Hallelujah (drone version)

Here's my version of the esteemed Mr. Cohen's paean to the religion of love. I dropped the rhythm and chord changes, and made a new melody. The very minimal accompaniment consists of three tracks from my trusty old JUNO 60 analog synth. That's it! Video version (photos by yours truly) at Vimeo and YouTube.

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posted by flapjax at midnite (12 comments total)

Not a big fan of Cohen's (I didn't even recognize this song until almost 2 minutes were gone), but a huge Samm (flapjax) fan. This is another hypnotic, pulsing, terrific creation — very minimal, yes, but with a lot going on.
posted by LeLiLo at 5:41 PM on June 16, 2009

flapjax...a while back you posted something about why you make music the way you do. I'd like to see that again, maybe on your profile page. (It's something I'd like to refer back to now and again.) You probably don't even remember it though! Ha!

Your style really takes this song to a new place for me. I've never been a big Cohen fan, probably because his work comes to this old punker as kinda religious and maybe just a little preachy. But this version makes it much more spiritual and much less religious. Probably as a result of the drone and your incredibly clear voice. It's more like a great poetry reading than a church hymn.

This is beautiful man, and a little more than I expected from this challenge!
posted by snsranch at 6:02 PM on June 16, 2009

Thanks so much, lelilo and sns.

Actually, sns, I vaguely remember what you're talking about (the comment) but I have no idea where it is... maybe I can jog my memory and find it sometime soon.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:29 PM on June 16, 2009

Nice. God I'm jealous of your Juno.
posted by chococat at 6:36 PM on June 16, 2009

Thanks, chococat. Yeah, the Juno's a fun machine. It can sound very organic.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:42 PM on June 16, 2009

Man, the hallelujah at about 2 minutes is just gorgeous.
posted by Corduroy at 7:04 PM on June 16, 2009

Yours was entry I most eagerly awaited, Flaps. I'm glad my own hype for what you could do with this that I built within my head was not unfounded. This is actually similar to something I had in mind, though undoubtedly much clearer and better executed than I would have produced. Seriously, it's so tasty. I could listen to this over and over again. I think, in fact, I will!
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 9:28 PM on June 16, 2009

Thank you, Corduroy and LOOM, for your kind comments.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:52 AM on June 17, 2009

I was curious about your version too. It's funny that a lot of people did "hallelujah in the style of XX" and you did it in your own, very recognizable style. Great call.
posted by micayetoca at 8:46 AM on June 17, 2009

Thanks mica, I appreciate that.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:25 AM on June 18, 2009

WOW. Now I started doing a droney version of this, but it will not even touch this one's quality. Love the singing.

Glad you decided to just completely get rid of the chords and take it your own way.
posted by azarbayejani at 1:52 PM on June 18, 2009

Thanks for your comment, azarbayejani, I'm very grateful.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:04 AM on June 21, 2009