Hallelujah (song)
Encyclopedia
"Hallelujah" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen
, originally released on his studio album
Various Positions
(1984). Achieving little initial success, the song found greater popular acclaim through a cover by John Cale
, which later formed the basis for a cover by Jeff Buckley
. In recent years several cover version
s have been performed by a large number and broad range of artists, both in recordings and in concert. The song has also seen significant use in film and television soundtracks, as well as televised talent contests such as The X Factor
.
and gospel music
. Written in the key of C major
, the chord progression
follows the lyric
"it goes like this, the fourth
, the fifth
, the minor fall
, and the major lift": C, F, G, A minor, F.
Cohen's original version contains several biblical
references, most notably evoking the stories of Samson
and traitorous Delilah
from the Book of Judges
as well as the adulterous King David
and Bathsheba
: "she cut your hair" and "you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you".
Following his original 1984 studio-album version, Cohen performed the original song on his world tour in 1985, but live performances during his 1988 and 1993 tours almost invariably contained a quite different set of lyrics with only the last verse being common to the two versions. Numerous artists mix lyrics from both versions, and occasionally make direct lyric changes, such as Rufus Wainwright
, a Canadian-American singer, substituting "holy dark" and Allison Crowe
, a Canadian singer-songwriter, substituting "Holy Ghost
" for "holy dove".
Cohen's lyrical poetry and his view that "many different hallelujah
s exist" is reflected in wide-ranging covers with very different intents or tones of speech, allowing the song to be "melancholic, fragile, uplifting [or] joyous" depending on the performer: The Welsh singer-songwriter John Cale
, the first person to record a cover version of the song in 1991, promoted a message of "soberness and sincerity" in contrast to Cohen's dispassionate tone; The cover by Jeff Buckley
, an American singer-songwriter, is more sorrowful and was described by Buckley as "a hallelujah to the orgasm"; Crowe interpreted the song as a "very sexual" composition that discussed relationships; Wainwright offered a "purifying and almost liturgical" interpretation to the song; and Guy Garvey
of the British band Elbow
anthropomorphised
the hallelujah as a "stately creature" and incorporated his religious interpretation of the song into his band's recordings.
(RIAA); the Canadian Recording Industry Association
; the Australian Recording Industry Association
; and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry show that, prior to late 2008, more than five million copies of the song sold in compact-disc
format. It has been the subject of a BBC Radio
documentary
and been featured in the soundtrack
s of numerous films and television programs. Different interpretations of the song may include different verses, out of the over 80 verses Cohen originally wrote.
In an April 2009 CBC Radio
interview, Cohen said that he finds the number of covers of his song "ironic and amusing" given that when he first wrote the song, his record company wouldn't put it out. However, he now thinks the song could benefit from a break in exposure: "... I was just reading a review of a movie called Watchmen
that uses it and the reviewer said - 'Can we please have a moratorium on "Hallelujah" in movies and television shows?' And I kind of feel the same way...I think it's a good song, but I think too many people sing it."
cover first appeared on I'm Your Fan
(1991), a Leonard Cohen
tribute album
, and later on his live album
Fragments of a Rainy Season
(1992). Cale's version featured vocals, piano, and lyrics that Cohen had only performed live. Cale had watched Cohen perform the song and asked Cohen to send him the lyrics. Cohen then faxed Cale fifteen pages of lyrics. Cale claims that he "went through and just picked out the cheeky verses."
Cale's version forms the basis of most subsequent performances, including Cohen's performances during his 2008–2009 world tour. It was also the version used in the film Shrek
(2001) (although it did not appear on the film's soundtrack album
).
, inspired by Cale's earlier cover, recorded one of the best-known versions of "Hallelujah" for his debut album Grace in 1994.
In 2004, Buckley's version was ranked number 259 on Rolling Stone
' s "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
". The same year Time
called Buckley's version "exquisitely sung," observing "Cohen murmured the original like a dirge, but ... Buckley treated the ... song like a tiny capsule of humanity, using his voice to careen between glory and sadness, beauty and pain... It's one of the great songs."
In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by the magazine Q
listed "Hallelujah" among the all-time "Top 10 Greatest Tracks" with John Legend
calling Buckley's version "as near perfect as you can get. The lyrics to Hallelujah are just incredible and the melody's gorgeous and then there's Jeff's interpretation of it. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of recorded music I’ve ever heard." In July 2009, the Buckley track was ranked number three on the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time
, a listener poll held every decade by the Australian radio station Triple J
."
Still, Buckley's version was not an instant hit, nor did Buckley live to see the full measure of the reception his recording would ultimately have; he died in 1997. The album on which it appeared did not go Gold
in the U.S. until 2002, nine years after its release. In fact, like Cohen's original, the Buckley version was never officially released as a single, and the singer's cover first charted posthumously in 2006. In March of that year, Buckley had his first national Top 10 bestseller when "Hallelujah" went to number seven in Norway. In 2007 it made the top 3 on the Swedish charts. In March 2008 it hit number one in France. In April 2008 it topped Billboard
' s Hot Digital Songs
in the U.S., where the sudden resurgence of interest catapulted Buckley's version past both Gold and Platinum status
, the RIAA certifying the digital track on April 22, 2008.
