Stay With Me. I Guess I Have A Point.
I used to hate Sheryl Crow with a passion that I typically reserve for snot-nosed, overpaid, pasty child-stars like Dakota Fanning. But, with time, Sheryl Crow kind of grows on me for three reasons. First, I think her voice is getting better. Next, her personal life clearly shows that she’s one tough chick; I like that in a woman. And, finally, now that I’ve just discovered that she does a cover of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah”, I like her a little bit more. Do you know this song? It’s filled with ambiguous religious and sexual overtones; you’d be hard pressed to find a more powerfully, gut-wrenchingly sad song. Really, I mean it. Its one of my favorites, and I love it. Now, granted, songs mean different things to different people. But, for me, “Hallelujah” is a song about loneliness.
It’s not some cheery Christian song about “hallelujah, life is good.” Life is, at times, very difficult. And, shit happens—even to the best of us. So, the words to “hallelujah” are actually very sad. There are 15 verses (Sheryl only sings five) and they’re about sex, passion, love lost, fanaticism, etc. Cohen uses words like “cold”, “lonely” and “very broken” to describe “Hallelujah.” It’s just one of those songs. You know—the kind that people rarely sing without true, gritty, raw emotion. And, Sheryl Crow’s cover is no exception. I think I read somewhere that she’s pretty open about her bouts of depression. Supposedly, the first one came after her first engagement ended. Then, again, after tabloids gave the play-by-play of her breakups with Eric Clapton, Kid Rock, and Owen Wilson. And, of course, again after her second engagement (you know, the one with Lance Armstrong) ended just before she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
When Sheryl Crow sings the words to “Hallelujah”, it sounds like she really means it. (Especially that part at the end where she takes an extended pause after, “Now maybe there’s a God above; but, all I’ve ever learned from love is how to shoot at somebody who outdrew you”.) She sounds so sad. And, I don’t know why, but that kind of touches me. So, I thought I’d share the audio* and lyrics with you.
LYRICS – HALLELUJAH – Leonard Cohen
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
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Baby, I’ve been here before.
I know this room, I’ve walked this floor.
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch,
But love is not some kind of victory march,
No it’s a cold and very broken Hallelujah.
There was a time you let me know
What’s really going on below,
but now you never show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you,
And the holy dove was moving too,
and every breath we drew was Hallelujah. Maybe there’s a God above,
But all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.
It’s not a cry that you hear at night
It’s not somebody who has seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.
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* The song is 4 mins 7 secs long and the link is originally from this blog.
** And, yes, I’ve heard … Sheryl Crow is dating John Stamos (Rebecca Romijn’s ex), that guy from “Full House” and “Jake in the City”.
July 25th, 2006 at 2:55 am
You are a woman after my own heart. My love of Sheryl Crow snuck up on me as well. “Tuesday Night Music Club” was okay. “Sheryl Crow” was bounds better and then her first break-up happened and “The Globe Sessions” was almost never released because she said that it was just too damn personal. In my opinion, it’s not only her best album, but one of the best of all time.
And you are correct, her singing has become much stronger as the albums roll out. Unfortunately, her last album, I thought was very sub-par for her. She was trying things with her voice that were just out of her range and nothing on the album had bite. I did like the use of an orchestra in all but one song though.
The problem? She was happy. She had a good thing going on with Lance for a little bit and an album hit right before the break-up. She is the archetypal tortured artist and I hate to say this, but I’m happiest when she is suffering. She just makes better music then, so you can understand that I was excited to hear that she and Lance called it off.
I’m SO excited to hear the next album. Does that make me a bitch?
And do these comments become your property or can I use this to launch a review of her career? :)
July 25th, 2006 at 2:57 am
Damn, I forgot. Sorry, you hit on something I like to ramble on about.
If you haven’t heard them, the John Cale version of “Hallelujah” in Shrek is good and I adore Rufus Wainwright’s version that is on the Shrek soundtrack. (Nope, I never found out why they had Rufus re-record it for the soundtrack.)
July 25th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Sounds sad
July 25th, 2006 at 10:17 am
what is it with Sheryl Crow in this city? Was in 3 separate shops Sat and all three were playing Sheryl albums. 3 separate albums too.
