30 Years of Grace: Jeff Buckley’s Melancholic Soul Lives On
Written by Amani Rizwan
Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Kevin Westenberg
There are very few moments in life that compare to discovering a life-changing record. It may sound a little melodramatic, but really, nothing compares to feeling your mind and body go stiff as a completely new sound fills the little holes on the sides of your head. “Grace” by Jeff Buckley was that transformative record for me. I was sixteen years old, sitting at my dimly lit study table struggling through the last semester of high school, when I serendipitously stumbled onto Jeff Buckley's first and last studio album. In 57 minutes and 3 seconds, he cemented himself as one of my favourite artists, a title he’s held ever since.
The music world was left reeling in May 1997 with the news of Jeff Buckley’s tragic death at just 30 years old. His passing cut short the career of an immensely gifted and unique artist. Yet, two decades on, the impact of his sole studio album "Grace" continues to reverberate. The record’s 30th anniversary this week is a bittersweet milestone—a haunting reminder of Buckley’s immeasurable talent and the lingering what-ifs of his untimely passing. His music has this mesmerising way of always remaining fresh and unique, a great contrast from the era it exists in, whether that be the summer of 1994 when it first came out or now, 3 decades later. And though the record was met by slow sales upon release in August 1994, it gradually gained critical acclaim and commercial success that skyrocketed Buckley to superstar status (and rightfully so).
“Grace” is the perfect caricature of all the things that make Jeff Buckley so special. The record is an eclectic blend of grunge, folk, blues, ambient, and cover songs, including his stirring rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." This track introduced the world to his captivating voice, and exceptional ability to stretch an emotion to its breaking point. Buckley described his music as the “low-down dreamy bit of the psyche. It’s part quagmire and part structure…That’s my musical aesthetic…just this imperceptible fleeting memory.” Helping strengthen Buckley’s hazy, nostalgic musical vision was his band, Gary Lucas, Matt Johnson, Michael Tighe, and Mick Grondahl, whose musical talent acted as the foundation for Buckley’s siren-like vocals to float on.
And it’s hard to pinpoint what makes Buckley’s music so special. One might attribute that to his tumultuous relationship with Tim Buckley, his father, or his self-described “rootless trailer trash” upbringing, but I think it’s that and more. If anything, it was Buckley’s natural ability to gracefully articulate abstract, indescribable feelings; his experiences only emotionally supercharged the listening experience even more. Take, for instance, his second most famous song, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”, a poignant reflection of his woes about being too immature in relationships where he sings, “Too young to hold on/And too old to just break free and run.” and “My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder/It's never over/All my riches for her smiles.” Or Track 10, “Dream Brother”, a plea to a friend contemplating leaving the mother of his unborn child, which also secretly references his own father whom he’d only met once: “Don't be like the one who left behind his name/'Cause they're waiting for you like I waited for mine/And nobody ever came…”
While these are less than a fraction of the poetic gems on this record, they’re a true testament to Buckley’s power to give sound to the silent truths of the human experience. This quality contributes to why his one-album discography has endured as long as it has. Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos noted, “I think there's this just sadness that kind of carries through on the album itself and also in just the story of Jeff Buckley that I think people are sort of trying to carry that torch continuously and celebrate him as much as possible.” Buckley’s influence now extends through the plethora of artists he influenced from Radiohead to Hozier and even Coldplay, ensuring that his music will remain immortal.
Photo by Uncredited
In an era increasingly dominated by commercial interests, Jeff Buckley’s legacy and music stand as a testament to the robustness of true artistry. His refusal to compromise his vision and his ability to paint a vivid narrative through each and every one of his songs mark him as a true master of his craft. And although Buckley may have narrowly avoided the 27 club, his loss is a difficult one to bear. His gentle, sensitive soul was rare, and we may never encounter another like it again. Still, I’m just glad we exist in a world where we got to witness it, even just once.
“We are spirits and the whole tension is that we don’t know that we are. Yet music is able to touch this.” - Jeff Buckley [1966-1997]
Have you listened to “Grace”? If so, we’d love to hear how his music has impacted you on our social media!