It’s ubiquitous now, but I don’t think people feel that it’s been cheapened.

“The irony is that the song was rejected by the same label that now realises its immense value. Choosing to look at Leonard Cohen through the specific prism of ‘Hallelujah’ was a novel way of getting into who Leonard was.” For me it means a different thing depending on the day that I’m listening to it, or who is singing it because a good cover of ‘Hallelujah’ is something that the artist has made their own. That was the first time that I truly heard the song. The moment he took the stage – and you can see it in the film – he dropped to his knees and started singing ‘Hallelujah’.

“Then I saw Leonard in concert in 2009 when he came through the San Francisco Bay Area on what was ultimately going to be a five-year world tour. I realised I didn’t want to continue the conversation because there was this song I’d never heard before that was playing in the background. Here, directors Dayna Goldfine and Daniel Geller explain what making the film taught them about their idol.ĭayna Goldfine: “My ‘Hallelujah’ story started with Jeff Buckley – being at a dinner party in the early 2000s and feeling like something was going on in the room. Initially it achieved little mainstream success, but has since become one of music’s most-beloved ballads and a favourite for artists to cover.

It does so through the prism of his most famous work: 1984 folk classic ‘Hallelujah’. ‘ Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song’ is a new documentary exploring the life of the acclaimed songwriter and poet.

Joni mitchell leonard cohen