Jeff Buckley’s debut album Grace is a timeless work of art capturing the essence of his heart and soul into one album. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Grace, we take the time to remember the life of Buckley and his music filled with themes of love, heartbreak, and grief.
Grace is an hour-long force of emotion. Buckley’s raw and passionate vocals, romantic lyrics, and dreamy melodies assemble to create this album into a knife to the heart at every listen. The album evokes bittersweet feelings of hope and sadness, not only because of its themes but also due to his tragic death, which left listeners wondering about the unfulfilled potential of Buckley’s musical career. He tragically passed away shortly after his rise to fame on May 29, 1997 after an accidental drowning in the Wolf River in Memphis, Tennessee.
Grace was his last and final album. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Grace brings forth a somber feeling as Buckley was 30 years old when he passed with a bright future ahead of him. Knowing that we will not hear any more of the beautiful and talented artist is heartbreaking, but gives us more of a reason to celebrate his legacy. When being asked how he would like to be remembered, Buckley once said in an interview, “As a good friend. I don’t really need to be remembered. I hope the music’s remembered.”
Grace opens the album with “Mojo Pin,” a song in which Buckley’s angelic vocals combined with a guitar tone from heaven makes you feel like you are ascending to the skies. This song—along with tracks “Grace,” “So Real,” and “Dream Brother”—showcase this similar vibe and similar lyric style, romantic, emotional, and powerful. The album includes some of Buckley’s most well known songs such as “Lover You Should’ve Come Over” and “So Real.” Some of his most iconic covers are featured on the album as well such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Nina Simone’s “Lilac Wine.” Buckley takes these songs and adds his own twist to them creating the perfect moody tune. He drew a lot of inspiration from artists such as The Smiths, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Bob Dylan. He was never afraid to experiment with different vocals and styles of music, which made him an exceptional musician.
To this day, Buckley remains as one of the most influential artists of his time. Thom Yorke, frontman of English rock band Radiohead, took inspiration from Buckley’s talent and ability to sing falsetto, which inspired creation for the song “Fake Plastic Trees” from Radiohead’s 1995 album, The Bends. Lana Del Rey is another artist who felt greatly inspired by Buckley. It is most evident in her album Ultraviolence that she takes inspiration from his tender lyrics and sound.
Grace will always remain a flawless and impactful album forever reminding us that it is okay to yearn and transform the negative things in life into something beautiful.
