Jeff Buckley was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career was incredibly successful, however only short-lasting due to his tragic death at the age of 30. Buckley’s only studio album, Grace, was released in 1994 and had low sales upon release and in general, a slow start to becoming popular and recognised as, what some would say (including myself), it to be one of the best albums of all time. Legends, such as Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, revealed that Grace was one of his “favourite albums of the decade”, along with David Bowie who said that it is one of 10 albums that he would take on a desert island with him.
The album included three covers, one being Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, which in particular resulted in Buckley receiving huge recognition. The cover originally received little attention in comparison to his other songs on the album, however, after his death in 1997, his version of the song was released as a single, which then reached number two in the UK Singles Chart in 2008 - almost 15 years after it was originally recorded.
Forget Her is now the final track of his only studio album, however it remained unreleased until Grace (Legacy Edition) was released in 2004 and was made the opening track on the second disc. Buckley requested that the song didn’t appear on the original album as he believed that the lyrics were “too simplistic”, although it is agreed that this is one of his best works as he sings about how his pain after his girlfriend left with him.
The music video for Forget Her was created years after his death, which was compiled of unreleased footage of himself and places he had traveled to, assumingly on tours. It has a very homemade feel to it as none of the clips really make any sense together, although the clips can create a sense of sympathy or sadness as we are looking back on his life. There is some footage that appears multiple times of him writing and performing his music, showing that he did have a passion for music; this intensifies the sad feeling that fans may feel as his life and career was cut so short.
Alongside the song being one of his most emotional songs, this also adds to the emotional feel of the video as it is very intense. Although some could say that the video is wholesome and heartfelt as we are looking back on his life in a positive way and that he should be proud of what he accomplished in such a short time.
Buckley covered Uncut magazine in June 2013, almost 20 years after Grace was released. The photo appears to be an unseen picture from the shoot for the album cover of the album as he is seen with the same microphone, dark blue/indigo background and sparkly gold jacket. His name is the biggest on the cover showing his importance and legacy; additionally, the copy underneath his name reads “the untold story of a lost genius” reveals that his legacy and the specialty of him as an artist has not been fully told yet.
Placing Buckley in the center of the cover, surrounded by multiple other talented artists, such as Bob Marley, The National and Fleetwood Mac really spotlights himself as it almost puts them to a side as he is the main focus of the cover. His eye contact to the camera, intense stare and extravagant outfit makes you not want to look away and find out more about who he is as an artist and what parts of his life and legacy has been “untold”.
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