Hallelujah

         When I think of a music video I tend to think about three or four minutes of flashy dancing and singing along with sexual movements and bright lights. I had never really thought about what a music video could actually mean until I watched “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley. It is one of the simplest videos I have ever seen. All it contains is a microphone a guitar and him, yet it is the most powerful music video I have seen to this day.  

          The video begins with a blank screen and it then fades into view showing Buckley playing his guitar with half his face covered in shadows. Throughout the entire video, the viewer never gets a clear look at Buckley’s face. This is made all the more powerful because he died of an unfortunate accident 15 years ago. It’s almost like he is this shadow that used to exist that lives on through his music. Deep stuff. Moving further into the video, Buckley begins to sing. He never looks at the camera or makes any notion that he is being filmed. He seems to be totally unaware that there is a camera watching him. The way in which he sings is almost as if something deeper inside of him is singing, not just him. His soothing voice says the words in an angelic way. The camera moves back and forth from his face to full body shots in rhythm with the music. This could resemble the different views that everyone has when looking deep into music. Everything can have multiple methods of interpretation, just as the camera showed. By far the most emotional part of the video is when it comes to its peak; the pace of the music builds and builds while the camera slowly gets closer and closer to his face. The music then stops and he belts out what I believe to be a trancelike note. What adds to the emotion even further is the cameras shot onto his teeth. They are crooked and imperfect, yet his voice is beautiful. The faded color of the video and the occasional missed guitar notes also correlate to the fact that we struggle every day. The symbolism here is magnificent as he is trying to display that there is so much more to someone than their outer appearance; we are all imperfect.

           This song was played after my friends funeral and to this day I still tear up every time I listen to it. After looking up the music video for this blog, I have realized the true power that this song holds. I respect Jeff Buckley immensely for the message he relayed by using this song. He was an artist that possessed a deeper talent than what outwardly appeared and more artists should take after his powerful example.