In the 1990s a whole new audience discovered Leonard Cohen through his song Hallelujah. It was recorded by Jeff Buckley in 1989, reached the younger ears of viewers of Shrek and went fully mainstream with the X Factor talent show.
The song was originally released in 1984 on his Various Positions album with some reluctance by his label CBS. Accepting an award many years later, Cohen, with his trademark humour, thanked CBS for “the modesty of their interest in my work”.
Humour was not a word associated with Cohen for most of his career. Smart comments were always made about the “Godfather of Gloom” and the “Bedsit Bard” and how utterly miserable was his music.
