![]() ![]() The opening stanza is sublime: Now I've heard there was a secret chord The song languished in semi-obscurity for another decade until, one cover version after another, it worked its way to the top of the charts. “Hallelujah” was a track on his preceding album, 1984 ’s Various Positions, which Cohen ’s label Columbia Records refused to release, saying, “We know you are great, but don't know if you are any good.” He went with a minor label and gave “Hallelujah” to Bob Dylan to perform live. Not a typical career trajectory for an entertainer- or a song. until the release of his eighth studio album, 1988’s I ’ m Your Man. Although well-received in Europe, he remained a D-lister in the U.S. Cohen was already a polished writer in his late 30s when he decided to try his luck at popular music. At the end of his life, Cohen joked that there ought to be a moratorium on including the anthem in film. It was used as a soundtrack by a Canadian skater at the PyeongChang Olympics and, for some reason, played during the COVID memorial ceremony in Washington, D.C. ![]() There isn ’t an American Idol contestant who doesn ’t dream of overdoing the chorus. Of all of Leonard Cohen ’s songs, “Hallelujah” is the best known. Leonard Cohen, “Waiting for the Miracle” ![]()
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