How to shoot at someone who outdrew you

[owlectomy]

A nice long essay on "Hallelujah" as the song that shows up in every single hospital drama

My love for that song is deep and absurd. It's a fantastic song, but when you hear it on "Scrubs" AND "Grey's Anatomy" AND "House" AND "The O.C.," it starts to just be... hilarious.

To say that using "Hallelujah" to express sadness is unoriginal is like saying a picture hanger using a level is unoriginal: the point is not novelty, but functionality. The damn thing just works so well, you'd be a fool not to use it.

But were it not for my absurd love of that song, I'd never have discovered Rufus Wainwright or Leonard Cohen, and I'd be a pretty terrible Montrealaise if I didn't know Leonard Cohen.

And it's still a great song. No matter how many times it gets appropriated by some TV drama, it's still a great song.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

It's a great song but if people think it expresses *sadness* they're not listening to it. Or they're not listening to Cohen singing it, whatever.

ETA- OK, I see- Cale essentially rewrote it. But then by me it's not really Hallelujah any more.