Without diving headfirst into music theory, on the surface I feel like it has to do with the chord progressions. The placement of the minor chords versus the majors, the flow from chord to chord. The sound, the instrumentation, the audio mix, etc.

In Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley version of course), it’s actually a lyric… “the minor fall and the major lift…”

And I have no doubt that listeners mood, experience, situation all play into it. Even the moment it hits them.

This has me thinking lots these days. Aimée’s piece at The Riff speaks to it, too.

Aimee Mann’s Hauntingly Melancholic Melodies Give Us Hope

Thanks Stephen.