Ĭohen wrote around 80 draft verses for 'Hallelujah', with one writing session at the Royalton Hotel in New York where he was reduced to sitting on the floor in his underwear, banging his head on the floor. Written in the key of C major, the chord progression matches lyrics from the song: 'goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift': C, F, G, A minor, F. 'Hallelujah', in its original version, is in 12Ĩ time, which evokes both early rock and roll and gospel music. Problems playing these files? See media help. In 2007, Sony BMG rereleased the album (subtitled 'The Legacy Edition') with a live music video of the song. 'Hallelujah' experienced renewed interest following Cohen's death in November 2016 and appeared on many international singles charts, including entering the American Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. The song has been used in film and television soundtracks and televised talent contests. Achieving little initial success, the song found greater popular acclaim through a recording by John Cale, which inspired a recording by Jeff Buckley.įollowing its increased popularity after being featured in the film Shrek (2001), many other arrangements have been performed in recordings and in concert, with over 300 versions known.
' Hallelujah' is a song written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions (1984).
