{"id":497477,"date":"2026-04-21T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/numero.com\/non-classifiee-2\/why-leonard-cohens-cult-song-hallelujah-almost-never-saw-the-light-of-day-2\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T17:11:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T15:11:33","slug":"leonard-cohen-song-hallelujah-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/numero.com\/en\/culture-en\/music\/leonard-cohen-song-hallelujah-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Leonard Cohen\u2019s cult song Hallelujah almost never saw the light of day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cb-carousel cb-single-slide\" data-slick=\"{&quot;slidesToShow&quot;:1,&quot;slidesToScroll&quot;:1,&quot;speed&quot;:300,&quot;arrows&quot;:true,&quot;dots&quot;:false,&quot;autoplay&quot;:false,&quot;autoplaySpeed&quot;:3000,&quot;infinite&quot;:true,&quot;responsive&quot;:[{&quot;breakpoint&quot;:769,&quot;settings&quot;:{&quot;slidesToShow&quot;:1,&quot;slidesToScroll&quot;:1}}]}\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cb-slide\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a29b182b1540&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a29b182b1540\" class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large size-medium-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/numero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/eonard-cohen-documentaire-numero-magazine3-2.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Leonard Cohen in the 1970s. \u00a9 The Jokers Films.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cb-slide\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a29b182b1ad7&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a29b182b1ad7\" class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large size-medium-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/numero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/eonard-cohen-documentaire-numero-magazine2-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist Leonard Cohen by Graeme Mitchell. \u00a9 The Jokers Films.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cb-slide\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a29b182b1fd7&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a29b182b1fd7\" class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large size-medium-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/numero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/leonard-cohen-documentaire-numero-magazine1-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The musician in the 2000s. \u00a9 The Jokers Films.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The difficult birth of a monumental song<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some artists, like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/numero.com\/en\/culture-en\/movies\/timothee-chalamet-today-cynicism-is-stronger-than-in-the-sixties\/\">Bob Dylan<\/a><\/strong>, are known for being able to write songs in fifteen minutes on the back seat of a taxi. But<strong> Leonard Cohen<\/strong> (1934-2016) did not belong to this family of songwriters. The Canadian singer, dandy, musician, poet, novelist, and painter took over five years to write his beautiful\u00a0<em><strong>Hallelujah<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(1984). The legend says that he scribbled between 80 and 180 different versions of the lyrics. He wrote many drafts in his notebooks, before finding the right lines for this folk-rock-gospel song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song<\/strong><\/em> (2021), the biographical documentary directed by<strong> Americans Dan Geller<\/strong> and <strong>Dayna Goldfine<\/strong>, traces back the incredible story of this cult song. At times confusing and a bit long, the film\u2019s value lies in the numerous interviews with the artist, with his ex-girlfriend, French photographer <strong>Dominique Issermann<\/strong>, and with figures from the music industry. Together, they try to recount the difficult genesis of this monumental track. We learn that Leonard\u00a0Cohen gave birth to the most played anthem at weddings and funerals during troubled times in 1984. The various changes in the lyrics, that the artist later tested during his concerts, reflected a tormented personal and spiritual journey from the profane to the sacred dimensions. The tension was so intense that the song almost never saw the light of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song | Official Trailer (2022)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-cookieconsent=\"statistics, marketing\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/11IPQYZMXjc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><div class=\"cookieconsent-optout-statistics cookieconsent-optout-marketing\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The trailer of <em>Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song <\/em>(2021).