I've been a fan of Leonard Cohen since I've first heard his music back in my teens. Perhaps the initial fascination was somewhat influenced by the fact that I had just lost my father and the ambiguity I found in the lyrics seemed to fit any mood -it still does- while the harmonies always sooth. Back then I drove my poor mother to distraction by playing Leonard Cohen songs for hours deep into the night.
Imagine my utter astonishment -and delight, of course- when about 20 years later my mother called me to let me know that she'd gone to a Leonard Cohen concert and absolutely loved it.
Hallelujah (/ˌhælɨˈluːjə/ HAL-ə-LOO-yə) is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְּלוּיָהּ (Modern halleluya, Tiberian halləlûyāh), which is composed of two elements: הַלְּלוּ (second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal:
