"The O.C." Moment: "Hallelujah"

If my life had a soundtrack, then whenever something bad happened to me, there would be someone singing, “Hallelujah, hallelujah…” just like on “The O.C.”

The song made its debut on the show in the second episode. Trying to protect Ryan from the police, Seth and Marissa hid Ryan in the Newport Group model home. To help him pass the time, Marissa made Ryan a “Model Home Mix” CD. “This song reminds me of you,” she told him, as we were introduced to those now familiar sounds…

“Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?”

Marissa had come to the home to spend the night with Ryan, but he told her they were too different and kicked her out. The song continued to play as she cried while driving away…

“Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah”

The song’s big moment, though, was in the season one finale during the gutwrenching final scenes. The song began as Ryan rode away with Theresa, driving past Marissa standing at the curb—just as in the series premiere. I still get sick to my stomach every time I hear it…

“Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah”

After almost a two-year absence, the song resurfaced for another tragic moment in the relationship of Ryan and Marissa—Marissa’s death. The song played in the closing moments as she died in Ryan’s arms. This time, however, the song had a female voice…

“Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you”

“Hallelujah” has been used on numerous shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy;” but for me, it will always signify the most tragic moments of “The O.C.” It was written by Leonard Cohen for his 1984 album, “Various Positions.” But most music critics agree that the seminal version (heard in the first season) is by the late Jeff Buckley, which can be found on his 1994 album, “Grace.” The song has been recorded by many other artists, including Imogen Heap (the female voice in season three) and Rufus Wainwright for the “Shrek” soundtrack.

Interestingly, “Hallelujah” is not on any of the six “O.C.” soundtracks. The Imogen Heap version was scheduled to appear on “Mix 6” (the most recent CD), but it didn’t make the cut. I have to wonder if the producers were letting the song go, or just the memory of Marissa.

I know that I said earlier that I had better not hear the song again before the show goes off the air, but the truth is, when something bad happens (notice I didn’t say if), and they don’t play it, I’m going to be mad. So what if it makes people think about Marissa…

“The O.C.” airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on FOX…

“And she tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah…”