Continuing my look at 1994, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.
#6 – Grace – Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley isn’t really part of the collective pop culture consciousness anymore. I can’t recall the last time I heard a song of his on the radio, or in a TV show or movie.
Even ‘Hallelujah,’ the Leonard Cohen song Buckley turned into a near religious experience and an unlikely hit, has now been covered by so many other artists that his definitive version is unlikely to surface before anybody else’s.
If he’s remembered at all, it’s as a talented young artist who died way too early (he was 30 when he accidentally drowned in a Memphis channel of the Mississippi River).
But Buckley did leave behind the one studio album he released before his death. Grace is a passionate and confident collection, showcasing his four-octave tenor and his gonzo guitar skills, as well as his yearning lyrics.
It’s the kind of debut where you know he’s putting absolutely everything out there, but you can’t wait to hear what he’ll come up with next. Sadly, we never got the chance to find out.
Looking out the door I see the rain
Fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water
Maybe I’m too young
To keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you’re on my mind
So you never know
[Verse 2]
Broken down and hungry for your love
With no way to feed it
Where are you tonight, child
You know how much I need it
Too young to hold on
And too old to just break free and run
[Verse 3]
Sometimes a man gets carried away
When he feels like he should be having his fun
And much too blind to see the damage he’s done
Sometimes a man must awake to find that really, he has no-one
So I’ll wait for you, and I’ll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return
Oh, will I ever learn?
[Chorus]
Oh lover, you should’ve come over
Cause it’s not too late
[Verse 4]
Lonely is the room, the bed is made
The open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one
Who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns
For a sleep that won’t ever come
It’s never over
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It’s never over
All my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her
It’s never over
All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It’s never over
She’s the tear that hangs inside my soul forever
Well maybe I’m just too young
To keep good love from going wrong
[Chorus]
Oh… Ohh… Ohhhhh… Ohhhhhh…
Ohh….. lover, you should’ve come over
Yes, yes, I feel too young to hold on
And I’m much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind to see the damage I’ve done
Sweet lover, you should’ve come over
Oh, love well I’ll wait for you
Lover, lover, lover
Lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover
Lover, lover, lover you should’ve come over
Cause it’s not too late
Meet Me In Montauk 
I have heard many musicians rank Buckley among the great guitarists, but, other than Hallelujah, I’m really not familiar with his songs.