I didn't watch the Haiti telethon last night but I heard about this Justin Timberlake/Matt Morris cover of one of my all time favorite songs, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. And sure you might say it's a cliche to like a song that's become so uber ubiquitous in movies and TV shows, but this song could be played in a thousand movies and tv shows and it will never become less beautiful to me. I thought Jeff Buckley's version was simply the peak of what a song can be, so raw and human and messy and brutally gorgeous. I listen to that song and I'm reminded that for all of my love and reliance on words, sometimes music goes beyond what any literary narrative can do. I thought his version would forever define this song for me. And then I heard this.
Listen to this cover. I guarantee it will break your heart open down the middle, lodge itself firmly in between the broken pieces, and then put the whole thing together again, better for having been torn apart. It's just so unbelievably sad, perfect and beautiful in the way only really sad songs, or even stories for that matter, can be. I can't think of a better song to accompany such devastation. I can't think of a better song to accompany so much hope.
Bloggers note: I have been a Justin Timberlake fan since I was 12 and in braces and he was 17 with a huge blond fro.
2 comments:
never thought i'd say it, but i just gained a lot of respect for justin timberlake.
i know! right? although to be fair i already had a lot of respect for JT :)
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