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The Holy Or The Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, And The Unlikely Ascent Of "Hallelujah" (2012)

by Alan Light(Favorite Author)

3.6 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1451657862 (ISBN13: 9781451657869)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Atria Books

review 1: If you really love the song "Hallelujah," you want to read this book. If you want to read the book for pleasure rather than just to be informed, sit near your computer or smart phone while you do so.Most people probably discovered this song in the 21st century. Even if they know it was written by Leonard Cohen, they will probably be surprised to learn that he wrote it during the 1980s. And, no, he didn't just sit on it all these years. He really did include it on one of his albums at that time. But hardly anyone noticed it, and it was never released as a single.In THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN, Alan Light covers "Hallelujah's" history since then and gives various artists' opinions about the meaning of the song and the reason it took so long to achieve the status it has today. Thi... mores book can be fun to read, too; you can let it be interactive.In relating the history of this song, Light covers the many artists who performed it over the years, especially Jeff Buckley. If you have a computer, you can search the particular name and "Hallelujah" and find a youtube.com video of that performance. So you can see and hear what Light talks about. I kept my iPhone next to me while I read the book so my reading and listening could be smooth, without much interruption.THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN is not for everyone. It's great if you read the book interactively and if you enjoy this song so much that you won't get sick of hearing different people sing it over and over and over. If you are one of those people, then, in the end, you'll have a favorite. Mine's Justin Timberlake's version.I won a copy of THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN as part of an Atria Books giveaway.
review 2: What can a little song do?Leonard Cohen--whom I would place in the highest pantheon of songwriters--agonized for years over "Hallelluia" and finally whittled the verses down to a manageable five. But when he put it on a 1982album it disappeared into the void.Fast forward to the Nineties when tragic artist Jeff Buckley caught ahold of the song and sent it into the stratosphere.When the song--in yet another incarnation--was included in the movie "Shrek", it became a cultural touchstone.This well written, well researched book tells the story of the song and it's many permutations. He gives a clear and colorful analysis as to why the song has come to mean so much to us. He traces the many lyrical versions and how they change the song and the singer.The author is scrupulous to note that others were involved in the writing of the song and, more important, never gets so breathlessly adoring that he can't note that there is now a weariness to the song from our society's inevitable overuse. I can tell you, though, the song still has power. I sang it at an open mic here most of the audience was teenage girls (I was there as a favor to a friend) and they loved the song.Highly recommended. less

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