Day 19 of my new blog challenge –
Share Your Music! 30 Days 30 Songs!
Please feel free to join me anytime you want – casual players welcome! 😉
There are songs that I can listen to again and again and again, and that don’t wear themselves out or loose their effect on me.
One of these songs is “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley.
Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Buckley was brought up around music. His mother was a classically trained pianist and cellist. His stepfather introduced him to Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and Pink Floyd at an early age.
Buckley grew up singing around the house and in harmony with his mother, later noting that all his family sang. He began playing guitar at the age of five after discovering an acoustic guitar in his grandmother’s closet.
In mid-1993, Buckley began working on his first album, “Grace”.
Bob Dylan named Buckley “one of the great songwriters of this decade,” and, in an interview with The Village Voice, David Bowie named Grace as one of 10 albums he’d bring with him to a desert island.
On May 29, 1997, while awaiting the arrival of his band from New York, he drowned during a spontaneous evening swim, fully clothed, in the Mississippi River when he was caught in the wake of a passing boat; his body was found on June 4.
I have loved this song since the first time I heard it…at church, actually. This is a beautiful version, and it is so sad to think that a man who was so talented died so young. Thank you for sharing this!
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You’re very welcome, Ann! Yes, his untimely death makes this song a very bittersweet one.
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That is so sad for a life to be taken away so soon. He was very talented. Love Hallelujah!
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It really is, Jennie. Which is why it makes it so bittersweet to listen to this song for me.
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Indeed!
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I only heard this version recently, believe it or not, because Dominique included it. It is wonderful but then I also love Cohen’s original.
This song almost never saw the light of day. Cohen’s record label at the time disliked the album it was on (Various Positions) and declined to release it.
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Oh, I didn’t know that about Cohen’s album! How awful to think that it almost didn’t make it! Shows that those in charge so often don’t know what they’re doing, be it the music or film industry, and more troubling yet politics.
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Another geeky factoid about this song is that Cohen wrote around 80 draft verses for it before choosing the ones to record. When John Cale recorded his version he asked Cohen for some of the unpublished verses and was allowed to use them.
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Wow! 80 drafts!! I had no idea. But it actually doesn’t surprise me much – artists seldomly are ever content with their work.
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Beautiful.
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It really is, isn’t it? As Shari perfectly put it in her comment – it brings me down on my knees. 🙂
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Lovely piece, Sarah. Quite moving lyrics.
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Thank you, Iris! Hope all is well with you? Going to play catch-up as soon as the challenge is over! Have a happy and beautiful weekend, my friend! 😀 ❤
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Thanks Sarah, surely looking forward to the weekend and you too enjoy yours! Good to catch up with you as I’ve been very busy lately. 😉 Take care my friend… all best wishes! 🌷 ❤
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You already know how much I like this song and Buckley’s voice. I am also a huge fan of Leonard Cohen. Love both versions. You must be exhausted. I know it takes quite some time to find the songs, do the research and write the posts. Sending you good vibes dear friend.
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Thanks, dear friend! I know, you do. Leonard Cohen was one of the best!
Yes, I really do feel a bit exhausted, but it’s still fun. Actually finished writing and scheduling the rest of the songs this morning – now I can start playing catching up with everyone! 😀 Have a beautiful weekend!
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I have my second playlist ready for your Challenge too. It’s already on Spotify but will wait until Darren publish his first. We have some songs and artists in common. Looking forward to listen to your other songs. Enjoy your weekend my friend.
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Fantastic choice! (Although I do prefer the Leonard Cohen version.) Have you heard the Brandi Carlile version? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1sFYdwlXtI
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Not yet, but I’m going to! Thanks for adding all these links, Liz, really love this! 😀
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This is such a beautiful song, and this version is especially poignant knowing Jeff Buckley’s history.
Have you heard k.d. Lang sing Hallelujah? For me, there is no one better. She doesn’t perform, she lives this music. Leonard Cohen was a master song writer who captured the human condition in his lyrics. His words are enduring. And this song brings me to my knees.
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Yes, it brings me down to my knees as well, Shari. I haven’t heard the version by k.d. lang yet – looking very much forward to it!
Wishing you a beautiful weekend, my friend!
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A beautiful song. It is sad for the artist for such tragedy..
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Yes, it really is. Glad you like this song! Have a happy weekend! 😀
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Happy Weekend to you too.
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Thanks! 😄
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This is definitely top 5 for me too. I even learned to play it (badly) on guitar. Of all the versions, Jeff Buckley I think has captured Leonard Cohen’s beautiful lyrics the best. I even prefer the cover to any of the versions I heard Cohen sing. So, so lovely.
I’ve sneaked in a bonus track today (well I did miss a couple of days at the beginning of the month). 🙂 https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2019/06/20/our-castle-and-our-keep/
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It’s an amazing song, isn’t it? And as much as I love the Cohen one too, Buckley somehow makes it work for me even better.
So cool about the bonus track! I was thinking I need to add at least 3 or 4 to each song as well, just to cover all the bases! LOL! 😀 Going to catch up soon! xxx
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I think Jeff Buckley had an ethereal quality to his voice that works beautifully with the song.
I’m getting slightly panicked that the end of the month is approaching and there are still so many songs I want to include. And T suggested a whole bunch more last night 😬
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Hehe! I know that panic well! I was actually contemplating adding a couple of more songs to each post, but thought I would overstrain people’s patience with me then. 😀
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I’m a bit concerned about that too, but maybe I can just give advance warning of extreme musical content.
Or perhaps we can make a less frequent, but regular, music-based challenge or prompt?
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Oh! I’d like that a lot, this idea of a less frequent, but regular music- based challenge or prompt! What do you think would work best?
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Probably a challenge; or maybe just add it as an informal thing in our own blogs. T suggested a series of “covers that are better than the originals” — which I think would get people talking!!
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I really like the idea of a “covers better than the original” challenge!
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Yay!! 😀
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That’s a really good idea – and this coming from someone who can be quite opposed to cover versions! 😀
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🙂
I used to be quite against cover versions, but I have realised that there are lots of old songs I like which WERE covers.
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That could be true in my case as well! Will have to do some research on that one! 😀
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Beautiful, Sarah… ❤ Sharing.
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Glad you liked it, Bette! Thanks for sharing! ❤
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Beautiful, Sarah.
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Thank you, Rosaliene! It really is, isn’t it?
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Thank you for sharing, Sarah. On most of our lists, I think.
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You’re welcome! And I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. 😊
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Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
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Thanks so much! 😄
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I PREFER THE ORIGINAL RECORDING BY THE SONG’S WRITER, SARAH, BUT STILL A GREAT SONG, CHINA
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No problem, China, I actually like both versions and had a hard time picking one. 😄
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I love it 💖
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Me too! 😄💖
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Amazing piece of music that touches the heart to the core!
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It really does that, doesn’t it? So glad you enjoyed this, Peter!
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A great song Sarah 🙂
Here’s my contribution
https://bushboy.blog/2019/06/19/some-more-twos/
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Thanks, Brian! Look forward to hear it! 😄
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Have you listened to Leonard Cohen’s version? Breaks my heart….both versions. So beautiful. Excellent choice, Sarah.
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I have! And it was honestly difficult for me what version to choose! Both are as you say heartbreakingly beautiful.
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