Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On this day in 1994 Jeff Buckley released his stunning debut album, “Grace”.  His voice had a depth and spirit beyond his young age of 27, thanks in part to his distinct four octave tenor range.  He began his career as a studio guitarist and performed in clubs singing songs by other artists before focusing on his own material.  He wrote or co-wrote seven of the ten songs on “Grace”, using three songs by other artists to complete his track listing.  I love all three, especially “Lilac Wine”, but his version of today’s song, a Leonard Cohen classic, is just beautiful.

I loved it from the first time I heard it, but really swooned over it after it was used at the end of an episode of “Without A Trace” (season 1, episode 23).  FBI agent Jack Malone, played by Anthony LaPaglia, is sitting in a chair thinking about his day dealing with a gunmen who had lost all hope due to the death of his wife on 9/11.  Malone is staring at a picture of the World Trade Center hung up in his bedroom.  Suddenly his eyes move across the wall to a nearby window where you see the exact same view as what was in the picture but now without the Twin Towers.  It was one of the most heart wrenching scenes of any TV show I have ever seen.  And Buckley’s voice singing today’s song only added to that  feeling.

His birth father, Tim Buckley, was a fairly successful folk singer (he appeared on an episode of The Monkees) who later incorporated other musical genres in to his work.  Tim died in 1975 at age 28 from a drug overdose.  But of all the cautionary tales learned from rock & roll, his son’s death from drowning at age 30 is just one more to shake your head at and wonder why.

“I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah“.

L-R:  Jeff Buckley circa 1994 & Leonard Cohen circa 2010.  (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Jeff Buckley:  “Hallelujah” (1994, written by Leonard Cohen).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.