“Hallelujah” is a great national anthem of his religious ecstasy and sexual desire. Some versions emphasize the sacred, while others stick to what other poets call “the sacrifice of the spirit in the waste of shame.” “Everything I’ve learned from love / how to shoot the person who pulled you out”: Although some singers omit that line (and the line tied to the kitchen chair) Even though transcendence seems to outweigh the irony, the tension between divine desire and disrespectful disappointment remains.
Thanks to Alan Wright’s book “The Holyor the Broken,” the documentary account of the song’s fate is a fascinating study of pop culture’s memory dynamics and metaphysics. Bob Dylan, who praised Cohen, added “Hallelujah” to some of his setlists in the late 80’s. John Cale’s cover, recorded for the 1991 tribute album, made the song more widely noticed.
“From Cale to Buckley, Shrek” is a synopsis of Sloman. Jeff Buckley’s full-throat production infused “Hallelujah” into the mainstream of 90’s pop. “Shrek” is a blockbuster DreamWorks Animation about the adorable green demon, reusing a moody version of kale. The soundtrack album, which sold millions of copies, included another album by Rufus Wainwright in melodious Buckley mode. The lock was open.
“It will be like this: 4th, 5th.” By the 100th time, you might think that the magic is gone, but “Hallelujah” leaves at least some of its limits and its banari. It is one of the rare songs that survived the Zation.
Cohen lived to see that victory, and the last third of the documentary is dedicated to his comeback, including a generous clip from his later concert. Throughout, he is a vibrant and complex being, witty, melancholy, well-dressed, and gentle-speaking. Finally, he gives off wisdom, gratitude, and fulfillment as if elusiveness was always his big subject.
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, Journey, Song
Rating for PG-13: She tied you to a kitchen chair. Execution time: 1 hour 55 minutes. At the theater.
