The Hallelujah Episode
Download MP3Host Jeff Haley talks with accomplished songwriter Django Haskins, Grammy nominated pianist Rachel Eckroth, internationally acclaimed Soprano, arts activist and co-founder of Sing For Hope Camille Zamora, founder of the Austin Jeff Buckley Tribute Kristina Vallejo and incredible songwriter, producer and podcaster Johnny Goudie about what makes "Hallelujah" an enduring mega-classic of a song.
I’m your host Jeff Haley and this is a special episode of Everyone Has A Jeff Buckley Story. Today we will be looking at Hallelujah, a Leonard Cohen composition, crafted by John Cale, and perfected by Jeff Buckley
I asked some friends to tell me where they heard Hallelujah and what the song meant to them. And why it has become so famous
I asked some friends to tell me where they heard Hallelujah and what the song meant to them. And why it has become so famous
Grammy nominated keyboardist, singer and songwriter Rachel Eckroth talked to me about the first time she heard Hallelujah
Django Haskins is a North Carolina native who cut his teeth writing songs in New York City during the 90s and aughts. He delivers cutting observations into Hallelujah's power
Kristina Vallejo has been a fan of Jeff Buckley as long as I can remember . I’ve always looked to her for answers to all things Buckley
Internationally Acclaimed Soprano, Arts Activist and Co-Founder of Sing For Hope Camille Zamora has insights into what made Buckley's voice so vulnerable and soaring
When I spoke with Johnny Goudie on episode 2, he also mentioned the differences between Jeff’s version, and Leonard Cohen’s
He returns…
As authors Alan Light and Malcolm Gladwell have already demonstrated, the song has a twisted, if not miraculous lineage.
When I spoke with Johnny Goudie on episode 2, he also mentioned the differences between Jeff’s version, and Leonard Cohen’s
He returns…
As authors Alan Light and Malcolm Gladwell have already demonstrated, the song has a twisted, if not miraculous lineage.
Buckley got his reduced amount of song stanzas from John Cale, who had lowered it from 50. Cale was doing his friend Leonard Cohen a big favor by pruning his expansive Canadian ballad into a trim masterpiece.
It has been sung by:
Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Justin Timberlake, Kate McKinnon,
Rufus Wainwright, KD Lang and countless other Canadians
But Buckley surpasses them all. He is like David with his Lyre singing at Sin-E on the lower east side, using Hallelujah as his closing number. Right from the beginning it must have been his most popular number
And that voice!
Rachel Eckroth has toured with Rufus Wainwright, who’s 2001 Shrek movie rendition pushed Hallelujah further into the stratosphere of classic songs
At what point did Hallelujah become the go-to number for large social gatherings? Kristina thinks it was Justin Timberlake
Hallelujah, a word the whole world knows
Kristina brings up an important point. Is the song about love or is it about God?
Could it be about both? Look how it ties Jeff Buckley’s whole album together .
It is called Grace and Hallelujah with its slow heartbeat and holy cry correlates with the spiritual, religious side of the album. It even sounds like it was recorded in a cathedral.
Yet it’s also a song about love, which would align it with the album’s relationship songs like Last Goodbye and Lover, You Should’ve Come Over, which often have that “maximalist” sound.
Simone Weil says there are two things that pierce the heart: beauty ….and affliction.
Grace the album has both and this Hallelujah definitely does
To me Hallelujah is really a song about how the pain of love is the thing that will bring you closest to God
Theme music "Hallelujah" Live at Sin-E
Thanks to editors Vanessa Haley and Catherine Cuellar
Johnny Goudie, Miles Zuniga and Tony Scalzo on Definitive Songs:
https://howdidigethere.podbean.com/e/tony-scalzo-and-miles-zuniga-from-fastball-discuss-definitive-versions-of-songs/
“Everyone Has A Jeff Buckley Story” is created, recorded, edited and produced by Jeff Haley. Co-Produced by Konrad
Shine Light Podcasts is Executive-Produced by Chris via biointegrity.net
The BioIntegrity community has helped fund protection of more than 320,000 acres of old growth tropical forests since 2014. Those efforts are helping to save thousands of species from extinction, keep more than 85 million tons of greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere (enough to offset Austin, TX's community carbon footprint for 5+ years), institute land occupation rights for more than 400 Indigenous communities around the world, keep the planet cool, and more. Chris is also co-founder, creator and executive editor of AllCreation.org, a living archive of faith and spiritual practice views on human relationships with Earth's other species and environment. AllCreation has more than 400 posts exploring sacred texts and contemporary views, and is currently read in +150 countries. Visit biointegrity.net and allcreation.org for more info.
Creators and Guests
Host
Jeff Haley
Jeff is a bass player, educator, husband, dad, and friend who really loves making podcasts including the "It's No Secret" podcast about his band Twang Twang Shock A Boom. He hangs out with drummers a lot. Born in Texas, workshopped in New York.
Guest
Camille Zamora
Camille Zamora balances a vibrant career of opera, recital, and concert performances. In collaboration with artists ranging from Plácido Domingo to Sting, Camille has garnered acclaim for her “dramatic and nuanced” (The New York Times) interpretations of repertoire ranging from Mozart to tango. She is known for her “dignity and glowing sound” (The New York Times) in “luminous, transcendently lyrical” performances (Opera News) that “combine gentility and emotional fire” (The Houston Chronicle). Camille Zamora and fellow Juilliard graduate, Monica Yunus, are co-founders of Sing For Hop
Producer
Chris Searles
Chris Searles is a native Austinite and founder/director of BioIntegrity, a research-based advocate for protection and restoration of Earth's biospheric integrity. He devotes his time to producing content, events, and education that facilitate "biospheric literacy" and investments and actions which support the most effective solutions to our global climate and species extinction crises. Chris is also starting a new aspect on local, tree-based, drought reversal soon. Visit biointegrity.net and allcreation.org for more info.
Guest
Johnny Goudie
Johnny Goudie is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, record producer and podcaster based in Austin, Texas.n 2011 Johnny took his talents to the world of podcasting and launched “How Did I Get Here?”, an audio segment that takes the form of a casual living room conversation while simultaneously packing the punch of a formal interview.
Guest
Kristina Vallejo
Kristina founded the Jeff Buckley Birthday Tribute, which took place at various venues in Austin for 10 years and showcased some of the best in Austin talent. It was featured on the official Jeff Buckley website, as well as local radio shows like the renowned Eklektikos with John Aieilli. Kristina is an artist, writer, and music nerd.
Guest
Rachel Eckroth
Rachel Eckroth is a Grammy nominated American singer-songwriter and keyboardist from Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently the keyboardist for alternative musician St. Vincent and singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright after being the keyboardist for jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, and The Meredith Vieira Show. Her latest album The Garden was released by Rainy Days Records in 2021.
