Watch Frances Bean Cobain Cover Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’
The world will sadly never truly know what Kurt Cobain might have made of social media. Nirvana fans can take comfort, however, in the knowledge that his daughter Frances Bean is using her online presence the right way — specifically, to share home-brewed footage of herself performing songs that suit her mood.
The younger Cobain's latest work, a cover of Leonard Cohen's classic "Hallelujah," was posted to her Instagram account yesterday. The result, which you can check out below, marks the latest in a seemingly countless series of interpretations of the song; a favorite target for cover artists over the decades since the original version's release as part of Cohen's 1984 Various Positions LP, its journey from cult favorite to karaoke night mainstay was cemented by its appearance in the 2001 animated blockbuster Shrek.
Although John Cale's 1991 cover was heard in the film, Rufus Wainwright's was used for the hit soundtrack album — and Jeff Buckley's recording, originally released in 1994, made its way to the charts as a single in 2007. The song's second life even proved something of a mixed blessing for Cohen, who suggested that other artists might want to lay off recording their own versions. "I think it's a good song," he quipped in 2009. "But too many people sing it."
As for Frances Bean, fans probably shouldn't hold their breath waiting for a full-fledged musical statement from the visual artist and model, who doesn't seem to be in any rush to enter the family business. As NME notes, however, this isn't her first live performance: in 2016, she shared footage of herself playing the Jimmy Eat World hit "The Middle."