A música não tem um caráter religioso por si só e está aberta a várias interpretações. Cohen afirma: “It explains that many kinds of hallelujahs do exist, and all the perfect and broken hallelujahs have equal value.” (‘A música’ explica que diversos tipos de “Hallelujah” existem, e tanto os perfeitos como os imperfeitos tem igual valor’ – tradução livre). A letra mistura aspectos espirituais e físicos, fala sobre relacionamentos, e conta com uma espécie de metalinguagem ao escrever sobre a própria harmonia da música (primeiro verso).

Aleluia

‘Hallelujah’ era a número do Natal do Reino Unido, vencedora do X-Factor Alexandra Burke em 2008. Surpreendentemente, a música número dois nas mesmas paradas foi a versão de Jeff Buckley da mesma música. O original, escrito e lançado em 1984, também chegou aoTop 40 na semana iniciada em15 de dezembro de 2008. Então, de onde vêm as três versões e o que elas significam?

Aqui estão as versões (clique em cada um para ver a letra):

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah – 1984
Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah – 1988
Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah – 1994
Alexandra Burke , Hallelujah – 2008

A canção original de Cohen continha 4 versos (mostrados abaixo em preto). Em 1988, ele cantou uma canção diferente, com 3 novos versos (mostrados abaixo em vermelho) e o mesmo verso final. A canção de Buckley toma 2 versos da versão de 1984 e três da versão de 1988. Burke cantou uma versão mais curta do que Buckley, tendo 2 versos do original de 1984 e um da versão de 1988.

Tem havido muita especulação sobre ’15 versos’ da canção de Cohen, com base em um comentário feito por John Cale. Parece que isso envolve ver cada versículo como dois versículos (eles poderiam ser vistos desta maneira, simplesmente dividindo-os pela metade), que dá 14 versos. O místico 15° poderia meramente refletir uma ligeira mudança nas letras de um verso, ou pode simplesmente ter sido um erro de Cale.

O que isso significa?

‘Aleluia’ é uma palavra hebraica que significa ‘Louvado seja o Senhor’.
Aqui, o Senhor se refere ao Tetrgrammaton [ tetragrama יהוה ], o nome de quatro letras de Deus: Yahweh ou Jeová, embora os judeus observantes não digam esse nome em voz alta.

Cohen é judeu, e na versão original da canção ele incluiu várias referências bíblicas:
– Agora eu ouvi que havia um acorde secreto que Davi tocava, e isso agradou ao Senhor. Davi em 1 Samuel 16:23
“E quando o espírito maligno da parte de Deus vinha sobre Saul, Davi tomava a harpa, e a tocava com a sua mão; então Saul sentia alívio, e se achava melhor, e o espírito maligno se retirava dele.”

– Você a viu banhando-se no telhado, sua beleza e o luar o derrubaram. Davi em 2 Samuel 11: 2
“Ora, aconteceu que, numa tarde, Davi se levantou do seu leito e se pôs a passear no terraço da casa real; e do terraço viu uma mulher que se estava lavando; e era esta mulher mui formosa à vista.”

“Ela arruinou seu trono, e ela cortou seu cabelo” Sansão no Livro dos Juízes
“Veja no Livro dos Juízes“

É muito uma canção religiosa. Rufus Wainwright disse: “A melodia é quase litúrgica e evoca sentimentos religiosos, é purificação”.

A segunda versão de Cohen da canção deixa para fora as referências bíblicas. A maioria dos comentaristas vê isso como uma canção mais secular, identificando com a maneira pela qual os amantes adoram uns aos outros.

É importante entender isso em um contexto religioso. Muitos cristãos, particularmente na Igreja Anglicana (a Igreja da Inglaterra ou a Igreja Episcopal) incluem uma variação do seguinte em seus votos de casamento:
“Com o meu corpo, eu te adoro”

A popularidade contínua desta canção mostra que ainda atinge um acorde com pessoas de todas as idades. Podemos ter a impressão de que o sexo se tornou casual ou hedonista, mas na verdade, para a maioria de nós, o sexo nos envolve em um nível espiritual. Quando temos relações sexuais, estamos reconhecendo algo divino, sagrado ou santo um no outro.

Para cristãos, judeus e muçulmanos, o primeiro comando de Deus era encontrar um parceiro, ter relações sexuais e formar uma família. Para muitos, o sexo nunca deve ser totalmente separado da procriação, ea questão “Devo ter relações sexuais com ele / ela?” Deve realmente ler “Eu quero fazer uma família com ele / ela?”.

Para mim, essa canção reflete a realidade de que, como seres humanos, somos atraídos para relacionamentos, seja com Deus ou com o outro. Quanto mais profundos esses relacionamentos vão, mais eles têm a capacidade de enriquecer nossas vidas, ou de nos ferir profundamente. No entanto, como Cohen canta para terminar ambas as versões de sua canção:
“Mesmo que tudo tenha dado errado, eu estarei diante do Senhor da Canção sem nada na minha língua senão Aleluia.”

