“1,000 Hallelujahs” by Irish Basement – A Song Feature

     When listening to “1,000 Hallelujahs,” don’t deprive yourself of the final minute, when the lyrical layering and the guitar urgency are arresting in their ability to reveal the angst of one-directional love. Starting at the 2:20 mark, a slightly more distant and more pained voice explains what his desires are, while a clearer and more matter-of-fact voice states “But you don’t want that. Interestingly, that clearer voice momentarily slips into “I want that.” [The lyrics are at the bottom of this post.]
 
      The praise for the conclusion should not be interpreted as a lack of appreciation of the early portions of the song from Irish Basement. The bass is strong throughout “1,000 Hallelujahs,” but particularly at the start. The vocals are fully invested in the description of the circumstances of unrequited love.
 
     Irish Basement is geographically misdescriptive, since the band is based in Washington, D.C. Irish Basement is the solo project of writer and producer Mike Toohey. But the credits of "1,000 Hallelujahs” identify Kyle Downes as a co-producer. The credits helpfully state:
  "1,000 Hallelujahs" is a modern indie dance anthem of unrequited love and loss over soaring post-punk guitar riffs, analog outboard synths, and a driving LinnDrum beat.
 
     “1,000 Hallelujahs” by Irish Basement

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Lyrics of “1,000 Hallelujahs” by Irish Basement
Letting go is never easy
Thought I'd finally found my way
Saw you in the supermarket
And went for coffee at Blue Jay
 
I wanna be the clever one
I wanna make you laugh
I wanna see the sunshine dance above us on our backs
 
But you don't want that
You don't want that
 
Been so long since I last saw you
Milling around pillar to post
Whisper a 1,000 Hallelujahs
Hiding from a Holy Ghost
 
I don't wanna be the broken one
Who always makes mistakes
I wanna be the canopy above you when it rains
 
But you don't want that
You don't want that
You don't want that
You don't want that
 
I wanna be the clever one
I wanna make you laugh
I wanna see the sunshine dance above us on our backs
I don't wanna be the broken one
Who always makes mistakes
I wanna be the canopy above you when it rains
 
But you don't want that
I wanna be the clever one
I wanna make you laugh
You don't want that
I wanna see the sunshine dance above us on our backs
You don't want that
I wanna be the clever one
I want that, I want that
I wanna make you laugh
You don't want that