How Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ Became a Classic

Remember the chills you got when you first heard Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” way back in 1984? No, you don’t, because that version was forgettable, marred by chintzy synthesizers that undermined its frank rawness. Did you finally notice it when John Cale’s reworked version appeared on the 1991 tribute album, I’m Your Fan? Probably not. That didn’t take off, either. How about the famous Jeff Buckley cover, recorded in 1994? Even that version you may not have heard until years after its release.

The reason “Hallelujah” is one of the most revered songs of our time is because of a woman named Vicky Jenson. Jenson, an animator, loved Cale’s version when she was working on Shrek in 2001. So she removed what she calls “the naughty bits” (“She tied you to a kitchen chair”) and put the song in the kids’ movie. A generation of young people who loved Shrek started performing it on American Idol and other singing-contest shows, and a blowout version by The X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke hit the top of the UK charts in 2008, with Jeff Buckley’s more intimate version right behind it at number two.

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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Remember the chills you got when you first heard Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” way back in 1984? No, you don’t, because that version was forgettable, marred by chintzy synthesizers that undermined its frank rawness. Did you finally notice it when John Cale’s reworked version appeared on the 1991 tribute album, I’m Your Fan? Probably not. That didn’t take off, either. How about the famous Jeff Buckley cover, recorded in 1994? Even that version you may not have heard until years after its release.

The reason “Hallelujah” is one of the most revered songs of our time is because of a woman named Vicky Jenson. Jenson, an animator, loved Cale’s version when she was working on Shrek in 2001. So she removed what she calls “the naughty bits” (“She tied you to a kitchen chair”) and put the song in the kids’ movie. A generation of young people who loved Shrek started performing it on American Idol and other singing-contest shows, and a blowout version by The X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke hit the top of the UK charts in 2008, with Jeff Buckley’s more intimate version right behind it at number two.