{"id":577,"date":"2022-07-01T00:52:52","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T00:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/from-reject-to-cover-classic\/"},"modified":"2022-07-01T00:52:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T00:52:52","slug":"from-reject-to-cover-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/from-reject-to-cover-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"from reject to cover classic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In 1984 \u2014 the same year that Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Madonna ruled the pop charts with \u201cBorn in the USA,\u201d \u201cPurple Rain\u201d and \u201cLike a Virgin,\u201d respectively \u2014 there was another classic that never saw the light of day.<\/p>\n<p>Leonard Cohen&#8217;s towering tune \u201cHallelujah\u201d was rejected \u2014 along with the rest of his \u201cVarious Positions\u201d album \u2014 by then-CBS Records head Walter Yetnikoff.  \u201cHe said, &#8216;Leonard, we know you&#8217;re great, but we don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;re any good,&#8217; \u201d recalls the late singer-songwriter in the new documentary \u201cHallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song ,\u201d which opens in theaters Friday.<\/p>\n<p>But that would turn out to be only a \u201cminor fall\u201d in the song&#8217;s long ascent to the pantheon of iconic tunes.  A triumph of both perseverance and undeniable brilliance, it was a determined, decades-spanning journey that took \u201cHallelujah\u201d from John Cale and Jeff Buckley covers to \u201cShrek\u201d and \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d ubiquity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt took so many years to get ready, like a great bottle of wine, that when it finally hit, it was unstoppable,\u201d John Lissauer \u2014 who produced Cohen&#8217;s original version of \u201cHallelujah\u201d \u2014 told The Post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized is-style-default\"><figcaption>The evolution of Leonard Cohen&#8217;s signature tune is covered in the new documentary \u201cHallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of the Cohen Estate<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/leonard-cohen-various-positions.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Leonard Cohen's &quot;Various Positions&quot; album\" class=\"wp-image-22872485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/leonard-cohen-various-positions.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/leonard-cohen-various-positions.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/leonard-cohen-various-positions.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>Leonard Cohen&#8217;s \u201cVarious Positions\u201d album, featuring \u201cHallelujah,\u201d was rejected by Columbia Records in 1984.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">legacy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Today, it&#8217;s a song that adds grace, grandeur and gravitas to any momentous occasion.  \u201cIt&#8217;s a song that people use at funerals and weddings, and they use it when their baby is born,\u201d said Alan Light, whose newly updated book \u201cThe Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, &#038; the Unlikely Ascent of &#8216; Hallelujah&#8217; \u201d inspired the current documentary.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen had been working on writing \u201cHallelujah\u201d for years \u2014 going through hundreds of verses in notebook after notebook \u2014 when he first played it for Lissauer in 1983. \u201cIt was completely different than we know it now,\u201d he said.  \u201cHe was strumming it on this little nylon [string] guitar.  So we sat at the piano, and I started playing it like gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although the lyrics were shrouded in mystery, leaving the meaning open to interpretation, Lissauer knew right away that \u201cHallelujah\u201d was something special: \u201cI said, &#8216;This is really an important song.  This could be ridiculously huge.  This could touch everyone.&#8217;  It turned out it was exactly what we expected \u2014 just 20 years too early.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/bob-dylan-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bob Dylan\" class=\"wp-image-22872526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/bob-dylan-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/bob-dylan-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/bob-dylan-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>Bob Dylan gave Leonard Cohen \u201ca wonderful affirmation\u201d when he covered \u201cHallelujah\u201d on tour in 1988.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Ron Galella Collection via Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After Columbia Records, a division of CBS, rejected \u201cVarious Positions\u201d \u2014 and its future classic \u201cHallelujah\u201d \u2014 the album eventually received an unheralded US release on an independent label in 1985. Meanwhile, Cohen began trying out different versions of the \u201cHallelujah \u201d lyrics in his performances, taking the song from its more spiritual origins into more secular, sensual territory.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen got \u201ca wonderful affirmation\u201d \u2014 as he describes in the documentary \u2014 when Bob Dylan discovered \u201cHallelujah\u201d and covered it on tour in 1988. \u201cIt&#8217;s all the more remarkable that the one guy who saw something interesting in that song at the time is Bob Dylan,\u201d said Light.  \u201cI mean, that&#8217;s why he&#8217;s Bob Dylan.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"669\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-cale.jpg?resize=669%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"John Cale\" class=\"wp-image-22872612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-cale.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1338 1338w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-cale.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1004 1003w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-cale.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=669 669w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-cale.