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Hallelujah

‘Hallelujah’ was the UK Christmas number one for X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke in 2008. Amazingly, the number two song on the same charts was Jeff Buckley’s version of the same song. The original, written and released in 1984, also made it into the same Top 40 chart for the week beginning 15th December 2008. So, where do the three versions come from and what do they mean?

Here are the versions (click on each for lyrics):

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah – 1984
Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah – 1988
Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah – 1994
Alexandra Burke , Hallelujah – 2008

Cohen’s original song contained 4 verses (shown bellow in black). In 1988, he sang a different song, with 3 new verses (shown bellow in red) and the same concluding verse. Buckley’s song takes 2 verses from the 1984 version and three from the 1988 version. Burke sang a shorter version than Buckley, taking 2 verses from the 1984 original and one from the 1988 version.

There has been much speculation about ’15 verses’ of Cohen’s song, based on a comment made by John Cale. It looks like this involves seeing each verse as two verses (they could be seen this way by simply splitting them in half), which gives 14 verses. The mystical 15th could merely reflect a slight change in lyrics of one verse, or may simply have been a mistake by Cale.

What does it mean?

‘Hallelujah’ is a Hebrew word meaning ‘Praise the Lord’. Here, Lord refers to the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter name of God: Yahweh or Jehovah, although observant Jews will not say this name aloud.

Cohen is Jewish, and in the original version of the song he included several Biblical references:
“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord” David in 1 Samuel 16:23
“You saw her bathing on the roof. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.” David in 2 Samuel 11:2
“She broke your throne, and she cut your hair” Samson in Book of Judges

It is very much a religious song. Rufus Wainwright said “The melody is almost liturgical and conjures up religious feelings. It’s purifying.”

Cohen’s second version of the song leaves out the Biblical references. Most commentators see this as a more secular song, identifying with the way in which lovers worship one another.

It is important to understand this in a religious context. Many Christians, particularly in the Anglican Church (the Church of England or the Episcopal Church) include a variation of the following in their wedding vows:
“With my body, I thee worship”

The continued popularity of this song shows that it still strikes a chord with people of all ages. We may get the impression that sex has become casual or hedonistic, but in truth, for most of us, sex involves us at a spiritual level. When we have sex, we are acknowledging something divine, sacred or holy in each other.

For Christians, Jews and Muslims, God’s first command was to find a partner, have sex and start a family. For many, sex should never be totally separated from procreation, and the question ‘Should I have sex with him/her?’ should really read ‘Do I want to make a family with him/her?’

To me, this song reflects the reality that as humans we are drawn into relationships, whether with God or one another. The deeper these relationships go, the more they have the capacity to enrich our lives, or to hurt us profoundly. However, as Cohen sings to end both versions of his song:
“Even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.”

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Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah (1984, Various Positions)

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Chorus

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Chorus

You say I took the name in vain
I don’t even know the name
But if I did, well really, what’s it to you?
There’s a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn’t matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Chorus

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Chorus

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah (1988, released on Cohen Live, 1994)

Baby, I’ve been here before.
I know this room, I’ve walked this floor.
I used to live alone before I knew ya.
Yeah I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch,
But listen, love is not some kind of victory march,
No it’s a cold and it’s a very broken Hallelujah.

Chorus

There was a time you let me know
What’s really going on below,
Ah but now you never show it to me, do ya?
Yeah but I remember, yeah when I moved in you,
And the holy dove, she was moving too,
Yes every single breath that we drew was Hallelujah.

Chorus

Maybe there’s a god above,
As for me, all I’ve ever seemed to learn from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya.
Yeah but it’s not a complaint that you hear tonight,
It’s not the laughter of someone who claims to have seen the light
No it’s a cold and it’s a very lonely Hallelujah.

Chorus

I did my best, it wasn’t much.
I couldn’t feel, so I learned to touch.
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come all this way to fool ya.
Yeah even tough it all went wrong
I’ll stand right here before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Chorus

Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah (1994, rereleased posthumously and reaching #1 in March 2008)

Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Chorus

Well Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Chorus

Well baby I’ve been here before
I’ve seen this room and I’ve walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew ya
I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Chorus

Well there was a time when you let me know
What’s really going on below
But now you never show that to me do you?
And remember when I moved in you?
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Chorus

Well maybe there’s a god above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who’d out drew ya
And it’s not a cry that you hear at night
It’s not somebody who’s seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Chorus

Alexandra Burke , Hallelujah (2008, a single released as winner of the fifth series of The X Factor)

Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the lord
But you don’t really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah

Chorus

Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah

Chorus
Well maybe there’s a god above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who’d out drew ya
And it’s not a cry that you hear at night
It’s not somebody who’s seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

Chorus