The Buckley version has been widely featured in film and television dramas, including the series The West Wing, Crossing Jordan
, Without a Trace
, The O.C.
, Scrubs
, House
, "Cold Case
", Dirt
, Criminal Minds
, ER
, Third Watch
, Ugly Betty
and LAX
, and the films Feast of Love
, The Edukators
, Vinterkyss
and Lord of War
. "Hallelujah can be joyous or bittersweet, depending on what part of it you use", Time quoted the late Buckley's publisher as saying of the track, and the magazine opined that its liberal use in some cases was "a tacit admission that neither the writers nor the actors could convey their characters' emotions as well as Buckley."
had briefly met Jeff Buckley and was struck by the singer, recording a tribute to him after his 1997 death. That song, "Memphis Skyline", referenced Buckley's version of "Hallelujah", which Wainwright would later record, though using piano and a similar arrangement to Cale's. Wainwright's version was featured on the album Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture
, although it was Cale's version that was used in the film itself. The Shrek
soundtrack, containing Wainwright's cover, was certified Double Platinum
in the United States in 2003 as achieving sales of over two million copies.
Rufus Wainwright, his sister Martha Wainwright
, and Joan Wasser
performed the song in the film "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
".
recorded a version of "Hallelujah" in 2004 on her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel
. She has several times been chosen to sing the song at major events, such as at the Canadian Juno Awards of 2005
, where her rendition "brought the audience to its feet for a two-minute ovation." Lang also sang it at the 2006 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
on the occasion of Cohen's induction into the Hall of Fame. Of that rendition, Cohen's partner, singer Anjani Thomas, said: "After hearing k.d. lang perform that song at the Canadian Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2006 we looked at each other and said, 'well, I think we can lay that song to rest now! It's really been done to its ultimate blissful state of perfection'." Lang sang the song at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, before a claimed TV audience of 3 billion.
, Kurt Nilsen
, Alejandro Fuentes
and Askil Holm
released a cover of the song which became the fastest-selling hit ever in Norway, reaching #1 on VG-lista
, the Norwegian singles chart, going double platinum (100K+ sales) in two weeks and eventually selling over 250,000 copies (8 x platinum).
The song remained listed on the Norwegian Top 20 for 37 weeks (week 26/2006 to week 11/2007)
The song also appears on the 2006 album Hallelujah Live, credited to Espen Lind with Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm, that also reached the top of the Norwegian albums chart.
, the winner of the fifth series
of British reality television show The X Factor
, released a condensed cover version of the song as a prize for her victory. It reached the Christmas Number One spot on the United Kingdom charts on 21 December 2008.
. It sold 576,000 copies in its first week, becoming the fastest selling single released by a woman in the United Kingdom and the 2008 Christmas number one, while Buckley's cover charted at #2 and Cohen's original version at #36.
On 28 December 2008, the UK Singles Chart
listed Burke's version as the biggest selling single of the year, with NME
announcing sales of over 1 million copies since its release.
was among the first to perform Cohen's song in concert with his earliest noted performance being in Montreal on 8 July 1988. Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe
recorded a critically praised version of "Hallelujah" in a single take for her album Tidings
(2003). Crowe also performed the song for a national television special broadcast annually across Canada each year from 2003 through 2008. Other notable artists who have covered "Hallelujah" include Brandi Carlile
, Willie Nelson
, Alter Bridge (Myles Kennedy) and Bono
. Bono's version, which is mostly performed as spoken-word, was included in Tower of Song
, an all-star tribute to Cohen in 1995. Bon Jovi
has covered the song several times in concert, including on their 2008 Live at Madison Square Garden
DVD.
British singer Kathryn Williams
performed the song at an open-air concert in Regent's Park
, which was later released on her 2004 album Relations
. Acclaimed English songwriter and singer Imogen Heap
covered the song as well. Progressive rock
singer/songwriter Kevin Max
covered the song on his album Between the Fence & the Universe
(2004). In 2005 blues singer and guitarist Popa Chubby
released Big Man Big Guitar containing a live version of "Hallelujah". Rea Garvey
sang a version on the soundtrack to the German romantic comedy Barfuss
. Paramore
covers the song as an introduction to their own song by the same title, "Hallelujah", in their live album The Final Riot!
International group Il Divo
released a Spanish-language adaptation on their album The Promise (2008), which topped the charts in the UK. The song was performed by singer/songwriter Damien Rice
at the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
inductions when Cohen was inducted. That same year Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins
recorded a classical-crossover
version for her album Sacred Arias
. Kate Voegele
performed the song in character as Mia Catalano in the U.S. teen drama One Tree Hill
. Also appearing on an album, her version made the Hot 100 Billboard
charts and reached number 53 in the UK shortly after airing of the episode there. Also in 2008, the Welsh band Brigyn
released a version of the song in Welsh
.