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A search for divine and carnal inspiration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In both <strong>Jewish<\/strong> and <strong>Christian liturgies<\/strong>, the word \u201c<em>Hallelujah<\/em>\u201d describes the joy of the believer. It is used to sing God\u2019s praises. Following the literal meaning of the word, the Canadian singer\u2019s deep voice first interpreted the song as a melancholic prayer before it became quite erotic. The most famous version of the ballad is the one released in 1984 on his seventh album\u00a0<em><strong>Various Positions<\/strong><\/em>. <strong>Leonard Cohen<\/strong> was 50 at the time. It combines religious metaphors and crude allusions to pleasure and sexuality. Although the singer was inspired by his study of the <strong>Bible<\/strong> and the <strong>Torah<\/strong>, and multiplied references to religious texts \u2013\u00a0notably to the biblical myth of Samson and Delilah \u2013 he quickly slipped into a completely different register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, some lines seem to address a shattered romance and past sexual joys. It feels like all good things must come to an end. Depending on who is listening to it, the song can be experienced as a praise of a <strong>precious intimate memory<\/strong> or as a <strong>celebration of the divine<\/strong>. <em>\u201cThere was a time you let me know \/ What\u2019s really going on below\u201d<\/em> is a perfect example of that double meaning. \u201c<em>Below<\/em>\u201d can refer to the earthly world down here, as well as to a past flame. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThis world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that\u2019s what I mean by \u2018Hallelujah\u2019,&#8221;<\/em> <strong>Leonard Cohen<\/strong> explained about the brilliant music piece he released after experiencing a dry spell. His two previous records, including one full of synthesizers, had not found their audience. With\u00a0<em><strong>Hallelujah<\/strong><\/em>, it seems that the artist wanted to reach some kind of divine perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah (Official Live in London 2008)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" data-cookieconsent=\"statistics, marketing\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YrLk4vdY28Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><div class=\"cookieconsent-optout-statistics cookieconsent-optout-marketing\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Leonard Cohen &#8211; <em>Hallelujah<\/em> (Live in London, 2008).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Hallelujah<\/em>, an international anthem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, the ambiguous, poetic, sensual, and poignant\u00a0<strong><em>Hallelujah<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is a monument in music history and one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. However, the audience gave the track a cold shoulder when it was first released in 1984. Columbia Records couldn\u2019t grasp its unifying potential at the time. The label did not release\u00a0<em><strong>Various Positions<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>in the United States for lack of hit songs. Then, everything changed. In 1991, Welsh musician <strong>John Cale<\/strong>, former member of <a href=\"https:\/\/numero.com\/en\/culture-en\/music\/the-velvet-underground-5-things-you-may-not-know-about-andy-warhols-favorite-band\/\"><strong>The<\/strong> <strong>Velvet Underground<\/strong><\/a>, did a landmark cover of the song. In 1994, <strong>Jeff Buckley<\/strong>\u2019s celestial, disturbing voice transcended\u00a0the song and made it a hit. <strong>Bob Dylan<\/strong> also did his own version later, before numerous TV talent show contestants messed up the song\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When <strong>Leonard Cohen<\/strong> died in 2016,\u00a0<em><strong>Hallelujah<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>topped the charts in France. He became number one posthumously for the first time in his entire career. Today, the track symbolizes the mystical quest of a fascinating artist who started music late in his 30s, after a career as a writer, and ended up broke after living in a Buddhist monastery in California, where he was eventually ordained a monk. As a womanizer and a great seducer, Leonard Cohen yearned for wisdom, hoping to overcome his chronic depression. The poetic staging of this struggle, between earthly desires and a redeeming transcendence that would help him to live and believe in the meaning and value of a life here on earth, is without any doubt what makes<em>\u00a0Hallelujah<\/em>\u00a0so universal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Official Video - Live at Bearsville)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" data-cookieconsent=\"statistics, marketing\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y8AWFf7EAc4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><div class=\"cookieconsent-optout-statistics cookieconsent-optout-marketing\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeff Buckley &#8211; Hallelujah (Live at Bearsville Studios, 1993).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cHallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song\u201d (2021) by Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine, available on Prime Video.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The difficult birth of a monumental song Some artists, like Bob Dylan, are known for [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/numero.com\/en\/culture-en\/music\/leonard-cohen-song-hallelujah-documentary\/\">Read More&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> from Why Leonard Cohen\u2019s cult song Hallelujah almost never saw the light of day<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,3177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-497477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-en","category-music"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Leonard Cohen\u2019s cult song Hallelujah almost never existed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"American filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine trace back the genesis of Leonard Cohen&#039;s cult song, Hallelujah, in a documentary.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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