Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

The now-deceased singer/songwriter, poet, and novelist, Leonard Cohen, is loved by many millions of fans around the world.  This documentary skims over Cohen's life history (such as his Jewish roots, his being a notorious ladies man, his six-year stint at a Zen monastery, and the theft by his manager of all his wealth), instead choosing to primarily focus on his most famous and best-loved song, "Hallelujah."  When asked what the word "Hallelujah" means to him, Cohen said "This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can... reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that's what I mean by 'Hallelujah.'" After a five-year struggle with the lyrics, after having written about 80 verses for the song, it was finally released in 1984, on the album "Various Positions."  Columbia records, however, didn't think it was commercial enough, so the album was initially released only in Europe.  Cohen subsequently did a live performance in 1988, changing some of the lyrics from the original 1984 version.  In 1991, a Cohen tribute album was released with John Cale (Velvet Underground) performing a phenomenal cover of the 1988 version.  (Many consider this version to be the best of all, and there are over 300 cover versions!)  Jeff Buckley (son of Tim Buckley) released the most popular version in 1994 on the album "Grace."  "Hallelujah" was still obscure until "Shrek" (2001).  The Cale version (with the sexual references deleted) was in the movie, although the Rufus Wainwright (son of Loudon Wainwright III) cover was in the CD soundtrack instead.  All these covers, as well as some others, are featured in this film (although not necessarily the whole song). The lyrics are a fascinating juxtaposition of spirituality, sexuality, and trying to make sense and arrive at some acceptance of this crazy world.  Cohen has written many great songs, such as "Suzanne," "Bird on a Wire," and "So Long Marianne," among others.  The only other song you hear is a duet of "Suzanne" with Judy Collins, which was Leonard's first on-stage performance. What I enjoyed most about the film was the brief interviews Cohen had with "Rolling Stone" reporter Larry "Ratso" Sloman and a few others.  Cohen is so intelligent, perceptive, and he speaks eloquently about his life and his journey to find peace of mind.  Cohen struggled with severe depression for many years, but it finally lifted a few years before his death. What puzzles me is the lack of financial support from the music industry after all Cohen's money was stolen by his manager.  A fundraiser concert, with famous musicians who made lots of money covering his songs, donating the profits to Cohen, would have been more than appropriate. The documentary is a MUST-SEE for Cohen fans or "Hallelujah" fans, but others may not like it much. Click here for the lyrics to this iconic song!