Although Alexandra Burke
won the fifth series
of X Factor
resulting in the release of her version, unreleased versions of "Hallelujah" sung by other of the show's finalists, Diana Vickers
, Eoghan Quigg
, and JLS
, have since leaked on the Internet. Lisa Hordijk
, winner of the 2009 Dutch X-Factor
released "Hallelujah" as her debut single, which went double platinum and remained at the top of the Dutch charts for ten weeks. Jason Castro, an American Idol
season 7 contestant, covered the song on March 4, 2008 for the Top 16 with the theme being the 80s. His performance was well received and was given positive comments by the judges. His version of the song was included in his self titled debut album
and his second studio album, Who I Am. In May 2010 on Australia's Got Talent
a version sung by 15-year-old boy Bobby Andonov led judge Dannii Minogue
to declare, "Bobby, I have heard so many versions of that song, that is now my favourite version of that song and you can print that tomorrow". The song was also covered by Brian Melo
during the final performance round of the fifth season of Canadian Idol
in 2007, who would go on to win the title.
On April 16, 2010, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
and the Richard Eaton Singers
conducted by Jack Everly
premiered a new arrangement for orchestra and chorus by Claude Lapalme. Also in 2010, the Maccabeats of Yeshiva University
released Voices from the Heights, featuring an a capella version of the song to the words of the Jewish liturgy "Lecha Dodi
". Tangerine Dream
also covered the song in their 2010 album Under Cover - Chapter One
. Neil Diamond
recorded the song for his 2010 album, Dreams. Progressive metal band Pain of Salvation
performed the song live several times; a recording can be found on the live album Ending Themes (On the Two Deaths of Pain of Salvation)
. The Swedish singer Ulf Lundell
has also contributed to a cover of the song, which goes by the name "halleluja". German metal guitarist Axel Rudi Pell
released a cover of the song on his album The Ballads IV and as a single in 2011.
Steven Page
performed the song live at the state funeral
of Canadian Opposition Leader Jack Layton
on August 27, 2011. Italian-Canadian classical-crossover singer, Micheal Castaldo
recorded an Italian version of "Hallelujah" on his album, Aceto. A video of the song was filmed in Toronto, Canada in December 2010 by filmmaker Greg Riccio Jr. supporting the Free Hugs Campaign
to promote random acts of kindness - selfless acts performed just to make others feel better.
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Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, originally released on his studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
Various Positions
Various Positions
Various Positions, the seventh studio album by Leonard Cohen, was released in December 1984 . It marked not only Cohen's turn to the modern sound and use of synthesizers , but also - after her work on harmonies and background vocals on the previous Recent Songs - an even greater contribution from...
(1984). Achieving little initial success, the song found greater popular acclaim through a cover by John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, which later formed the basis for a cover by Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
. In recent years several cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s have been performed by a large number and broad range of artists, both in recordings and in concert. The song has also seen significant use in film and television soundtracks, as well as televised talent contests such as The X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
.
Musical composition and lyrical interpretation
"Hallelujah", in its original version, is a song in "6/8 feel", which evokes the styles of both waltzWaltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Written in the key of C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
, the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
follows the lyric
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
"it goes like this, the fourth
Subdominant
In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant. It is also the note immediately...
, the fifth
Dominant (music)
In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called "dominant" because it is next in importance to the tonic,and a dominant chord is any chord built upon that pitch, using the notes of the same diatonic scale...
, the minor fall
Submediant
In music, the submediant is the sixth scale degree of the diatonic scale, the 'lower mediant' halfway between the tonic and the subdominant or 'lower dominant'...
, and the major lift": C, F, G, A minor, F.
Cohen's original version contains several biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
references, most notably evoking the stories of Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
and traitorous Delilah
Delilah
Delilah appears only in the Hebrew bible Book of Judges 16, where she is the "woman in the valley of Sorek" whom Samson loved, and who was his downfall...
from the Book of Judges
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
as well as the adulterous King David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
and Bathsheba
Bathsheba
According to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which King David seduced her....
: "she cut your hair" and "you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you".
Following his original 1984 studio-album version, Cohen performed the original song on his world tour in 1985, but live performances during his 1988 and 1993 tours almost invariably contained a quite different set of lyrics with only the last verse being common to the two versions. Numerous artists mix lyrics from both versions, and occasionally make direct lyric changes, such as Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
, a Canadian-American singer, substituting "holy dark" and Allison Crowe
Allison Crowe
Allison Louise Crowe is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Nanaimo, British Columbia who lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, communities spanning the breadth of Canada....
, a Canadian singer-songwriter, substituting "Holy Ghost
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
" for "holy dove".
