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Chilling. Poetic. Haunting. If you've never heard any version of the song, "Hallelujah," you're in for a treat. I've collected all the major versions of this great song here, mostly using YouTube postings as the source. But I recommend that you simply LISTEN. The song, written by Leonard Cohen and first recorded by him in 1988 (?) has been covered by some great artists, notably Jeff Buckley, KD Lang, John Cale, and Rufus Wainright. It's also been used in tv shows and movies such as The West Wing, Without A Trace, and Shrek.
New Table of Contents
The Definitive Version?
by Jeff Buckley
This is the version that strikes me as definitive. And it's probably the one that you've heard the most, as it is often used in television shows and films. It's a chilling version by Jeff Buckley. Jeff passed away at an early age. He's the son of Tim Buckley, a very influential musician.
The songwriter's version
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen's lyrics and melodies are fascinating. He's written some top hits, like "Bird On A Wire," "Suzanne," and of course, "Hallelujah." Like Bob Dylan's voice, some people love his voice and singing style, others find it hard to take. Me, I happen to love his singing and artistry. Here's one of his versions of the song he wrote.
A classic version
John Cale
John Cale was a quite influential musician, including founding the Velvet Underground with Lou Reed. Eric Clapton, for instance, said John Cale was his major influence. (Who knew?!) Many people consider this version of the "Hallelujah" song to be the best.
Bunches of Covers
Here's covers by KD Lang, Rufus Wainright (the version used in Shrek), and a group of guys from Norway who just may sing one of the best versions!
curated content from YouTube
The Dylan version
as one reviewer wrote, Dylan "gives the song balls." You decide.
Bon Jovi?!?!?
This dude...he's shameless!
The little whispered utterances are a little over-the-top, and sometimes he sounds like that singer from that Metallica song where you can't understand a single damn word he's saying (which only makes the song better, imo!) or that song from the 60's, I forget the name right now. But, still, I give it an B+. I can't believe I just wrote that.
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