Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen Analysis Essay

“Hallelujah”, written by Leonard Cohen, has kept its proud title as a contemporary standard throughout decades. The song, all swelling crescendos and poignant lyrics, set flawlessly in meter and rhyme, has inspired hundreds of different renditions and covers- each one expressing their own perspectives. From Willie Nelson and K.D. Lang to John Cale - all different singer-songwriters that have something in common. They have all performed their own covers of “Hallelujah”, despite having distinct styles and audiences. By dissecting and comparing these three seemingly unconnected covers, we can peel back and examine the differences and similarities hidden inside. 

The first cover, sung by Willie Nelson, maintains the slow, almost spoken lyrics of the original. Nelson’s cover delivers a very down-to-earth feel, with the trill of a harmonica and the plucking of guitar strings presenting the elements of a slow country song. The tranquil backing music creates a steady and relaxed atmosphere that contrasts against his grating, throaty voice. This disparity allows for a disconnected undertone that helps focus the attention more on the rough vocals and lyrics rather than the simple backing music. Nelson’s voice carries a melancholic, almost regretful quality, as if retelling an old story and only now coming to terms with it through acoustic guitar and raw memories. It's simple and subtle, but effectively captures and enthralls the audience. He maintains this solo performance for about two thirds of the song before introducing a choir for the final choruses. The choir fits with the rest of the cover, with its sorrowful and mournful sound complimenting Nelson’s own voice. He sings the original lyrics, adding no additional verses, which adds to the overall simplicity of his cover. He effectively weaves the song’s gospel arrangement with country, diluting the original’s theatricality and focusing on bringing back the more earthy tones that have been overshadowed. Nelson has created a laid-back, tranquil cover complete with a gravelly voice and steel guitar that still manages to acknowledge and maintain the original song’s qualities in a touching tribute. 

K.D. Lang brings back the more classical elements in her cover, honing in on the enchanting and elegant feel of the original “Hallelujah”. It's what first comes to mind when most people think of the song: surging crescendos, smooth violin, rich piano, and effortless belting. Simple piano accompanies her voice through the verses, with a lively orchestra joining in on the choruses. Lang’s cover flows flawlessly together, with her voice complementing the swooning piano and strings. The elegant backing music elevates the emotional and graceful tone. Like the original, Lang plays with the song’s dynamics in a compelling manner and focuses on her voice and music more than the previous cover. This evokes emotions in a refined and polished manner, rather than being raw and rough to appeal to emotions. Lang is not accompanied by any choirs in her cover, giving her more control over the song to make connections to the audience with her voice only. While a choir can add to the song to make it more impactful, it can also take the focus away from the main singer. Lang also includes two additional verses (“Baby, I’ve been here before / I know this room, I’ve walked this floor…” and “Maybe there’s a God above / But all I’ve ever learned from love…”) to draw out the song. Both of these verses have long belts in them, ending in dramatic vibrato and opera-like singing. Lang executes these both beautifully with a forlorn and haunting wolf-like howl. The orchestra ascends in time with her singing, creating an almost magical atmosphere- similar to the original’s. With Lang’s vocals and the timeless orchestra, her cover has brought out the most iconic components of the original while still adding her own classical flare to it. 

The last cover is sung by John Cale, and showcases a well-crafted blend of both covers we have discussed previously. His voice, like Cohen’s and Nelson’s, has a gravelly and coarse sound to it. The inflections in his voice offer a more resentful and bitter version, adding a certain edge to the song. The way he drops his voice to a muted, raspy mutter and brings it back up again in an almost spiteful serenade keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. This play with dynamics is also a technique used by Lang to captivate the audience. Cale captures and holds their attention by smoothly switching between singing and talking- a homage to the original. This is joined by simple but elegant piano, which creates a subtle link to the covers mentioned prior. It also creates a disparity between his voice and the music, connecting back to Nelson’s cover, and helping to further capture the audience’s attention. In “do ya?”, one of the lines where he speaks rather than sings, he comes off as scornful and almost sardonic. As if looking back and still being bitter and unable to let go. This is amplified through his solo performance, as a choir would take away from the overall feeling and tone. Cale adds another extra verse (“Baby, I’ve been here before / I know this room, I’ve walked this floor…”) and maintains that growly, angry tone. Cale sings a cover that not only stays true to the original’s overall ambience, but also adds an edge to the song that allows for the more resentful vibe to shine. 

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is an immensely inspirational and moving piece that has survived as being one the most popular songs throughout the decades. Through its fame, countless covers have been made and performed by artists with vastly different audiences and styles. These covers, however, no matter how different they may seem from one another, all let some of the original's traits shine through. That's the beauty of the original- it's incredibly versatile, allowing for hundreds of different singers to come together and perform it. By maintaining its reputation of a timeless and emotional classic, ¨Hallelujah¨ has also grown into a piece that has inspired unity and hope among hundreds.