Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and “Hallelujah” Canadian Author Study Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Prethinking Pair and Share: What does it mean to be an Icon? Brainstorm two Canadian Icons and why they are iconic Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Background: Leonard Cohen is a Canadian singer songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist He just celebrated his 80 th birthday (Sept 21 st ) by putting out a new album called Popular Problems He has been inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour In 2011, Cohen received a Prince of Asturias Award for literature. Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Research Today, we will be working in pairs to research the CBC website archives to find out more about Leonard Cohen Using your Research guide, explore the CBC archives to create an effective collection of information about Cohen’s life, times, music, and literature Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

The Song Leonard Cohen – “Hallelujah” Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival 2008 Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Covering the Cover Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” has been covered by over 300 times by various artists Variations on the song are as diverse as the covers of the song The original song was not that popular when it was released in 1984 on Cohen’s album Popular Positions Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Cohen’s song, “Hallelujah” keeps emerging in the Canadian—and world—consciousness in various forms and for different reasons You may have first heard “Hallelujah” In Shrek performed by Rufus Wainwright Performed by KD Lang at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics On The Voice (The Voice Tribute To 26 Killed In Elementary School Classrooms) Jeff Buckley’s version he released in 1994 Or the “Christmas version” that was making the rounds on Facebook this year (2014) Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Resergence of a song Jeff Buckley’s released his cover of “Hallelujah” on his 1994 album Grace It was wildly popular with fans His career was cut short when he drowned during a spontaneous evening dip in the Wolf River in New York Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Listening and Interpreting In groups of two, please find three versions of the song “Hallelujah” and listen to them Using the Venn diagram provided, create a visual design detailing how the versions have similarities and differences Discuss which version you like best and why This may involve the music, artist, interpretation etc. Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

kd lang Hallelujah (Live Winter Olympics 2010) Hallelujah Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke X-Factor Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah"

A close reading looks at a piece of literature and delves into the use of literary devices, meaning, and connections with the world in which we live. Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah" Close Reading: Literary Analysis of “Hallelujah”

"Hallelujah" Leonard Cohen I've heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord But you don't really care for music, do you? It goes like this The fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Your faith was strong but you needed proof You saw her bathing on the roof Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you She tied you to a kitchen chair She broke your throne, and she cut your hair And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah -ALLUSION: King David, who is is written about in the Christian Bible was a man of contrasts. He was single- mindedly committed to God, yet guilty of some of the most serious sins recorded in the Old Testament. Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah" Hallelujah comes from the Hebrew word hallal (praise). It is used in the Bible to praise God -ALLUSION-King David committed adultery with Bathsheba. He then tried to cover up her pregnancy, and when he failed with that, he had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed. ALLUSION: Samson was given god-like strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats. Samson had two vulnerabilities, however: his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Baby I have been here before I know this room, I've walked this floor I used to live alone before I knew you. I've seen your flag on the marble arch Love is not a victory march It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah There was a time when you let me know What's really going on below But now you never show it to me, do you? And remember when I moved in you The holy dove was moving too And every breath we drew was Hallelujah Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah" Metaphor-The room and floor as the landscape of their love Cohen explores the holiness of love and sexuality

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Maybe there’s a God above But all I’ve ever learned from love Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you It’s not a cry you can hear at night It’s not somebody who has seen the light It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to you? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah" "A blaze of light in every word." That's an amazing line. Every word, holy or broken – this is the fulcrum of the song as Cohen first wrote it. Like our forefathers, and the Bible heroes who formed the foundation of Western ethics and principles, we will be hurt, tested, and challenged. Love will break our hearts, music will offer solace that we may or may not hear, we will be faced with joy and with pain. But Cohen is telling us, without resorting to sentimentality, not to surrender to despair or nihilism. Critics may have fixated on the gloom and doom of his lyrics, but this is his offering of hope and perseverance in the face of a cruel world. Holy or broken, there is still hallelujah. -from The Holy and the Broken

Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah" Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah I did my best, it wasn't much I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you And even though it all went wrong I'll stand before the Lord of Song With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Here, Cohen is suggesting that the artist removes all illusions and stands naked with only the word of praise on his lips.

Writing Workshop: Prompt Composition Choose one of the following two options. How does our relationship with music allow us to express ourselves? How can music help us to better understand and embrace the world in which we live? Covering the Cover: Leonard Cohen and "Hallelujah" * Remember to make your composition descriptive and narrative using present tense. Write at least four paragraphs of varying length with sentence variety and mechanical accuracy*