{"id":6162,"date":"2024-12-04T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/?p=6162"},"modified":"2025-01-31T14:56:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T19:56:56","slug":"arachnophonia-the-holy-or-the-broken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/2024\/12\/arachnophonia-the-holy-or-the-broken\/","title":{"rendered":"Arachnophonia: The Holy or the Broken"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Arachnophonia<\/a> (\u201cArachno\u201d = spider \/ \u201c-phonia\u201d = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library<\/a>\u2018s collection.<\/p>\n

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question<\/a> or to additional relevant<\/a> information from<\/a> around the web<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s installment of Arachnophonia<\/a> is by student manager Laeticia (class of 2026) and features a book examining the cultural significance of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah”<\/a>. Thanks, Laeticia!<\/em><\/p>\n

The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah”<\/em> by Alan Light<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHallelujah\u201d originates from the Hebrew verb hillel, which translates to \u201cpraise Jah(God).\u201d It is a common term among those who grew up in faith, but many of us also relate it to the melodious and anthemic Leonard Cohen song. As a Christian myself, I’ve always cherished the anthemic beauty of the chorus that yielded such a strong spiritual significance, but Alan Light\u2019s The Holy or the Broken<\/a><\/em> has made me see the song in a new light. <\/p>\n

Alan Light<\/a> is a music journalist who has written for major publications like Rolling Stone<\/em> and The New York Times<\/em>. He authored several books on music and culture, however, he is most famous for his book The Holy or the Broken<\/a><\/em> which explores the history and impact of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah”<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, “Hallelujah”<\/a> is not just about \u201csomeone who has seen the light\u201d as the song quotes, but like most of Leonard Cohen\u2019s songs it is a blend of sacred and sensual. The song combines the rollercoaster of emotions humans experience on a daily basis. From being something you \u201cshout out on Sunday in a happy voice to something that happens in a way that is cold, broken, and lonely\u201d says Alan Light. <\/p>\n

In The Holy or the Broken<\/a><\/em> Alan Light explores the varying interpretations of Leonard Cohen’s iconic song “Hallelujah,”<\/a> revealing the depths and contradictions that make it resonate with so many. Light’s exploration opens up a rich tapestry of meanings that extend beyond faith, and provide personal, cultural, and historical contexts that show how “Hallelujah”<\/a> has evolved in contemporary society \u2014 from a hymn of praise to a poignant commentary on love, loss, and longing. <\/p>\n

This book<\/a> not only challenges readers to reconsider their own interpretations but also highlights the song’s impact across diverse musical landscapes. It’s a compelling read for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of this modern classic. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: Arachnophonia (\u201cArachno\u201d = spider \/ \u201c-phonia\u201d = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library\u2018s collection. All links included in these … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[231704,15223],"tags":[231687,61217,231411,80,231691,231684,231686,231582,231685,76065,162453,61312,231689,61343,231692,231690,231688,277,61340],"class_list":["post-6162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arachnophonia-arachnophonia","category-collection","tag-alan-light","tag-arachnophonia","tag-arachnophonia-24-25","tag-biography","tag-culture-and-society","tag-hallelujah","tag-jeff-buckley","tag-laeticia","tag-leonard-cohen","tag-music-criticism","tag-music-journalism","tag-pop-culture","tag-popular-culture","tag-rock-music","tag-social-history","tag-song-interpretation","tag-song-study","tag-songs","tag-songwriters"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgMV3E-1Bo","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6162"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6168,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6162\/revisions\/6168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}