Cohen's lyrical poetry and his view that "many different hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Halleluyah, and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah". The last syllable is from the first two letters of the name of God, YHWH, written JHVH in Latin). Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms...
s exist" is reflected in wide-ranging covers with very different intents or tones of speech, allowing the song to be "melancholic, fragile, uplifting [or] joyous" depending on the performer: The Welsh singer-songwriter John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, the first person to record a cover version of the song in 1991, promoted a message of "soberness and sincerity" in contrast to Cohen's dispassionate tone; The cover by Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, an American singer-songwriter, is more sorrowful and was described by Buckley as "a hallelujah to the orgasm"; Crowe interpreted the song as a "very sexual" composition that discussed relationships; Wainwright offered a "purifying and almost liturgical" interpretation to the song; and Guy Garvey
Guy Garvey
Guy Edward John Patrick Garvey , is the singer/guitarist in the band Elbow, as well as a presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records...
of the British band Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
anthropomorphised
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
the hallelujah as a "stately creature" and incorporated his religious interpretation of the song into his band's recordings.
Cover versions
In recent years "Hallelujah" has been performed by a large number and wide variety of artists. Since the cover by Cale, the song has since been performed by almost 200 artists in various languages. Statistics from the Recording Industry Association of AmericaRecording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA); the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
; the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
; and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry show that, prior to late 2008, more than five million copies of the song sold in compact-disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
format. It has been the subject of a BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
documentary
Radio documentary
A radio documentary or feature is a purely acoustic performance devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. It is broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD...
and been featured in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s of numerous films and television programs. Different interpretations of the song may include different verses, out of the over 80 verses Cohen originally wrote.
In an April 2009 CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
interview, Cohen said that he finds the number of covers of his song "ironic and amusing" given that when he first wrote the song, his record company wouldn't put it out. However, he now thinks the song could benefit from a break in exposure: "... I was just reading a review of a movie called Watchmen
Watchmen (film)
Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...
that uses it and the reviewer said - 'Can we please have a moratorium on "Hallelujah" in movies and television shows?' And I kind of feel the same way...I think it's a good song, but I think too many people sing it."
John Cale
John Cale'sJohn Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
cover first appeared on I'm Your Fan
I'm Your Fan
I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles. The album features Cohen's songs interpreted by some of the most respected rock acts of the time...
(1991), a Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, and later on his live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Fragments of a Rainy Season
Fragments of a Rainy Season
Fragments of a Rainy Season is a 1992 live album by John Cale, performed at various locations during his 1992 tour. A 16-track DVD, recorded at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium, that features the tracks in the order they were performed in, was also released...
(1992). Cale's version featured vocals, piano, and lyrics that Cohen had only performed live. Cale had watched Cohen perform the song and asked Cohen to send him the lyrics. Cohen then faxed Cale fifteen pages of lyrics. Cale claims that he "went through and just picked out the cheeky verses."
Cale's version forms the basis of most subsequent performances, including Cohen's performances during his 2008–2009 world tour. It was also the version used in the film Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
(2001) (although it did not appear on the film's soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
).
Jeff Buckley
American singer-songwriter Jeff BuckleyJeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, inspired by Cale's earlier cover, recorded one of the best-known versions of "Hallelujah" for his debut album Grace in 1994.
In 2004, Buckley's version was ranked number 259 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
". The same year Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called Buckley's version "exquisitely sung," observing "Cohen murmured the original like a dirge, but ... Buckley treated the ... song like a tiny capsule of humanity, using his voice to careen between glory and sadness, beauty and pain... It's one of the great songs."
In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by the magazine Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
listed "Hallelujah" among the all-time "Top 10 Greatest Tracks" with John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
calling Buckley's version "as near perfect as you can get. The lyrics to Hallelujah are just incredible and the melody's gorgeous and then there's Jeff's interpretation of it. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of recorded music I’ve ever heard." In July 2009, the Buckley track was ranked number three on the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time
Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009
The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time was a music poll conducted in 2009 amongst listeners of Australian youth radio network Triple J. Over half a million votes were compiled, with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" collecting the highest number of votes. Voters could submit a list of up to ten...
, a listener poll held every decade by the Australian radio station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
."
Still, Buckley's version was not an instant hit, nor did Buckley live to see the full measure of the reception his recording would ultimately have; he died in 1997. The album on which it appeared did not go Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in the U.S. until 2002, nine years after its release. In fact, like Cohen's original, the Buckley version was never officially released as a single, and the singer's cover first charted posthumously in 2006. In March of that year, Buckley had his first national Top 10 bestseller when "Hallelujah" went to number seven in Norway. In 2007 it made the top 3 on the Swedish charts. In March 2008 it hit number one in France. In April 2008 it topped Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
in the U.S., where the sudden resurgence of interest catapulted Buckley's version past both Gold and Platinum status
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, the RIAA certifying the digital track on April 22, 2008.
