225. “Hallelujah” is a song by Leonard Cohen. It is among the most beautiful songs ever written. “Hallelujah” is a Hebrew word for “glory to the lord.” The song includes many biblical references: David “Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord / That David played, and it pleased the Lord”, who has to fight temptation when he sees Bathsheba, “You saw her bathing on the roof / Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you; and Samson, “She tied you to a kitchen chair / She broke your throne, and she cut your hair.” Cohen worked on the song for five years, writing some 80 verses which he pared down to six. The song has been covered by a multitude of artists including: k.d. lang, Rufus Wainwright, and Bono. The most popular version is by Jeff Buckley who included it on his 1994 album Grace but it wasn’t released until after his death at the age of 30.
