A fashion board in which sometimes we'll remember to post spoiler warnings

[Jack Manfred]

I think Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" remains a powerful version of Leonard Cohen's song. I'm less a fan of the original because I heard Jeff Buckley's version first and because Jeff Buckley has the better voice.

A quick search on my iTunes shows that I also have versions by John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Rufus Wainwright, and David Bazan.

I think that's enough for right now.

I would never prevent someone from putting something on their iPod. If someone wants to listen to Ace of Base, Tiffany, and No Doubt in heavy rotation, that's entirely their business. If you want to have all the versions of "Hallelujah" on your iPod as a playlist, and you want to play that several times a day, go right ahead.

The problem is that this song is getting overplayed. Everyone wants to take a stab at it, whether they have any business doing so or not. The damm song was in "Shrek" for God's sake. I was warned that the original was used in "Watchmen" over a sex scene, and it's the wrong choice - overwrought and pretentious. (Whether the "Watchmen" movie and/or the comic book are overwrought and pretentious is a topic for another post.)

Here's my proposition: a five-year moratorium on "Hallelujah." If you've covered it, take it off the set list. If you're planning to cover it, pick another song. Music supervisors, please use something else to convey the "holiness of sex" or whatever emotion/mood/plot point for which you were aiming. Radio station music directors, drop whatever version(s) you currently play from your setlist. Advertising executives, you have no business using this song anyway, but that hasn't stopped you before, so just move along. (Also, kill yourselves.)

After five years, if you feel the need, the song is yours again to play, to record, to use as you see fit. But for now, let the song air out a little.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Jack Manfred

I think Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" remains a powerful version of Leonard Cohen's song. I'm less a fan of the original because I heard Jeff Buckley's version first and because Jeff Buckley has the better voice.

A quick search on my iTunes shows that I also have versions by John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Rufus Wainwright, and David Bazan.

I think that's enough for right now.

Add Allison Crowe's live version to your library.

[Not Bob]

Originally Posted by Jack Manfred

. . . [h]ere's my proposition: a five-year moratorium on "Hallelujah." If you've covered it, take it off the set list. If you're planning to cover it, pick another song. Music supervisors, please use something else to convey the "holiness of sex" or whatever emotion/mood/plot point for which you were aiming. Radio station music directors, drop whatever version(s) you currently play from your setlist. Advertising executives, you have no business using this song anyway, but that hasn't stopped you before, so just move along. (Also, kill yourselves.)

After five years, if you feel the need, the song is yours again to play, to record, to use as you see fit. But for now, let the song air out a little.

Word.

I came across the following via Alex Balk (whose original blog title was a line from this fine song):


"It Doesn't Matter Which You Heard": the Curious Cultural Journey of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

by Michael Barthel

Let me take you back to the long-ago time of mid-February, 2007. Popular emo band Fall Out Boy had the number one album in the country and, being a responsible music critic, I of course illegally downloaded it. As my train crossed the Manhattan Bridge, I reached track five on the album. And I heard this:

Fall Out Boy - "Hum Hallelujah" (clip)

What they're singing there, aside from what I believe professionals call "twaddle," is the chorus of a Leonard Cohen song. This is mildly incredible. Twenty-five years ago, a character on the TV show The Young Ones named Neal--the hippie--said, "I'm beginning to feel like a Leonard Cohen record, cause nobody ever listens to me." Today, in contrast, one particular Leonard Cohen song is featured prominently in no less than three separate episodes of teen uberdrama The OC, and can be heard in at least twenty-four separate movies and TV episodes, almost always as the soundtrack to a montage of people being sad.

What I hope to show today is how, exactly, that happened to a song called "Hallelujah."

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Not Bob

Word.

I came across the following via Alex Balk (whose original blog title was a line from this fine song):


"It Doesn't Matter Which You Heard": the Curious Cultural Journey of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

notbob, I hope nothing about the OC bothers you. if you watched the OC I need to adjust my nb vision.

[Pretty Little Flower]

Originally Posted by Jack Manfred

I think Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" remains a powerful version of Leonard Cohen's song. I'm less a fan of the original because I heard Jeff Buckley's version first and because Jeff Buckley has the better voice.

A quick search on my iTunes shows that I also have versions by John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Rufus Wainwright, and David Bazan.

I think that's enough for right now.

I would never prevent someone from putting something on their iPod. If someone wants to listen to Ace of Base, Tiffany, and No Doubt in heavy rotation, that's entirely their business. If you want to have all the versions of "Hallelujah" on your iPod as a playlist, and you want to play that several times a day, go right ahead.

The problem is that this song is getting overplayed. Everyone wants to take a stab at it, whether they have any business doing so or not. The damm song was in "Shrek" for God's sake. I was warned that the original was used in "Watchmen" over a sex scene, and it's the wrong choice - overwrought and pretentious. (Whether the "Watchmen" movie and/or the comic book are overwrought and pretentious is a topic for another post.)

