The Holy Or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah"

Author(s): Alan Light

General Non-Fiction

Today, �Hallelujah� is one of the most-performed rock songs in history. It has become a staple of movies and television shows as diverse as Shrek and The West Wing, of tribute videos and telethons. It has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Bob Dylan, U2, Justin Timberlake, and k.d. lang, and it is played every year at countless events-both sacred and secular-around the world.Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded �Hallelujah,� it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and �Hallelujah� still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own?

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"Thoughtful and illuminating... [Mr. Light] is a fine companion for this journey through one song's changing fortunes." The New York Times "A combination mystery tale, detective story, pop critique and sacred psalm of its own." The Daily News "Brilliantly revelatory... A masterful work of critical journalism." Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A deeply researched mixture of critical analysis and cultural archaeology." Los Angeles Times "Keeps the pages turning... A well-constructed, consistently enlightening book, which should have Cohen devotees and music fans alike seeking out their favorite version of the song." The Boston Globe "Fresh and compelling." Entertainment Weekly "Reverentially details every stage in the [song's] evolution-and along the way, he reveals the compelling stories behind some of its most iconic interpretations." The Atlantic "Absorbing...Eloquent... Light expertly unpacks the song's long, strange journey to ubiquity." The Village Voice "A must for music fans." Booklist (starred review)

Alan Light has been one of America's leading music journalists for the past twenty years. Light was a senior editor at Rolling Stone, founding music editor and editor-in-chief of Vibe, and editor-in-chief of Spin Magazine. He is also author of The Skills to Pay the Bills, an oral history of the Beastie Boys.

General Fields

  • : 9781451657852
  • : Atria Books
  • : Atria Books
  • : 0.24494
  • : November 2013
  • : 21.30 cmmm X 14.00 cmmm X 2.00 cmmm
  • : United States
  • : March 2013
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Alan Light
  • : Paperback
  • : Paperback
  • : 2013
  • : 2013
  • : English
  • : English
  • : 782.42164
  • : 782.42164
  • : bl2016051078
  • : bl2016051078
  • : 288
  • : 288