Jeff Buckley Songs Ranked
Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by playing cover songs at venues in Manhattan’s East Village such as Sin-é, gradually focusing more on his own material. After rebuffing much interest from record labels and Herb Cohen, the manager of his father, singer Tim Buckley, he signed with Columbia, recruited a band, and recorded what would be his only studio album, Grace, in 1994. Since his death, there have been many posthumous releases of his material, including a collection of four-track demos and studio recordings for his unfinished second album My Sweetheart the Drunk, expansions of Grace, and the Live at Sin-é EP. Chart success also came posthumously: with his cover of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” he attained his first number one on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs in March 2008 and reached number two in the UK Singles Chart that December. Rolling Stone included Grace in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and included Buckley in their list of the greatest singers. Here are all of Jeff Buckley’s songs ranked.
Click below and listen to one of the most influential artists of all time. Reminisce the timeless music of Jeff Buckley.
20. Nightmares by the Sea (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, 1998)
“This song is so dark and wicked in a cool way. Perfect atmosphere for a naive young woman who encounters an appealing but deeply trouble man. The booze don’t help anything for her!”
19. Jewel Box (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, 1998)
“Jewel Box is a sweet little tune. The vocals and guitar are not perfect, but that adds to the song’s appeal. When listening, one can just imagine Buckley sitting in front of a recorder with a guitar on his lap singing with a smile on his face.”
18. Mama, You Been On My Mind (Live… Jeff Buckley, 1991)
“The simple fact that Buckley’s version is as good if not better than Dylan’s says it all. Great arrangement, beautiful, heartfelt voice.”
17. The Sky is a Landfill (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, 1998)
“The Sky is a Landfill’ is a smooth-yet-rockin’ opener that like many tracks on this disc reaches heights Chris Martin and Coldplay can only dream of achieving.”
See more: Jeff Buckley Albums Ranked
16. Kanga-Roo (Grace, 1994)
“A sound that sits in the soul with complete contentment. It ts knowing that Buckley’s music will resurrect the integrity of the soul, and safely carry it to a place of simplicity. “
15. I Shall Be Released (Live at Sin-é, 1993)
“Jeff Buckley wields his guitar with a loving ferocity that most guitarists can only dream of. His unique and tantalizing voice flows through the music he plays.”
14. Satisfied Mind (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, 1998)
“The lyrics of Buckley’s music have always impressed me as at first difficult to understand, and therefore, slow to evoke emotion. However, with repeated listening, they become easier to decipher and take hold in one’s heart and soul. So it is with these lyrics.”
13. I Know It’s Over (So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley, 1997)
“His cover of the Smiths’ “I Know It’s Over” is one of those classic cover case studies where it is so obviously inferior to the original, but you like it anyway because you like the fact that it’s one of your favorite artists covering another favorite artist”
12. Lilac Wine (Grace, 1994)
“In Lilac Wine he shows the introspection, self loathing and self consciousness that is synonymous with an artistic life.”
11. Vancouver (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, 1998)
“Voluptuous, soulful, and amorphous, Buckley’s voice sounds better than ever on these tracks. I’m not experienced enough to discern whether or not Buckley was a great jazz singer. But I know for a fact that he was a great pop-rock singer.”
10. Dream Brother (Grace, 1994)
“This song has great lyrics, emotion, instrumentals and like always; amazing vocals. Dream Brother definitely deserves to be higher on the list”
9. Everybody Here Wants You (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, 1998)
“Everybody Here Wants You” is an outgrowth of the blues leanings present on ‘Grace’, complete with a fine, sensual lyric “
8. Eternal Life (Grace, 1994)
“Took me a while to fully “get” this song due to its rougher exterior but I’ve come full circle with it by now.”
7. So Real (Grace, 1994)
“Amazing song, especially live, even though he died before I was born, he’s still one of my favorite singers of all time. It gives me chills every time I hear it.”
See more: Tim Buckley Albums Ranked
6. Mojo Pin (Grace, 1994)
“Mojo Pin” is the nineties heroin strung-out equivalent of “Gloomy Sunday” looking for escape into death from the life of the lovelorn.”
5. Last Goodbye (Grace, 1994)
“A haunting tribute to Jeff Buckley when you look at this song and listen to the lyrics. Beautiful in the purest form, no one could touch the vocal range that Buckley was capable of.”
4. Forget Her (Grace, 1994)
“Favourite song of Jeff, this song is full of deep honest emotions gets every time I give it a listen, he was gone too soon.”
3. Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Grace, 1994)
“Simply the best song ever. This is the best recording, has the best live performances, simply the most beautiful lyrics in popular music… written by a genius who may never be understood as he deserved… my favourite artist, voice, lyricist…”
2. Grace (Grace, 1994)
“Best vocal recording of all time, I reckon. So beautiful. Jeff Buckley doesn’t feature on any of the best guitarist, or best vocalist lists. It’s ridiculous.”
1. Hallelujah (Grace, 1994)
“One of my favourite songs. His vocals on this are beyond angelic and beautiful. The man uses his void like an instrument”
