I love reading and I have from a very young age. The characters in the stories I read substituted for the flesh and blood siblings and companions I didn’t have as a shy, introverted only child. I like fiction, especially historical fiction and biographies--at least my public persona does. But the private part of me every so often relishes the guilty pleasures of a good old romance novel.
I was reading one of these contemporary romances when I came
across the mention of a song called Hallelujah.
The story utilizes many common romantic tropes. The male protagonist is the
free spirited, fun loving playboy prince of a fictional kingdom, who suddenly
finds himself the future king after his older brother gives up the throne to
marry a commoner (shades of Edward VII and Wallis Simpson). The prince agrees
to appear on a reality dating show to choose his future Queen. It is here that
he sees the female protagonist, the sister of one of the contestants, hiding
behind a tree reading a book, which I could identify with because it is something I would probably do. Yes, there are the usual steamy scenes to depict the strong sexual chemistry
between the two characters who are personality opposites, another trope. But unlike in most
romances, where there is little real character development and the central
conflict is quickly resolved to reach a happily ever after ending, this is a
story about growth and transformation and a love that takes time to unfold rather than happening at first sight. It isn’t principally concerned about romantic
love, either. The heroine's sister loses a drinking contest and is challenged to sing. When she refuses, the heroine steps up in her sister's place, despite her fear of public attention.
Singer Leonard Cohen first wrote Hallelujah in 1984. Various versions have been recorded by other
artists since then. The story I read mentioned the version by John Cale, a
shortened form of which was on the soundtrack of the movie Shrek, so I went back and listened to Cale’s rendition and compared
it with the original lyrics. According to a comment underneath the YouTube
video for the version in Shrek, “It
comes from a place of great pain, love turned sour, and from a broken man who
questions God...To him Hallelujah comes from a place that is "cold and
broken."
To me, the song and the story are more about love as a
transformative force for change. Cale sings, “it's not a cry that you hear at night/It's not somebody who's seen the
light.” The word “Hallelujah” is uttered
out of reverence or to express an extreme emotion like relief or gratitude
after having survived a severe physical or psychological challenge (the light
of benediction). In the longer version
of the song, the singer says, “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.” He did
not have the kind of love in his life which would have made his efforts
meaningful and ends up broken and unhappy so in the end, he must “stand before the Lord of Song/With nothing
on my tongue but Hallelujah.”
Unlike the standard love story, which typically involves a
hero-savior complex, the characters in the story I read each have some work to do on
themselves before they can have a successful relationship. Henry, the male protagonist, is reluctant to
assume his designated role as the future king and goes out of his way to avoid accepting
the responsibility it entails because he is afraid he will fail. His flamboyant
personality is a reflection of his fear. Sarah, the female protagonist, did
accept responsibility for her family and suffered as a result, which caused her
to become withdrawn and afraid of taking risks. As the two get to know each
other, they learn to change. Love gives both of them the courage to try,
despite their fear. As Sarah says, Henry’s love for her humbles him and calms
him down, while her love for Henry spurs her to be more adventurous.
Both Henry and Sarah have been affected by their early
childhood experiences, which influenced their perspective on love and caused
them to be afraid. Cale sings, “All I
ever learned from love/Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.” Sarah
begins to work with children who have been affected by war. She realizes that “all
children are the same, no matter where they live or the language they speak…they
all have the enormous capacity for resilience and hope and to give and receive
love” and that she too had the resilience to survive her past and the capacity to receive the love she was denied as
a child. The way that the relationship is portrayed in the story struck a chord in me because it does not imply that love, whether self love or love for others, means having to suffer. However, it does mean having the courage to face and fight the weaknesses in ourselves that keep us from being the best that we can be. Near the end, Henry reflects on how love has changed his life as well, in
true fairytale fashion: “once upon a time, a pitiful lad met a shy, lovely lass
and together they became something more…something strong and beautiful and
forever.”
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