Hallelujah – Ryan Bingham

Ryan Bingham‘s 3rd album, Junky Star, is one of my favorite country albums to date, full of great songwriting and some really cool music. For today’s post, I chose to feature my personal favorite song off the album, but I expect to revisit this record at some point for an Album of The Month post.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ryan Bingham, you’re missing out on one of the most interesting men in country music. New Mexico born but Texas raised, in his early life, he was a cowboy who competed in rodeos across Texas. Eventually, after getting into music, Bingham bought a one-way ticket to Paris, France, to work at Disneyland Paris in the “Wild West Show.” When he first got there, there was some sort of failure to communicate, and he didn’t actually have the job, so he began busking on the streets. Eventually, he did get the job and saved up enough cash to get back to Texas. Pretty soon after, he was playing a gig, and Marc Ford (formerly of The Black Crowes) happened to be there and offered to produce a record for him. In 2007, he debuted with Mescalito; by 2009, he had won an Oscar for Best Original Song (“The Weary Kind,” featured in the outstanding movie “Crazy Heart”). Even with all these accolades, Bingham may best be known for his role as Walker on the hit show Yellowstone.

Hallelujah is my favorite song off this album, and possibly my favorite song of Bingham’s period. I love the story he tells here, and how he tells it. A tale of a man getting shot after he mistook a mugger for his friend, the lyrics are told from the dying man’s perspective. As heartbreaking as the story is, there still seems to be a tinge of hope in his voice; however, the line he adds to the last chorus is just brutal.

“Hallelujah, it’s just a song”

I also particularly love the way he sings –

Oh feel my love, honey
From up above, honey
Oh don’t give up on me cause I’m coming down I’m not a one nighter
I’m not a flat liner
I’ve everything in between the harmony singing loud

I’ve been a big fan of Ryan’s for a while, and would absolutely love to see him live. If you’re a fan of live albums, his 2016 recording, Ryan Bingham Live is great.

Link to song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqjZ8mpVfts

Link to live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8w_jliMqi0