Comments on: Music Monday: Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen.

By: Munjaros

Munjaros — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:05:14 +0000

I can’t help but play this song any time I pick up my guitar. Jeff Buckley’s version was my first exposure to it and is my favorite, though I can’t sing it anything like him. I think I’ll go play some guitar…

By: Kaimi

Kaimi — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:41:48 +0000

One of the great folk songs, definitely. It’s pretty cool that G likes to play it on guitar. I like to do that, too.

(I mean, how can you not like a song that gives you instructions on your chords, within the lyrics.)

By: wr3n

wr3n — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:24:13 +0000

First time I heard Leonard C. I was around age 20 and stoned at a friend’s house and we channel surfed into him on Austin City Limits. Lemme tell ya, he’s perfect for that mindset. lol

First time I heard this song was Rufus Wainwright’s version in Shrek.

By: xJane

xJane — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:51:24 +0000

I also heard Jeff Buckley's song first…and like it better. Although the version in the movie is not the version above…either that or the sex seen was far more interesting than I remember. The Cohen version makes me want to fall alseep; the Buckley version makes me want to sing along:

By: angryyoungwoman

angryyoungwoman — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:43:11 +0000

The first time I heard Leonard Cohen was when I was nineteen, sitting on the floor of the kitchen of my friend Bryce’s apartment (which was a complete hole), he played LC on his ancient record player. I’ve been a fan ever since. My favorites are Singer Must Die and Leaving Greensleeves.

“I sang my songs / I told my lies / to lie between / your matchless thighs. / Now ain’t it fine / ain’t it wise / to finally end our exercise?”

By: Adrian

Adrian — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:25:12 +0000

http://www.craveonline.com/articles/filmtv/04653139/2/zack_snyder_talks_watchmen.html

I’ve yet to see the movie (living in a remote rural area), though I serve as manager to an artist whose recording was originally backing that particular scene in The Watchmen.

Director Zack Snyder explains his choice, in response to Crave Online asking: “What about the Leonard Cohen song?”

Zack Snyder: “There are two Leonard Cohen’s because there is a Leonard Cohen on the end titles as well. Hallelujah, that love scene, I originally had the Allison Crowe version of that song, a version I’ve always loved, but in the end was just too romantic. Everybody thought that I meant it. They thought the love scene was serious, not that it isn’t serious but her version was too sexy. So I was like yeah, I’ve got to go back to the Leonard Cohen. For me it is incredibly ironic, even with that version of the song it is incredibly ironic. I don’t care what version of Hallelujah is on, that love scene it is ridiculous, but in a great way. With Leonard Cohen it is like you can’t miss it now, can you? I’m sure some people will but that is fine.”

It is a most beautiful song, open to varied interpretation. This movie use, I sense, needs to be experienced to be understood. And, still, people will react in a multitude of ways!

By: Alisa

Alisa — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:04:00 +0000

I guess I don’t hear the movies that play this song, because I only discovered it through Jeff Buckley’s version a little over a year ago and haven’t ever heard it in public or on TV. It’s a powerful song to me, acknowledging the religiosity of sexual experience, and sexuality of religious experience.

By: aerin

aerin — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:59:36 +0000

I love that song. Seriously. I’m not sure I see it for a love scene – but I think everyone can use a bit more Leonard Cohen in their lives.