# In 1984, Leonard Cohen’s label wanted to discard ‘Hallelujah’ . It ended up defining his rebirth

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1984-leonard-cohens-label-wanted-to-discard-hallelujah-it-ended-up-defining-his-rebirth/
- Published: 2026-11-09T19:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T20:37:48+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1984-leonard-cohens-label-discard-rebirth/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Columbia’s president disliked ‘Hallelujah’.
- Cohen released it on his 1984 comeback album.
- Covers by John Cale and Jeff Buckley brought it wider attention.

## Summary

Leonard Cohen’s song ‘Hallelujah’ was nearly rejected by his label, Columbia, when he brought it to them in 1984. Its release on Various Positions marked his return after a five-year gap and a period of poor reception, and the song later became central to his renewed reputation.

Producer John Lissauer recalled that Cohen invited him to work on new songs, including ‘Hallelujah’, and that Columbia president Walter Yetnikoff hated it. The album received little attention at first, but John Cale’s 1991 cover drew wider interest, followed by Jeff Buckley’s version in 1994. Those recordings helped turn Cohen’s overlooked song into one of his most enduring works.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.