By the time of his untimely drowning in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1997, Jeff Buckley was building up a legacy in rock and soul music that is unparalleled. Lauded by people like Bob Dylan, Thom Yorke, Morrissey, and Robert Plant as one of the greatest songwriters alive, Buckley was as interesting and enigmatic a figure as he was talented as a songwriter and performer.
He only released one album in his life, Grace, which went gold in France and Australia two years after its release, and went gold in the U.S. by 2002. He is particularly known for his stunning rendition of Leonard Cohen’s song, “Hallelujah,” though other songs of his, including “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” and “Mojo Pin,” were instant classics as well.
With the help of his mother, they were able to release a sort of Frankenstein rendition of his sophomore album, My Sweetheart the Drunk, which was in the works, released as Sketches from My Sweetheart the Drunk.
A Jeff Buckley documentary that is worth the wait
Buckley, by the time of that release, had become something of a cult figure in the music world, and for the last twenty years, filmmaker Amy Berg has been trying to make a film about Buckley’s life, and it has finally made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
It is called It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, and features interviews with his mother, Mary Guibert, former partners Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser, as well as interviews with former bandmates and musicians like Ben Harper and Aimee Mann. It also includes the tear-jerking last voicemail that Jeff Buckley shared with his mom, Mary, before his untimely death.
For the millions of people who have been irrevocably changed by Jeff Buckley’s music and personality, this new film is an event horizon. The official trailer for It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, highlights the genius decision to make it a documentary instead of a biopic, with interesting interviews and footage of the artist, intertwined with interviews from those people in his immediate circle.
"I've been wrong, I've been completely ugly, I've been beautiful, I've been totally in love, I've been hideous, but I've never been dead," Buckley says in the trailer.
That is the magic that the film promises to offer, breathing life into the thoughts, feelings, fears, hopes, and hangups of his waking life for viewers who have many blanks to fill in for such a fascinating and enigmatic personality and performer as Jeff Buckley. It is appearing in select theaters on August 8th and will premiere on HBO and stream on HBO Max in the winter.