Here's my proposition: a five-year moratorium on "Hallelujah." If you've covered it, take it off the set list. If you're planning to cover it, pick another song. Music supervisors, please use something else to convey the "holiness of sex" or whatever emotion/mood/plot point for which you were aiming. Radio station music directors, drop whatever version(s) you currently play from your setlist. Advertising executives, you have no business using this song anyway, but that hasn't stopped you before, so just move along. (Also, kill yourselves.)

After five years, if you feel the need, the song is yours again to play, to record, to use as you see fit. But for now, let the song air out a little.

I don't even know this song. Maybe you can make a few adjustments to your pop culture consumption habits and fix your problem.

Ha, I just found a good one for you. Bon Jovi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMRPf...eature=related

Based on my quick internet search, I now believe that everyone should do this song. Everyone. In fact, I now believe that no person can be thought of as having any level of emotional or spiritual depth whatsoever until they have done the song. I am going to wander the halls today humming it and will have a version released by COB tomorrow.

[Hank Chinaski]

Resolved: a 2 seed is the same as a 1 seed-

unless you believe the committee capable of picking 3s that are actually stronger than the 4s.

and fucking Vitale- prediction: the 4 1s make it to Detroit? how much they pay the guy? I think that's what he predicted last year.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower

I don't even know this song. Maybe you can make a few adjustments to your pop culture consumption habits and fix your problem.

i can confirm that neither Gang of four or Jawbreaker covered it. I am less familiar with the Husker du catalog and the complete 7 Seconds's work. Can you and Ollie let me know if I need to be careful in expanding my knowledge of those bands?

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Gattigap

What do you see as the differences?

I play with 2 groups - one outdoor (the group of guys from work playing at lunch, like Hank mentioned) and one indoor (near home). Both are essentially pickup games, but in both cases the guys mostly all know each other and largely get along, though I do recognize a few of the guys from that linked article.

West Coast players hate contact. I've never seen anything like it. It's like every decent player out there plays like Ed O'Bannon -- graceful and athletic, but never physical. At least, that's how it was when I was much better than I am now and played a bunch in L.A. What a bunch of pussies.

Anyway, here are the differences between the indoor and outdoor games:

1. Indoor players usually have more organized ball experience. So there are better cuts, more offensive sets and better passing. Outdoor guys are used to trying to show off their moves or are constantly trying to show up their opponent and it results in a lot of one on one.

2. Respect is the most important component of the outdoor game, so people don't make bullshit calls as much as indoor players. Indoor players are much more likely to make some ticky tacky call and have it respected. If you call that shit outside, you'll get laughed off the court. I've seen guys make calls that are completely ignored by the other side as well as their own teammates.

3. As I said before, if you make a call in the act of shooting outside, you have to make it right away and the shot doesn't count if it goes. This creates a much tougher player because you get used to contact and only make calls that truly affect your shot since you don't want to call foul when the shot might fall. This is good and bad, because when the game is close and the other team doesn't want to give up the court, there is a whole lot of hacking going on. Indoors, if you touch someone, there's no reason for them not to call a foul since the shot counts either way. That's frustrating in a different way since you get games where someone calls a foul every time down the floor.

4. Indoors, usually whoever has been sitting the longest plays next. This means if, by luck of the draw, you end up with a good team, you could run the court for hours. On the flip side, if you end up with a bunch of marks, you could play 2 games in two hours and be completely frustrated with the scrubs on your team. Outside, one person has next and they choose their own team. This works best if you're good, because you'll always get picked, even if you're already playing and your team loses. The goal for whoever has next is to construct the best team to take down whoever's on the court. If you suck, you have to wait out a line of people who have next before you play and you won't play much.*

5. Outdoors, certain calls are never made. There's no such thing as an offensive foul. People look at you like you're crazy if you tell them to get out of the lane because they've been in there for 3 seconds. And carrying is rarely, if ever, called.

6. Surprisingly, there are fewer fights outdoors. People never know how crazy the other person is. There is more arguing and a lot of shit talking and yelling, but it rarely breaks down into a fight. Players who have a problem with each other usually end up hacking each other or trying to run each other over. Indoors, guys pretend like they're gonna fight, but they get one shove in and they know everyone else will break it up.

7. There is a lot less jump shooting outside. Guys aren't impressed by jump shots, jump shots are harder to make, given the elements and few guys know how to shoot a decent jump shot anyway.

I think the best run is indoors, when you get guys who have played organized ball somewhere, but have also played outside a bunch. You get guys making the right cuts, understanding help D and there is little bitching or arguing and few bullshit calls being made. But every once in a while it's still fun to get outside and mix it up.

TM

*Back when I was much better, I showed up at my local court to play and had next. I usually just allowed whoever showed up to play with me since I always fat bad for scrubs who wouldn't otherwise get a chance. But this one day I really wanted to win and had three other guys I knew could play and was scouting someone on the losing team to pick up. This short, unassuming guy with high socks and a jewish afro shows up and asks me if he could run with me. I was gonna turn him down, but felt sorry for him and already had a pretty good team so I reluctantly included him on my team. First possession, I pass him the ball and he goes through his legs, around his back, jukes the other teams best player out of his socks and pulls up in another guy's face and nails the shot. Everyone was shocked and the two of us ran the court the rest of the day. Probably one of the best players I'd ever played with. He could do it all. Pass, shoot, drive and rip guards in the open court. It's always satisfying when the guys on the sidelines are trying to gerrymander their team for next game to get you off the court and it doesn't work.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower

I don't even know this song. Maybe you can make a few adjustments to your pop culture consumption habits and fix your problem.

