this book revealed to me infinite layers to this song, in its consideration of the lyrics, the melody, and the endless interpretations over the years.
The book itself was not particularly well written. Alan Light seems fairly full of himself, and oft-compelled to include a reference to that time he was editor-in-chief of Spin magazine, or so-and-so rising music industry star who worked for him. That being said, it was an enjoyable and entertaining read.
Huh. And wow. It was weird reading a book about a song and not a very old song at that. And I'm not actually a fan of Leonard Cohen or John Cale or Jeff Buckley. But I am a fan of books on narrow topics - I heard about this one from a review on NPR and immediately added it to my hold list. Reading a book about the use of a song that has been used and over used to signal sadness was difficult. I definitely don't remember where I heard the song first - clearly I heard it on Shrek and ER. But I really wasn't struck by the first line until hearing at a filk circle at Orycon ("it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift") - and certainly didn't realize that the younger person singing it presumably thought of as a Shrek song. The Jeff Buckley version was so much what what we were listening to in the acoustic scene in Decatur, GA that I would have thought I was familiar with that as well. Definitely an uneven and confused book and not for everyone.
Interesting read, particularly if you have any affection at all for Buckley or Cohen. Tracing the path of Hallelujah from obscure track on a maligned record to its ubiquitous use for any TV occasion that requires a "sad montage", Light illustrates how a song can move people in different wats, regardless of whether they are hearing the lyrics or not. No one can deny that Hallelujah is used in ways that are completely counter to any of its numerous interpretations and yet people still love it. I was especially interested in Cohen's process, the many, many verses that he wrote for the song, and which ones are considered definitive and by whom. The only thing that stops me from giving it four stars is that I think it goes on a bit too long in making its point. Other than that, fabulous. Had me up all night searching for and listening to versions of the song. You could lose a week to this.
I got this book free in a neighbour swap library, glad I did to be honest. It takes some effort to write 235 pages about a nice tune with mysterious lyrics, and it takes even bigger effort to read those 235 pages about the said song.
This ditty was actually played in a dental waiting room while I waited earlier this month by a male / female duet. I had no idea who they where but can say hand on heart I was very happy to have got the call to have my mouth looked into to just get away from the tune.
At various times in these pages, the author mentions that there were calls for a moratorium on its use, even by the songwriter himself. It got used so often that at one time one writer wrote in disgust it had become “…… cheap emotional shorthand for overwhelming spiritual feelings.” The writer of that went on to say that it had become “…….so common that it had been drained of its power to move” Amen to that, I say.
I like the Shrek films version by the Velvet Underground bloke, but then I would because I consider him a genius. The fella who died in the river I caught live back in the day and do not even recall him doing the track, in fact the only three things I recall from that gig was him yelling obscenities at his mixing desk for it all being too loud, him doing a rip-roaring version of a song that starts with “And right now... right now... right now it's time to... kick out the jams, mother---------!” and a couple of young lasses next to me talking about how the chap we were seeing was doomed to an early death. How was that for prescient vision!
As to the composer (who I might add was lucky enough to have had his picture taken on a Greek Island with Charmian Clift in the 60's) as a homage to him, I dug out his album released on February 2, 1988 and had a play and can say that this would have been a far more interesting subject to write a book about.
Recommended to the couple that named their daughter after the song, but who as she got older called herself Lulu.
This ditty was actually played in a dental waiting room while I waited earlier this month by a male / female duet. I had no idea who they where but can say hand on heart I was very happy to have got the call to have my mouth looked into to just get away from the tune.
At various times in these pages, the author mentions that there were calls for a moratorium on its use, even by the songwriter himself. It got used so often that at one time one writer wrote in disgust it had become “…… cheap emotional shorthand for overwhelming spiritual feelings.” The writer of that went on to say that it had become “…….so common that it had been drained of its power to move” Amen to that, I say.
I like the Shrek films version by the Velvet Underground bloke, but then I would because I consider him a genius. The fella who died in the river I caught live back in the day and do not even recall him doing the track, in fact the only three things I recall from that gig was him yelling obscenities at his mixing desk for it all being too loud, him doing a rip-roaring version of a song that starts with “And right now... right now... right now it's time to... kick out the jams, mother---------!” and a couple of young lasses next to me talking about how the chap we were seeing was doomed to an early death. How was that for prescient vision!
As to the composer (who I might add was lucky enough to have had his picture taken on a Greek Island with Charmian Clift in the 60's) as a homage to him, I dug out his album released on February 2, 1988 and had a play and can say that this would have been a far more interesting subject to write a book about.
Recommended to the couple that named their daughter after the song, but who as she got older called herself Lulu.
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
There is no shortage of information to make Light's subject a worthy endeavour. "Hallelujah" is a wholly unique modern song destined to become a timeless, morphing anthem. The way each element -- the tune, the time, the verses, the order -- can be reworked to perfectly embody the passions of the voice singing it (from the emotional heights to the devoid and caricaturish lows) leads to no shortage of material.
But this is not the format it should be in. Especially in this time of changing media, this book should have become an interactive, multimedia experience or app. Light adeptly covers each and every way "Hallelujah" has been approached, but cannot give the depth and added structure a visual and aural experience would offer. An app that allows us to see the lyrics: to explore how they are shifted and turned, to turn the covers on and off, to see the music, to hear comparisons, would have turned compelling material into a unique and infinitely more rewarding and modern experience.
The best we can do is follow along on our devices, stopping to search for the performances mentioned. As a textual journey, the book is at its best when it discusses how the inclusion and reordering of Cohen's verses maintain meaning while wildly varying tone. It weakens as the song becomes a reality tv anthem, and Light insists on mentioning them all, turning fascination into tedium.
At the very least, Light would have been served well by offering his readers the visual accompaniments well within his reach -- side-by-side comparisons of verses, orders, and changes, annotation on the lyrics that lead the reader into the book -- a textual workbook focusing more on the life these changes create, and strictly editing the journey's inevitable decline into simulacra.
But this is not the format it should be in. Especially in this time of changing media, this book should have become an interactive, multimedia experience or app. Light adeptly covers each and every way "Hallelujah" has been approached, but cannot give the depth and added structure a visual and aural experience would offer. An app that allows us to see the lyrics: to explore how they are shifted and turned, to turn the covers on and off, to see the music, to hear comparisons, would have turned compelling material into a unique and infinitely more rewarding and modern experience.
The best we can do is follow along on our devices, stopping to search for the performances mentioned. As a textual journey, the book is at its best when it discusses how the inclusion and reordering of Cohen's verses maintain meaning while wildly varying tone. It weakens as the song becomes a reality tv anthem, and Light insists on mentioning them all, turning fascination into tedium.
At the very least, Light would have been served well by offering his readers the visual accompaniments well within his reach -- side-by-side comparisons of verses, orders, and changes, annotation on the lyrics that lead the reader into the book -- a textual workbook focusing more on the life these changes create, and strictly editing the journey's inevitable decline into simulacra.
I wanted to love this. I really did. While there were interesting parts throughout, it was more a long, drawn-out article that was written because someone got a book deal. Too much filler.