a book
The Holy or the Broken
Alan Light · 2012 · 288 pages
Product Description
MP3 CD Format Today, “Hallelujah” is one of the most-performed rock songs in history. It has become a staple of movies and television shows as diverse as
Shrek and
The West Wing, of tribute videos and telethons. It has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Bob Dylan, U2, Justin Timberlake, and k.d. lang, and it is played every year at countless events—both sacred and secular—around the world.
Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own?
Review
Brilliantly revelatory . . . A masterful work of critical journalism.-- "Kirkus Starred Review"
About the Author
Alan Light is the former editor in chief of Vibe and Spin magazines, and a former senior writer for Rolling Stone. He is the author of Lets Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Alan cohosts the daily music talk show Debatable on SiriusXM.
MP3 CD Format Today, “Hallelujah” is one of the most-performed rock songs in history. It has become a staple of movies and television shows as diverse as
Shrek and
The West Wing, of tribute videos and telethons. It has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Bob Dylan, U2, Justin Timberlake, and k.d. lang, and it is played every year at countless events—both sacred and secular—around the world.
Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own?
Review
Brilliantly revelatory . . . A masterful work of critical journalism.-- "Kirkus Starred Review"
About the Author
Alan Light is the former editor in chief of Vibe and Spin magazines, and a former senior writer for Rolling Stone. He is the author of Lets Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Alan cohosts the daily music talk show Debatable on SiriusXM.
recommended by 1 person
sourced from public statements
Amanda Palmer
“and while we're here....here's a book about ONE SONG, and yes, it's really good. and i'm in it. but i'm not saying it's good because i'm in it. i'm saying it because alan light is a great writer.”↗