The Hallelujah Story: Leonard Cohen, John Cale, Jeff Buckley & the Song That Took Over the World

Few songs have traveled a more unlikely path to becoming a modern classic than Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Written over several years, initially rejected by his record label, and transformed by a series of remarkable interpretations, the song eventually became one of the most beloved and recognizable compositions of our time.

This week on Monday Music Club, host Will Anderson welcomes acclaimed music journalist and author Alan Light, whose book The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” tells the extraordinary story behind the song.

Along the way, we’ll explore Buckley’s complicated relationship with his father’s legacy, the evolution of his arrangement, and the cultural moments that propelled “Hallelujah” from an overlooked composition into a global phenomenon.

How did a song that Leonard Cohen struggled for years to finish, and that his own record label didn’t believe in, become a universal anthem? Join us for the fascinating, surprising, and sometimes heartbreaking story of “Hallelujah.”

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network and produced by Figures Network.

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