I ran across this tune when I was working on an arrangement of Cohen's "Hallelujah" for my "Getting Wired II" album. At the time, I was struck by the song's dark undertones and decided to use a cello/oboe combination in my arrangement to paint the somber picture I think Cohen had in mind when he and Sharon Robinson penned this tune originally. As the song progresses, pizzicatto strings are added to give the piece its metronome effect, while, at the same time, layered over those instruments are a solo trombone, tubular bells, choir voices, and some soft brush work. And all along the way, the lower octaves of a piano are used to ease the listener down a musical road that, of course, everybody knows.