I didn't know it until someone sang it on American Idol last year. When your song gets performed on American Idol, it is officially overdone. When the Flower starts to hum it, shark jumping is not far behind.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

and fucking Vitale- prediction: the 4 1s make it to Detroit? how much they pay the guy? I think that's what he predicted last year.

Last year he would have been right.

I think there is less difference between number 1 seeds and numbers 2 and 3 seed this year than ever. No way four number 1s make it again. And Louisville ain't the number 1 seed overall.

TM

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

6. Surprisingly, there are fewer fights outdoors. People never know how crazy the other person is. There is more arguing and a lot of shit talking and yelling, but it rarely breaks down into a fight. Players who have a problem with each other usually end up hacking each other or trying to run each other over. Indoors, guys pretend like they're gonna fight, but they get one shove in and they know everyone else will break it up.

that might be a function of indoor games tending to be more regular?

i remember the first time i played in a local over 35 game. there were guys playing who had been playing there for 10 years, and had 8 year grudges. one nut took out a guy who otherwise would have had a breakaway, like 1979s NBA "no free shots" theory- which never applies to old man games- or for that matter non-NBA games.

in this indoor game the guy got up and puched the nut. it was the build up from a long line of bullshit over years.

outdoors, unless they knew each other for as long, I think it would have settled to threats. w/o knowing how insane the guy you are considering fighting is, there is a hesitation before throwing a punch.

[Not Bob]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

notbob, I hope nothing about the OC bothers you. if you watched the OC I need to adjust my nb vision.

Hank, Not Bob is 32 flavors, and then some.

AoN, one of my flavors took a hit last week -- Guy Carbonneau got canned by Montreal. Guy Fucking Caronneau. Even though the Habs will likely go to the playoffs (granted, not as the number one team in the East, but still).

For comparison, pretend it's 2020, and Derek Jeter gets fired from managing the Yanks by Prince Hal because they only made the wild card.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Not Bob

Hank, Not Bob is 32 flavors, and then some.

AoN, one of my flavors took a hit last week -- Guy Carbonneau got canned by Montreal. Guy Fucking Caronneau. Even though the Habs will likely go to the playoffs (granted, not as the number one team in the East, but still).

For comparison, pretend it's 2020, and Derek Jeter gets fired from managing the Yanks by Prince Hal because they only made the wild card.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

ever hear of Billy Martin?

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

that might be a function of indoor games tending to be more regular?

i remember the first time i played in a local over 35 game. there were guys playing who had been playing there for 10 years, and had 8 year grudges. one nut took out a guy who otherwise would have had a breakaway, like 1979s NBA "no free shots" theory- which never applies to old man games- or for that matter non-NBA games.

in this indoor game the guy got up and puched the nut. it was the build up from a long line of bullshit over years.

outdoors, unless they knew each other for as long, I think it would have settled to threats. w/o knowing how insane the guy you are considering fighting is, there is a hesitation before throwing a punch.

So, I guess by way of analogy, the FB is an indoor court? I really wouldn't know much about the basketball, I'm either in the library or at a coffee shop, pining over the indie girl that works there.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally Posted by Jack Manfred

I think Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" remains a powerful version of Leonard Cohen's song. I'm less a fan of the original because I heard Jeff Buckley's version first and because Jeff Buckley has the better voice.

A quick search on my iTunes shows that I also have versions by John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Rufus Wainwright, and David Bazan.

I think that's enough for right now.

I would never prevent someone from putting something on their iPod. If someone wants to listen to Ace of Base, Tiffany, and No Doubt in heavy rotation, that's entirely their business. If you want to have all the versions of "Hallelujah" on your iPod as a playlist, and you want to play that several times a day, go right ahead.

The problem is that this song is getting overplayed. Everyone wants to take a stab at it, whether they have any business doing so or not. The damm song was in "Shrek" for God's sake. I was warned that the original was used in "Watchmen" over a sex scene, and it's the wrong choice - overwrought and pretentious. (Whether the "Watchmen" movie and/or the comic book are overwrought and pretentious is a topic for another post.)

Here's my proposition: a five-year moratorium on "Hallelujah." If you've covered it, take it off the set list. If you're planning to cover it, pick another song. Music supervisors, please use something else to convey the "holiness of sex" or whatever emotion/mood/plot point for which you were aiming. Radio station music directors, drop whatever version(s) you currently play from your setlist. Advertising executives, you have no business using this song anyway, but that hasn't stopped you before, so just move along. (Also, kill yourselves.)

After five years, if you feel the need, the song is yours again to play, to record, to use as you see fit. But for now, let the song air out a little.

There's a Bono version on Tower of Song. It's quite different from all the others. I'm not sure it's any good, but it certainly stands out.