The Buckley version has been widely featured in film and television dramas, including the series The West Wing, Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
, Without a Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
, The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, "Cold Case
Cold Case
Cold Case is an American police procedural television series which ran on CBS from September 28, 2003 to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in investigating cold cases. On May 18, 2010, CBS announced that the series had...
", Dirt
Dirt (TV series)
Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
, Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
, Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
and LAX
LAX (TV series)
LAX is a television drama set at the Los Angeles International Airport and draws its name from the airport's IATA airport code, "LAX".-Synopsis:...
, and the films Feast of Love
Feast of Love
Feast of Love is a 2007 American drama film directed by Robert Benton, starring Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Radha Mitchell, Billy Burke and Selma Blair...
, The Edukators
The Edukators
The Edukators is a German-Austrian film made by the Austrian director Hans Weingartner and released in 2004. Nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, it stars Daniel Brühl, Stipe Erceg and Julia Jentsch....
, Vinterkyss
Vinterkyss
Kissed by Winter is a Norwegian film that first premiered February 11, 2005 starring Kristoffer Joner and Annika Hallin.Vinterkyss is similar to the Danish film Brødre in that it paints a very real picture of what can happen to family members in the event of an unexpected death...
and Lord of War
Lord of War
Lord of War is a 2005 French-German-American action drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Nicolas Cage. It was released in the United States on September 16, 2005, with the DVD following on January 17, 2006 and the Blu-ray Disc on July 27, 2006.Cage plays an illegal arms...
. "Hallelujah can be joyous or bittersweet, depending on what part of it you use", Time quoted the late Buckley's publisher as saying of the track, and the magazine opined that its liberal use in some cases was "a tacit admission that neither the writers nor the actors could convey their characters' emotions as well as Buckley."
Rufus Wainwright
Canadian-American musician and singer Rufus WainwrightRufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
had briefly met Jeff Buckley and was struck by the singer, recording a tribute to him after his 1997 death. That song, "Memphis Skyline", referenced Buckley's version of "Hallelujah", which Wainwright would later record, though using piano and a similar arrangement to Cale's. Wainwright's version was featured on the album Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture
Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture
-Chart positions:-Songs that appear in the film but not the soundtrack album:-Songs at the dance party:These songs feature in the party at the end of the movie.* "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel* "Like a Virgin" by Madonna...
, although it was Cale's version that was used in the film itself. The Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
soundtrack, containing Wainwright's cover, was certified Double Platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in the United States in 2003 as achieving sales of over two million copies.
Rufus Wainwright, his sister Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
, and Joan Wasser
Joan Wasser
Joan Wasser is a violinist and singer/songwriter in the indie rock world. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders. She has released three albums as a singer songwriter, the 2006 Real Life the 2008 To Survive and the 2011 The Deep Field...
performed the song in the film "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man is a 2005 film by Lian Lunson about the life and career of Leonard Cohen. It is based on a January 2005 tribute show at the Sydney Opera House titled "Came So Far for Beauty", which was produced by Hal Willner...
".
k.d. lang
k.d. langK.D. Lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
recorded a version of "Hallelujah" in 2004 on her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Hymns of the 49th Parallel is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter k.d. lang, released in 2004. It is an album of songs by Lang's favourite Canadian songwriters, and includes remake version of her original composition initially appeared on 2000 album Invincible Summer.-Title:The...
. She has several times been chosen to sing the song at major events, such as at the Canadian Juno Awards of 2005
Juno Awards of 2005
The Juno Awards of 2005 were held April 3 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba and were hosted by comedian Brent Butt. Avril Lavigne and k-os won three awards each, while Billy Talent and Feist won 2 apiece.Nominations were announced 7 February 2005....
, where her rendition "brought the audience to its feet for a two-minute ovation." Lang also sang it at the 2006 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their Hall of Fame within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have made a significant contribution with respect to...
on the occasion of Cohen's induction into the Hall of Fame. Of that rendition, Cohen's partner, singer Anjani Thomas, said: "After hearing k.d. lang perform that song at the Canadian Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2006 we looked at each other and said, 'well, I think we can lay that song to rest now! It's really been done to its ultimate blissful state of perfection'." Lang sang the song at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, before a claimed TV audience of 3 billion.
Espen Lind featuring Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm
In 2006 the Norwegian quartet of Espen LindEspen Lind
Espen Lind, , is a Norwegian songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage.- Solo records :...
, Kurt Nilsen
Kurt Nilsen
The following is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian music artist Kurt Nilsen.-Albums:-Singles:-Other releases:*1998 Shoe...
, Alejandro Fuentes
Alejandro Fuentes
Alejandro Javier Fuentes Riffo is a singer who finished third in Norwegian Idols third season in 2005.Later in 2005, he released the album Diamonds and Pearls, which reached gold by the end of the year....
and Askil Holm
Askil Holm
Askil Holm is a Norwegian singer and musician from Namsos.In 2006, he was a part of the big success when he played together with Espen Lind, Alejandro Fuentes and Kurt Nilsen. Their record Hallelujah Live sold 260,000 copies in Norway.-References:...
released a cover of the song which became the fastest-selling hit ever in Norway, reaching #1 on VG-lista
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
, the Norwegian singles chart, going double platinum (100K+ sales) in two weeks and eventually selling over 250,000 copies (8 x platinum).
