I’m glad I didn’t really know anything about Jeff Buckley until he was dead. He was a special talent and it must have been heartbreaking for his fans to lose him so soon after he entered the scene.
His debut album Grace (the only album released before his accidental drowning death) is a sublime work of art… a mix of soaring guitar work, poetic lyrics and other-worldly vocals. It contains the definitive version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah,’ which has since been covered by just about every alternative artist with a recording contract (as well as an American Idol contestant). But his original songs, including ‘Grace,’ ‘Lover, You Should Have Come Over,’ ‘Lilac Wine,’ and today’s song, ‘Last Goodbye,’ are where he really shone.
His mother went the Tupac route and released a few more albums of his unfinished material, but nothing that compared to Grace.
I called his death “accidental,” and his family insists that it was. He went swimming in the Mississippi River one night while fully dressed (including a pair of boots) and disappeared until his body was found two days later. There were no drugs in his system. If it was suicide, he didn’t leave a note.
Aimee Mann wrote a beautiful song for Buckley on her Bachelor No. 2 album titled ‘Just Like Anyone.’ It suggests his death wasn’t an accident:
But you were one of us
And I will wonder just like anyone
If there was something else I could’ve done
So maybe it’s true that your cry for help
Was oh, so very faint
But still I heard and knew something was wrong
Just nothing you could put your finger on
And I will wonder just like anyone
Just like anyone
No matter the circumstances, it’s a true shame when a young talent dies. I mean, obviously it’s a shame when anybody dies, but it’s sad to think of all the Jeff Buckley music that won’t be written and performed now. At least Elliott Smith released five albums before he died… at least John Lennon was a Beatle. Jeff Buckley had ten songs.
Here’s one of them.
I hate to feel the love between us die
But it’s over
Just hear this and then I’ll go
You gave me more to live for
More than you’ll ever know
Well, this is our last embrace
Must I dream and always see your face?
Why can’t we overcome this wall?
Baby, maybe it’s just because I didn’t know you at all
Kiss me, please kiss me
But kiss me out of desire babe and not consolation.
Oh, you know it makes me so angry cause I know that in time
I’ll only make you cry, this is our last goodbye
Did you say “No, this can’t happen to me”?
And did you rush to the phone to call?
Was there a voice unkind in the back of your mind saying
“Maybe, you didn’t know him at all
you didn’t know him at all
oh, you didn’t know”?
Well, the bells out in the church tower chime
Burning clues into this heart of mine
Thinking so hard on her soft eyes, and the memories
Offer signs that it’s over, it’s over
Meet Me In Montauk 
As I start to write this, I have Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” playing on You Tube a tab over. In the past ten minutes, I’ve been to Jeff Buckley’s own website, Wikipedia’s entry on him and followed various links that talked about his influence and those who influenced him. I’m so intrigued by the way the world has changed and how much the Internet has helped to change it. An artist such as Buckley, with just one critically acclaimed album, likely would be little more than a footnote in musical history without it.
Instead, passionate fans can share their enthusiasm for his music, post his videos, write about what his music means to them. Jason Castro can choose to show his appreciation on American Idol, where his performance followed by Simon’s and Randy’s subsequent glowing comments can lead to Buckley earning his first ever #1 single when droves of Castro/AI fans go to iTunes and instantly download Buckley’s verison of the song – a first in both iTunes and American Idol history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2nRxKC-OyA – as a bonus, you’ll get to see Paula at her incoherent best 🙂
So… I appreciate today’s song of the day, but I find myself appreciating even more how easy it now is to share our love of music and to give any artist, no matter how obscure, a chance to be heard.
I haven’t heard much of Jeff Buckley other than his version of Hallelujah, though, unfortunately, there isn’t much to hear. This song doesn’t immediately grab me, I must admit. It seems to me his voice probably fares better with less instrumentation, though I would have to hear other songs to tell.
By the way, check out this version of Hallelujah by k.d. lang. For my money, this may be one of the best ones of the many covers of this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTv9m8c6hnw&feature=related