Cohen's song tells a story of broken love, true love remembered and mourned, guilt, penance, and of finding peace. The song's thematic content is oddly fitting for its history.
So what makes the song so powerful – and why has it reached out to so many people? Its chords are simple, mostly coming from the notes of the major scale of the song's key. Rhythmically it has the type of rolling 12/8 feel you find in much gospel and folk music – again nothing special.
Whereas Buckley interpreted the lyrics in his own way, the late singer referred to his voluptuous rendition of the track as being a homage to “the hallelujah of the orgasm.” He explained in a Dutch magazine OOR: “Whoever listens carefully to 'Hallelujah' will discover that it is a song about sex, about love, about life ...
This secret chord is perhaps a metaphor for the divine inspiration bestowed on David that allowed him to write so many of the Psalms. That is why it was so pleasing to the Lord, because David was writing what God was showing him.
In fact, it really isn't a religious song at all. It is a story of a love gone wrong, with some religious imagery splattered in. It isn't something to be tapping the toes to as we are Rocking Around the Christmas Tree or having a Holly, Jolly Christmas.
The name of his most famous song, Hallelujah, would seem to stem from his spiritual quest, but its biblical imagery is merely a vehicle for his dark view of love. Leonard Cohen, dark pop icon, died Thursday at age 82, after a life-long search for faith.
Buckley, who recorded it in 1994, said the song was about “the hallelujah of the orgasm.” Backed by sparse guitar, and stretched to almost seven minutes, his yearning vocal took on angelic overtones after his death by drowning in 1997.
This brings us to the business of standing during that famous chorus, a tradition said to have begun in 1743, when King George II rose from his seat, enthralled by the beauty of the music. Not wanting to offend the king, the audience also stood – or so the story goes.
Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is a song about a powerful sexual obsession, ennobled by Old Testament references to King David and Bathsheba, and Samson and Delilah.
Buckley, who recorded it in 1994, said the song was about “the hallelujah of the orgasm.” Backed by sparse guitar, and stretched to almost seven minutes, his yearning vocal took on angelic overtones after his death by drowning in 1997.
The secret chord mentioned in the Bible is a mysterious reference often attributed to King David, a renowned musician and songwriter. Its exact meaning remains open to interpretation, with some considering it a literal musical note and others viewing it as a metaphor for deeper spiritual harmony.
What is the difference between "alleluia" and "hallelujah"? ''Alleluia'' and ''hallelujah'' mean the same thing: ''praise the Lord. '' However, ''hallelujah'' is derived from the Hebrew spelling of the word while ''alleluia'' is the Latin transliteration of the Greek transliteration of ''hallelujah.
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