Hallelujah on UK X-Factor (all threads merged here)

[Davido]

OK, maybe it's not one of the best cover-versions-it's subjective anyway- but it brings the song to an exceptionally wide audience.Great songs will always be covered, and rightly so.
I suspect Leonard will be pleased but somewhat bemused.I think the last thing he would be is critical. I recall him saying in interview that he is flattered when he hears his songs covered: 'whenever I hear anyone sing one of my songs my critical faculties are suspended'.
A great song can withstand anything.
Ultimately, a song can only be truly damaged if it is never sung - thankfully, this will never happen in this case.

[scorp]

Well... this is a song that will stand up to anything....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X0zxTdobf70

indeed. for those who weren't watching the box last night, this is alexandra's tear stained performance, done after she had already sung it and been announced the winner. she kinda break down at one point..i.e. can't get the words out. credit to her that she gets back into it.

at age 12 she was beaten by Joss Stone in a competition. in the 1980s her mother was a singer in Soul II Soul. alexandra has just turned 20; she first sang with a microphone aged 5. i hope Lenny can be pleased to be no 1 with her.

[jarkko]

Honeyrose wrote (on page 3):

The mordant songwriter is set for a £1 million windfall after his classic song Hallelujah was chosen as the debut single by tonight’s winner.

I think £1 million is the value of the recording deal the winner of the program is going to sign! Maybe your newspaper has got the facts mixed up? *)

--- As you may have noticed, I merged all five X-Factor threads to just one.

*) Update: Hmm... ´I'm not sure about this.
http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headlin ... _page.html writes (Dec 14): "Gloomy Leonard Cohen is set for a £1million windfall after his classic song Hallelujah was chosen as the X-Factor winner's single."

[scorp]

OK, maybe it's not one of the best cover-versions-it's subjective anyway- but it brings the song to an exceptionally wide audience.Great songs will always be covered, and rightly so.
I suspect Leonard will be pleased but somewhat bemused.I think the last thing he would be is critical. I recall him saying in interview that he is flattered when he hears his songs covered: 'whenever I hear anyone sing one of my songs my critical faculties are suspended'.
A great song can withstand anything.
Ultimately, a song can only be truly damaged if it is never sung - thankfully, this will never happen in this case.

i think lenny will be gobsmacked. here is a song from an album that was not released in the US at the time [1984] because the powers that be, the d*ckheads, deemed it would not sell [but that i rushed out to buy in the UK, lol], yet has gone on to top the itunes chart in march this year in the US, via a certain JB...and has now been given mega saturation coverage across the UK media, from The Times to the very dowmarket Sun - and TV. amazing. but it's a gr8 song so it deserves it

here is lenny singing it at glasto in june [slighty out of key at times but never mind, maybe it had been a long day] :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tPQQLMXmQ4

and the big chill in august:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

but i suggest his power performance that night at the chill was anthem, his final number of the summer tour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XX5Tpv9P9s

[sebmelmoth2003]

what's with the times articles being referred to as not online.

here they are :

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 333298.ece

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 333369.ece
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i haven't heard il divo's hallelujah rendition but i found it somewhat disrespectful of them to sing `amazing grace` last week.

perhaps they're devoutly religious in which case i rescind my criticism but personally i didn't think the x-factor was the right environment - especially with all the pyrotechnics. i'm surprised they didn't stick a neon Jesus on stage being crucified.

i'm still fuming because my favourite, cherubic eoghan, was voted off - i think hallelujah might have suited his voice.

i don't think the `creative director` did him any favours with the distracting choreography.

i would have purchased some of eoghan's hallelujahs but i won't be buying alexandra's : i didn't hang around to watch her winning but i heard some snatches on radio 5 later in the evening and wasn't impressed - too much synthetic emoting and gurning.

a lot of these female black singers seem cut from the same cloth - beyonce, rhianna, leona, alexandra etc.

i don't like them compared to singers with character and a life story : billie holiday, eartha kitt, bessie smith - even shirley bassey.

oh well, c'est la vie.

[peter danielsen]

on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAaw6VWpk4A

and the weeping version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxAopQJAHiI

Well I must say its touching
Peter

[chrisegan]

Hallelujah was one of the songs in the back-catalogue sold to Sony, the proceeds of which were subsequently embezzled. I don't believe Leonard will get a penny.

Was it not only the Publishing rights that were stolen from him? As the Songwriter, although he cannot dictate who sings his song, he should still get his percentage back as the writer.

[peter danielsen]

and by the way I know I have A video of Leonard Cohen singing Hallelujah, in the Eighties. But its on tape I I dont own a vcr anymore.

Maybe you have it Jarkko, I believe that Martin Ehrensvärd once send you a copy.
Peter

[brokenhill]

For anyone else who feels slightly ill at ease after watching the various clips linked here this clip from Helsinki is probably the best on You Tube and has tremendous restorative powers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EidJV2mb9h8

mmmmmmmmmm I needed that!

[Paula]

Peter is it the one from Songs from the life of

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzWeN-bVDUc

[peter danielsen]

Paula, No I have that one also on video. Its a live version from the Roskilde Festival. His take on Hallelujah is wonderful, i n one of the Hallelujahs he kneels with a cup of (somthing) in his right hand, its the best version of hallelujah ive seen to date

Peter

[scorp]

on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAaw6VWpk4A

and the weeping version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxAopQJAHiI

Well I must say its touching
Peter

i prefer her weeping performance. less slick and polished...more off the cuff somehow.

[sebmelmoth2003]

the helsinki clip has a long way to go to catch up with the 5 million plus views of my favourite :

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rf36v0epfmI
-----------
p.s. last night's profile of the greatest human being that's ever lived - simon cowell - references the jeff buckley version at the end.

website is kaput (i've reported it!)

programme is repeated on radio 4 this evening at 17.40 hours.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/profile.shtml

iplayer link works : song from 13 minutes onwards into programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 3_12_2008/

[John Etherington]

As it happens, Alexandra's version of "Hallelujah" fits most of the credentials of past Christmas No. 1s. These fall into various categories, and among them there are (rarely) classic songs; "the ones the mums or grandmas love" (whoever these ladies are); the ones that touch religious sensibilities; the ones that people like to sing along with, and the ones that appeal to kids (in "Hallelujah's case children may associate it with the Shrek movie ). Alexandra's treatment of the song also has the benefit of not being disimilar in style to a previous Christmas No. 1 - Whitney Houston's interpretation of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You".

When I discovered Leonard in December 1968, the Christmas No.1 was The Scaffold's "Lily the Pink",which set another trend - "the Christmas novelty hit". Ironically, this was the only other "Christmas No. 1" to be written (in part) by a poet - namely Roger McGough. In 1968, I bought myself "The Rock Machine Turns You On" for Christmas - an outstanding album representing the best of the emerging underground scene. I loved it all, but the song that made the greatest impression on me was Leonard's "Sisters of Mercy". For me, it was THE "Christmas song" of 1968, and it touched my soul on the deepest level.

Assuming "Hallelujah" does become the Christmas No 1, it will arguably be the greatest song ever to do so (even though it may be considered a very broken Hallelujah) . Here's a list of previous Christmas No 1s: http://www.everyhit.com/christmasnumber1.html

Bon Noel, John E

[John Etherington]

Meanwhile, the big question is would Leonard be likely to recruit Alexandra, if for any reason, Sharon Robinson had to step down ?!