“Hallelujah” by Haim
In 2019, Haim, the pop rock band made up of three sisters from California, released the song “Hallelujah.” This acoustic ballad speaks of the loss of a female friend, specifically of the youngest sister, Alana. The Haim song is not a cover of Leonard Cohen’s famous piece, but an original, emotional song that expresses the great loss of friendship.
Alana, the youngest sister, tweeted before they released “Hallelujah”: “It’s a song about family, love, loss, and being thankful for it all. It’s hard to talk about my verse in the song but I wanted to open up about it so here i go…”
Alana went on to share about a dark time when her best friend tragically died in a car accident. The singer detailed her experience as a bereaved friend. She felt the death “broke” her, and all she could think about were all of her life milestones that she would never be able to experience with her best friend.
Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac fame, also recently lost her “best friend in the whole world,” former bandmate Christie McVie. In her time of grief, she tweeted the lyrics to Haim’s song, “Hallelujah.” She hand-wrote a letter, saying, “I always knew I would need these words one day.” The lyrics offered Nicks great comfort in her time of need, and they can offer help to those mourning the loss of a woman’s friendship.
Stevie Nicks highlights the third verse of Haim’s “Hallelujah” because it’s the most universal.
I had a best friend but she has come to passOne I wish I could see nowYou always remind me that memories will lastThese arms reach outYou were there to protect me like a shieldLong hair running with me through the fieldEverywhere you’ve been with me all along
Here, Haim’s Alana shares plainly that her best friend has died, though she wishes she could see her again. She remembers their moments together and all the things they shared.
The repeated chorus is simple:
Why me? How’d I get this hallelujah?Why me? How’d I get this hallelujah?Why me? How’d I get this hallelujah?Hallelujah
Haim wonders: Why this has happened? Why must they endure this terrible loss, why they must continue on without their friend? “Hallelujah” brings to mind female friendships like C.C. and Hillary in “Beaches” and the four girls in “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” If you’ve lost a girlfriend, “Hallelujah” may offer comfort to you, just like it did for Stevie Nicks.
You can watch Haim’s music video for “Hallelujah” here:
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