July 25th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
The part where she pauses at the end almost made me cry. Sad.
And thank you Howard, I knew I had heard the song in a movie but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember which one!
July 25th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
I wasn’t so into the Sheryl Crow and then I saw her live in Detroit. She was taping a VH1 special and sadly the place was about 1/3 empty (see what good camera angles can do?) but she seriously had me hooked from the second she walked out. Her Halleluiah remake is lighting the fire once again. Thanks!
July 25th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
I’m stopping by, via Howard. My cousin went to college with her. Said she was good, but had really bad breath. I hope she’s go that figured out by now! ha!
Great song, too.
July 25th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
I haven’t ever really listened to Sheryl Crow. I would say she did a fairly good job but as I am ever the Cohen fan, I can’t give her the full approval. Also, for some reason I just can’t get used to her voice. Maybe I just need to hear more of her music.
Have you heard Jennifer Warnes sing Cohen’s poems? I think she does a good job (Famous Blue Raincoat is the CD). I haven’t heard her other CDs/songs though.
I love Cohen’s poems and music (except for one CD – don’t remember the title though). I think he does a really great job at getting emotion and meaning across. There is also so much in his lyrics to be interpreted.
July 26th, 2006 at 12:50 am
Lovely. Thank you. I like Sheryl Crow, but I haven’t heard a Cohen song for years. (He had a giant hit in the 60’s – “Suzanne.”)
July 26th, 2006 at 11:04 am
Howard: You know what? I think you’re right! Maybe the whole “tortured soul” thing actually helped her music sound more real, more meaningful … And, by the way, the posts are my property but your comments are yours. ;) Launch that review!
Kiah: Yeah, it is kinda sad. But, I still like it.
Distar: Since the break up with Lance Armstrong, that woman is EVERYWHERE!!!
Mel Chickk: I think I cried a little bit the first time that I heard the song. I’m not a wuss, but I do get a bit sentimental sometimes. What??? I said *SOMETIMES*, bitches.
D: I bet she’s GREAT live.
hotdrwife: Isn’t she from Missouri or something like that? I heard that she was at the same university with Brad Pitt at the same time that he was there, but they didn’t know each other.
kypris: I’m a Cohen fan, too, but I kind of like two covers better than his original: the one by Sheryl Crow and the one by Jeff Buckley. I’ve never heard Warnes sing Cohen’s poems. I’ll google around a bit to find a sample.
JohnJEnright: No prob. Glad you like it. And, by the way, I don’t think that I’ve ever heard the song “Suzanne.” I’m google that one, too.
July 26th, 2006 at 11:47 am
Lovely sad song. I haven’t heard the Sheryl Crow version yet, but there are some out there that are just as sad = great to listen to.
July 26th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Yay!!! Glad you like it!!! :)
July 26th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Stolie: Yup, in Missouri. My cousin said she heard later that Brad Pitt was there, but never knew him. Alternatively, my girlfriend gets Christmas cards from his brother and family.
And who do I know personally? Not anyone famous at all, ha!
July 26th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
That’s pretty cool.
July 28th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
I absolutely *love* Jeff Buckley’s cover…and like you said about Sheryl, there’s a certain amount of rawness in the way he sings it too…
July 28th, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Yeah, I honestly think Sheryl’s version is the best cover of the song since Buckley’s.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
This post, like that song, really made the point and brought it home. Nice job, had to take the time to say thanks for a stirring piece of work.
And to make a good thing better, you show that you are a class act by responding to your readers. Talent, topic, and time spent with your readers, the blogging trifecta. Kudos.
No, not fishing for a response, just standard worshipping from afar ;)
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
Armando G: Oh, but “standard worshipping from afar” almost ALWAYS generate a response. :) THANKS for dropping by my blog, and thanks for the comment!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Bono also does a cover of this song that’s pretty good. But he’s not a chick with a rough personal life.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:54 am
I love Bono!! :) U2’s older 80s stuff is much better than the newer stuff. Though, I liked that song “Sweetest Thing” from the late 90s / early 00s.