The song remained listed on the Norwegian Top 20 for 37 weeks (week 26/2006 to week 11/2007)
The song also appears on the 2006 album Hallelujah Live, credited to Espen Lind with Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm, that also reached the top of the Norwegian albums chart.
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra BurkeAlexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
, the winner of the fifth series
The X Factor (UK series 5)
The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges...
of British reality television show The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, released a condensed cover version of the song as a prize for her victory. It reached the Christmas Number One spot on the United Kingdom charts on 21 December 2008.
Background
The release of Burke's cover created interest in the previous versions of the song, including a Buckley fan campaign to take Buckley's cover to the top of the Christmas chart in order to deny Burke the top spot. The campaign was fuelled by Jeff Buckley fans' dislike of The X Factors commercialism and the song's arrangement, as well as a desire by this contingent to introduce younger music fans to Buckley's version. Burke herself was not enamoured of the choice of song, remarking "It just didn’t do anything for me."Success
Burke's version broke a European sales record after selling over 105,000 digital downloads in just one day, breaking the previous record set by Leona LewisLeona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
. It sold 576,000 copies in its first week, becoming the fastest selling single released by a woman in the United Kingdom and the 2008 Christmas number one, while Buckley's cover charted at #2 and Cohen's original version at #36.
On 28 December 2008, the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
listed Burke's version as the biggest selling single of the year, with NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
announcing sales of over 1 million copies since its release.
Other cover versions
Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
was among the first to perform Cohen's song in concert with his earliest noted performance being in Montreal on 8 July 1988. Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe
Allison Crowe
Allison Louise Crowe is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Nanaimo, British Columbia who lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, communities spanning the breadth of Canada....
recorded a critically praised version of "Hallelujah" in a single take for her album Tidings
Tidings
Tidings is the third studio album by Allison Crowe, released in 2003 in EP form and expanded to full album length in 2004...
(2003). Crowe also performed the song for a national television special broadcast annually across Canada each year from 2003 through 2008. Other notable artists who have covered "Hallelujah" include Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is an American singer and songwriter.-Early life:At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother. She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen. At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Alter Bridge (Myles Kennedy) and Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
. Bono's version, which is mostly performed as spoken-word, was included in Tower of Song
Tower of Song
Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1995 on A&M Records. It takes its name of a song by Cohen, that has been covered by Marianne Faithfull, Robert Forster, Peter Gabriel, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Martha Wainwright...
, an all-star tribute to Cohen in 1995. Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
has covered the song several times in concert, including on their 2008 Live at Madison Square Garden
Live at Madison Square Garden
Live at Madison Square Garden is a fifth concert video by American band Bon Jovi from the last North American leg of their Lost Highway Tour. It was recorded on July 14 and July 15, 2008 at Madison Square Garden. It was directed by Anthony Bongiovi and Brian Lockwood...
DVD.
British singer Kathryn Williams
Kathryn Williams
Kathryn Williams is an English singer-songwriter.-Background:Williams was born in Liverpool, and now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne after earning an art degree in the city. Williams released her first album, Dog Leap Stairs on her own Caw Records label in 1999 with a budget of £80...
performed the song at an open-air concert in Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
, which was later released on her 2004 album Relations
Relations (album)
-Track listing:#"In a Broken Dream" – 3:37#"Birds" – 2:26#"Thirteen" – 2:56#"Hallelujah" – 5:08...
. Acclaimed English songwriter and singer Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...
covered the song as well. Progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
singer/songwriter Kevin Max
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk...
covered the song on his album Between the Fence & the Universe
Between the Fence & the Universe
Between the Fence & the Universe is an EP by recording artist Kevin Max, initially released independently in 2004 and later by Northern Records in 2005. It is a compilation of songs that Max initially recorded for his second album for Nashville-based ForeFront Records, following his critically...
(2004). In 2005 blues singer and guitarist Popa Chubby
Popa Chubby
Ted Horowitz , who plays under the stage name of Popa Chubby , is an American electric blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist.-Life and career:Born the son of a candy store owner, at age thirteen Horowitz began playing drums; shortly thereafter, he...
released Big Man Big Guitar containing a live version of "Hallelujah". Rea Garvey
Rea Garvey
Raymond Michael "Rea" Garvey is an Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist and frontman of the German rock/pop band Reamonn....
sang a version on the soundtrack to the German romantic comedy Barfuss
Barfuss
Barfuss is a film by German actor and director Til Schweiger released in 2005. It is a romantic comedy and tells the story of Nick , a hedonistic bachelor, who falls for Leila, an escaped mental patient, portrayed by Johanna Wokalek. Til Schweiger was also involved in the writing of the...
. Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
covers the song as an introduction to their own song by the same title, "Hallelujah", in their live album The Final Riot!
International group Il Divo
Il Divo
Il Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music...
released a Spanish-language adaptation on their album The Promise (2008), which topped the charts in the UK. The song was performed by singer/songwriter Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
at the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
inductions when Cohen was inducted. That same year Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
recorded a classical-crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
version for her album Sacred Arias
Sacred Arias (Katherine Jenkins album)
Sacred Arias is the sixth album by Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, released on 20 October 2008 in the UK. It is her final album with the Universal Music label.A Deluxe Edition containing a second disc was also released...
. Kate Voegele
Kate Voegele
Kate Elizabeth Voegele is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is signed to Interscope Records. She is also known for her part as Mia Catalano in the CW TV series One Tree Hill.-Career:...
performed the song in character as Mia Catalano in the U.S. teen drama One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
. Also appearing on an album, her version made the Hot 100 Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts and reached number 53 in the UK shortly after airing of the episode there. Also in 2008, the Welsh band Brigyn
Brigyn
Brigyn are a music act from north Wales consisting of the brothers Eurig and Ynyr Roberts.The brothers formed Brigyn in 2004 after the break-up of their previous group Epitaff. After signing to the Gwynedd label Gwynfryn Cymunedol, their eponymous debut album was released in late 2004...
released a version of the song in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
.
Although Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
won the fifth series
The X Factor (UK series 5)
The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges...
of X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
resulting in the release of her version, unreleased versions of "Hallelujah" sung by other of the show's finalists, Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008...
, Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Quigg is an Irish pop singer and occasional actor from Dungiven in Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest The X Factor in 2008...
, and JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
, have since leaked on the Internet. Lisa Hordijk
Lisa Hordijk
Lisa Lois is a Dutch singer who rose to prominence after winning the second season of talent show X Factor. In 2009, she changed her stage name to Lisa Lois and released her debut album Smoke.-Early life:Lois was born in Wageningen, Netherlands...
, winner of the 2009 Dutch X-Factor
X Factor (Netherlands)
X Factor is a Dutch television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is shown Friday evenings on the RTL4 Network in the Netherlands. The first series of the show aired from October 2006 through to February 2007, while the second series of the show...
released "Hallelujah" as her debut single, which went double platinum and remained at the top of the Dutch charts for ten weeks. Jason Castro, an American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
season 7 contestant, covered the song on March 4, 2008 for the Top 16 with the theme being the 80s. His performance was well received and was given positive comments by the judges. His version of the song was included in his self titled debut album
Jason Castro (album)
Jason Castro is the self-titled debut studio album recorded by Jason Castro. The album was released April 13, 2010.-Background:On April 12, 2009, Jason signed to Atlantic Records, and released his first official single, "Let's Just Fall in Love Again," which peaked at #113 on Billboard Hot 100 and...
and his second studio album, Who I Am. In May 2010 on Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...
a version sung by 15-year-old boy Bobby Andonov led judge Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
to declare, "Bobby, I have heard so many versions of that song, that is now my favourite version of that song and you can print that tomorrow". The song was also covered by Brian Melo
Brian Melo
Brian Melo is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario who was the winner of the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. His first studio album, Livin' It, achieved Gold Status in Canada...
during the final performance round of the fifth season of Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
in 2007, who would go on to win the title.
On April 16, 2010, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to country...
and the Richard Eaton Singers
Richard Eaton Singers
The Richard Eaton Singers is a symphonic chorus in Edmonton, Alberta since 1951. It was founded by Richard Eaton, the first Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Alberta, and was originally named the University Singers...
conducted by Jack Everly
Jack Everly
Jack Everly is an American conductor and music arranger who serves as Principal Pops Conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and National Arts Centre Orchestra as well as Music Director for the Symphonic Pops Consortium.Born...
premiered a new arrangement for orchestra and chorus by Claude Lapalme. Also in 2010, the Maccabeats of Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
released Voices from the Heights, featuring an a capella version of the song to the words of the Jewish liturgy "Lecha Dodi
Lekhah Dodi
Lekhah Dodi is a Hebrew-language Jewish liturgical song recited Friday at dusk, usually at sundown, in synagogue to welcome Shabbat prior to the Maariv...
". Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
also covered the song in their 2010 album Under Cover - Chapter One
Under Cover - Chapter One (Tangerine Dream album)
Under Cover - Chapter One is an album by electronic group Tangerine Dream, which was released in December of 2010. The idea for the album is said to have started in 2008 in Los Angeles. The band was touring in the west coast area at the time, and their promoter jokingly told the band they should...
. Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
recorded the song for his 2010 album, Dreams. Progressive metal band Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive rock band featuring Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the lyricist, chief composer, guitarist, and lead vocalist. Their sound is characterised by powerful, accentuated guitar work, broad vocal range, abrupt switching between heavy and calm passages, intense...
performed the song live several times; a recording can be found on the live album Ending Themes (On the Two Deaths of Pain of Salvation)
Ending Themes (On the Two Deaths of Pain of Salvation)
Ending Themes is a live album and documentary by progressive metal band Pain of Salvation. It was released on January 26, 2009 with a DVD version released on March 3, 2009. The DVD release has a double disc feature...
. The Swedish singer Ulf Lundell
Ulf Lundell
Ulf Lundell is a Swedish writer, poet, songwriter, composer, musician and artist....
has also contributed to a cover of the song, which goes by the name "halleluja". German metal guitarist Axel Rudi Pell
Axel Rudi Pell
Axel Rudi Pell is a German guitar player, playing melodic heavy metal. He started off with the band Steeler before leaving to start his solo career in 1989 with the eponymous band Axel Rudi Pell...
released a cover of the song on his album The Ballads IV and as a single in 2011.
Steven Page
Steven Page
Steven Jay Page , is a Canadian musician. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies ; he left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career....
performed the song live at the state funeral
Death and state funeral of Jack Layton
On August 22, 2011, Canadian New Democratic Party leader and Leader of the Opposition Jack Layton died after a bout from an unspecified, newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to his recent diagnosis, Layton led his party to gain a historic rise in seats during the 2011 federal election...
of Canadian Opposition Leader Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
on August 27, 2011. Italian-Canadian classical-crossover singer, Micheal Castaldo
Micheal Castaldo
Michéal Castaldo is an Italian-born Canadian, and now a New York City resident classical crossover tenor, music producer and composer.-Early life and musical career:...
recorded an Italian version of "Hallelujah" on his album, Aceto. A video of the song was filmed in Toronto, Canada in December 2010 by filmmaker Greg Riccio Jr. supporting the Free Hugs Campaign
Free Hugs Campaign
The Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places. The hugs are meant to be random acts of kindness - selfless acts performed just to make others feel better...
to promote random acts of kindness - selfless acts performed just to make others feel better.
Accolades and achievements
- In 2005, "Hallelujah" was named the tenth-greatest Canadian song of all time in ChartChart (magazine)ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
magazine's annual readers' poll. - The BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commemorated the 25th anniversary of the first recording with an hour-long radio documentary, The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall, in which the song's history and numerous cover versions were presented and discussed. - On 21 December 2008, "Hallelujah" became the first song in 51 years to occupy the first and second positions on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
; The X-Factor winner Alexandra BurkeAlexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
's and American singer Jeff BuckleyJeff BuckleyJeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
's covers were the two highest-selling songs in the week beginning 15 December 2008. Leonard Cohen's version attained the number 36 spot in the same chart. - In the February 2009 issue of BlenderBlender (magazine)Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, "Hallelujah" was featured as that month's "Greatest Song Ever" (a monthly feature).
Chart positions
| Year | Artist | Peak | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Finland | Sweden | Ireland Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
France Digital Chart | Norway VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
Netherlands | New Zealand | Europe | Canada | USA | ||||
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
Hot Canadian Digital Singles Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot Digital Songs Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
|||||||||||
| 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 | Jeff Buckley Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician... |
2 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 1 |
| 2006 | Lind Espen Lind Espen Lind, , is a Norwegian songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage.- Solo records :... , Nilsen Kurt Nilsen The following is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian music artist Kurt Nilsen.-Albums:-Singles:-Other releases:*1998 Shoe... , Fuentes Alejandro Fuentes Alejandro Javier Fuentes Riffo is a singer who finished third in Norwegian Idols third season in 2005.Later in 2005, he released the album Diamonds and Pearls, which reached gold by the end of the year.... and Holm Askil Holm Askil Holm is a Norwegian singer and musician from Namsos.In 2006, he was a part of the big success when he played together with Espen Lind, Alejandro Fuentes and Kurt Nilsen. Their record Hallelujah Live sold 260,000 copies in Norway.-References:... |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | Rufus Wainwright Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:... |
100 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007, 2008, 2009 | Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships... |
36 | – | 16 | – | – | – | 27 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008 | Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008... |
1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – |
| Bon Jovi Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald... |
177 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2009 | Lisa Lois | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010 | Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez... & Matt Morris Matt Morris (musician) Matthew Burton Morris is an American pop artist and songwriter. He is the son of country music star Gary Morris. He achieved early fame when he appeared on the Disney Channel television series The Mickey Mouse Club in the early 1990s, where he was a cast member from 1991-1995... |
91 | – | 10 | 46 | – | – | – | 8 | – | 5 | – | 13 | 5 |
| k.d. lang K.D. Lang Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress... |
– | – | 12 | – | – | – | 23 | – | – | 2 | – | 61 | – | |
External links
- 1984 version lyrics, on The Leonard Cohen Files
- 1988 version lyrics, on The Leonard Cohen Files
- BBC: Just whose hallelujah is it anyway? – article on writing and meaning of song
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