No, it’s a cold and it’s a very broken Hallelujah It’s not some pilgrim who claims to have seen the Light Looking to love, specifically, Cohen writes beautifully:Īs for me all I’ve ever learned from loveīut it’s not a crime that you’re hear tonight He also talks about King David and Bathsheba: Now I heard there was a secret chord that David and it pleased the Lord and You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you. As Cohen writes, “It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah.”Ĭohen references the stories of Samson and Delilah from the Book of Judges, singing, She cut your hair. Love, though desired and cherished, is not only blissful. It’s exultant but it’s also a song about the dark side of humanity and of our most cherished trait: love. The song, which includes several obvious Biblical references, utilizes the single word, “Hallelujah,” as its chorus. It’s even rumored that during one writing session at the Royalton Hotel in New York, Cohen was reduced to sitting on the floor in his underwear and banging his head on the floor. He wrote something like 80 drafts of the song. Like some other notable hits of the past, including Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” Cohen wrote dozens of stanzas for the song before landing on the final version. Namely, “Goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift.”

Cohen wrote the track in C-major and its chord progression-C, F, G, A-minor, F-match the meta-lyrics in the tune. The song was originally written by Cohen in 12/8 time, which recalls gospel music and, as such, early rock and roll songs.

His passing, at 82 years old, marked the first time “Hallelujah” appeared in the Billboard Hot 100 song charts. And after Cohen’s death in November 2016, the song experienced another resurgence. Years after its initial release, “Hallelujah” was covered prominently by Cale, Buckley, Wainwright, and more (see below). It’s because of these themes that the song has since become timeless. Cohen, who is considered one of music’s greatest poets, writes expertly and exquisitely about the human condition, about love and sadness and remorse and hope in the track. Of course, it’s important to start the conversation about “Hallelujah” with its lyrics. The story of the song’s fame and impact has as much to do with Cohen as it does with several other notable musicians and performers, namely John Cale, Jeff Buckley, and Rufus Wainwright.

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