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=335 334w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-cale.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 669px) 100vw, 669px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>John Cale covered \u201cHallelujah\u201d on a 1991 Leonard Cohen tribute album.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then Velvet Underground co-founder Cale covered \u201cHallelujah\u201d on the 1991 tribute album \u201cI&#8217;m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen.\u201d  In fact, it was Cale who edited multiple versions of the lyrics into the standard rendition that we know today.  And it was Cale&#8217;s remake that was first heard by the late singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, inspiring him to record \u201cHallelujah\u201d on his 1994 debut album \u201cGrace.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>After Buckley&#8217;s drowning death at 30 in 1997, his more angelic, accessible take on \u201cHallelujah\u201d became, to many, the definitive version.  \u201cI think there&#8217;s an intimacy to it,\u201d said Light.  \u201cIt feels like Jeff is whispering in your ear.  And he&#8217;s much younger.  Leonard recorded this song when he was 50 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Jeff_BUCKLEY.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jeff Buckley\" class=\"wp-image-22872635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Jeff_BUCKLEY.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Jeff_BUCKLEY.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Jeff_BUCKLEY.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>Jeff Buckley&#8217;s version of \u201cHallelujah\u201d is considered by many to be the definitive one.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">redferns<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But \u201cHallelujah\u201d was destined for even bigger things when it was picked for a key emotional scene in the 2001 animated blockbuster \u201cShrek.\u201d  In the documentary, \u201cShrek\u201d co-director Vicky Jenson explains how she edited out \u201cthe naughty bits\u201d of the lyrics while trimming down the song for the movie.  And although it&#8217;s Cale&#8217;s version of the song that Shrek is singing in the movie, Rufus Wainwright&#8217;s rendition is featured on the hit soundtrack. <\/p>\n<p>After \u201cShrek\u201d made \u201cHallelujah\u201d a household tune that transcended generations, the song went on to become a popular pick on TV singing competitions such as \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d \u201cThe Voice\u201d and \u201cThe X Factor.\u201d  In fact, after Alexandra Burke won Britain&#8217;s \u201cThe X Factor\u201d singing \u201cHallelujah\u201d in the 2008 finale, her version of the song went No.  1 in the UK.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shrek-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A scene from &quot;Shrek&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-22872681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shrek-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shrek-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/shrek-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>\u201cShrek\u201d turned \u201cHallelujah\u201d into a household tune.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9DreamWorks\/Courtesy Everett Co.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As \u201cHallelujah\u201d became the kind of timeless tune that will live forever, Cohen \u201cwas tickled about it,\u201d said Lissauer.  Indeed, just days after Cohen&#8217;s death and Donald Trump&#8217;s victory in the 2016 presidential election, the song captured the culture when it was performed by Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton in the cold opening of \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was that song that you could turn to and get the feeling they were looking for,\u201d said Light.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/kate-mckinnon-snl-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton on &quot;Saturday Night Live.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-22872709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/kate-mckinnon-snl-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/kate-mckinnon-snl-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/kate-mckinnon-snl-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>Kate McKinnon, as Hillary Clinton, performed \u201cHallelujah\u201d on \u201cSNL\u201d just days after Leonard Cohen&#8217;s death and Donald Trump&#8217;s presidential election victory in 2016.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1984 \u2014 the same year that Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Madonna ruled the pop charts with \u201cBorn in the USA,\u201d \u201cPurple Rain\u201d and \u201cLike a Virgin,\u201d respectively \u2014 there was another classic that never saw the light of day. Leonard Cohen&#8217;s towering tune \u201cHallelujah\u201d was rejected \u2014 along with the rest of his \u201cVarious &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/from-reject-to-cover-classic\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">from reject to cover classic<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[795,796,797,109,798,799,111,800,801],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5240,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/i-knew-this-was-different-nick-drakes-producer-on-misunderstood-classic-pink-moon-nick-drake\/","url_meta":{"origin":577,"position":0},"title":"&#8216;I knew this was different&#8217;: Nick Drake&#8217;s producer on misunderstood classic Pink Moon |  Nick Drake","date":"July 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It is 50 years since Nick Drake made Pink Moon, his third and final studio album, yet his gossamer melodies still beguile us. 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Songs from the album such as Know and Harvest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Paradoxical elements \u00e2\u0080\u00a6 the Pink Moon album cover.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4f85fe2f22bb60747215b9b20f0cc10645072a82\/0_0_1200_1200\/master\/1200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/leonard-cohen-hallelujah-covers.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}