Hallelujah

For some reason, I had the biggest urge to listen to one of my favorite songs today, Hallelujah.  Honestly, I hadn't listened to it in a while, but I felt called to just listen to as many versions of this song as possible.  It was probably the best decision I made all day, because after a morning of feeling anxious and antsy, this song put me into a place of peace.  It's a beautiful song that has been covered by hundreds of artists, but still maintains its beauty after all this time.

Now, when I say hundreds of artist, I mean hundreds, including quite a few well known names.  You have the cover that everyone knows by Jeff Buckley, the wonderful rendition by KD Lang and a fun surprise for me, a cover by Bon Jovi!

Then, there is the classic.  The original.  Hallelujah sung by Leonard Cohen.  With his gravelly voice and simple sound, to me, this Hallelujah is the best Hallelujah.

Though it is not one of the Top 10 Covered Songs (for that, you'll have to look here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/20811/quick-10-10-most-covered-songs-ever).  Hallelujah has been covered by a pretty impressive number of people, as mentioned before.  To add a couple more names to that list; Bobo, Justin Timberlake and Cee Lo Green (as a Voice judge) all have Hallelujah covers.  So many people have done this song, and everyone who does it brings something special to Hallelujah.  Everyone is saying the same words (mostly) and the music follows the same progression for each version; the minor fall and the major lift as described in the song, but there is something special in each version, as if the singer is bearing their soul to the world through Hallelujah.

In a way, this song is just like our connection with God.  No two people's relationship with God is exactly the same, but in the end, we are all here in the presence of God, loving Him and calling His name (whoa, that rhymed).  So, everyone may follow the same lyrics and tempo of this song, but what God hears in our hearts is our own unique beautiful sound..

For some, their relationship with God might be like Bob Dylan's Hallelujah.  They may not be fully connected with God, but the feeling and relationship are still there.

Or yours could be Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah.  The relationship can be nerve racking in the beginning, but eventually, you find the right chord and fall into a state of bliss.

You could have a Willie Nelson relationship.  Sure, it can be a little rough at times, but overall, it is beautiful and uplifting.

Finally, you could be the person who has a Rejina Spektor relationship.  It's something that starts out sweet and innocent, but as time goes on, transforms into something mature and beautiful.

Of course, there are plenty of other great Hallelujah covers out there and all beautiful just like our relationship with God.  In fact, here is an article of the "15 Greatest 'Hallelujah' Covers" so that you can continue to search for and dive deeper into your own Hallelujah.  That's what I'm going to be, because this song speaks of something that is sad but hopeful.  We all go through hard times, but this song reminds us that things will get better, as long as we have God and continue to love Him.