Hallelujah (4:14)
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“Hallelujah” is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen originally released on his 1984 studio album Various Positions. “Hallelujah” has been covered more than 120 times (counting only recorded, not live, versions) and featured in the soundtracks of numerous movies and television shows.
American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley recorded one of the best-known covers of “Hallelujah” for his 1994 studio album, Grace. Buckley, not wholly satisfied with any one take, recorded the song more than twenty times. Grammy Award-winning music studio engineer Andy Wallace took three of these recordings to create a single track. The result is a sparse-sounding production of vocals and electric guitar, influenced by John Cale’s version.
In 2004, Jeff Buckley’s version was ranked #259 on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by Q Magazine listed “Hallelujah” among the all-time “Top 10 Greatest Tracks” with John Legend calling Buckley’s version “as near perfect as you can get”. Buckley’s first #1 came posthumously in March 2008 when “Hallelujah” topped Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs following a performance of the song by Jason Castro on American Idol.
American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley recorded one of the best-known covers of “Hallelujah” for his 1994 studio album, Grace. Buckley, not wholly satisfied with any one take, recorded the song more than twenty times. Grammy Award-winning music studio engineer Andy Wallace took three of these recordings to create a single track. The result is a sparse-sounding production of vocals and electric guitar, influenced by John Cale’s version.
In 2004, Jeff Buckley’s version was ranked #259 on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by Q Magazine listed “Hallelujah” among the all-time “Top 10 Greatest Tracks” with John Legend calling Buckley’s version “as near perfect as you can get”. Buckley’s first #1 came posthumously in March 2008 when “Hallelujah” topped Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs following a performance of the song by Jason Castro on American Idol.
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Albums featuring this track
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Acoustic (disc 2)
Various Artists Buy- Download Album
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Grace
Jeff Buckley Buy- Download Album
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Grace (Legacy Edition)
Jeff Buckley Buy- Download Album
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Live From the Bataclan
Jeff Buckley Buy- Download Album
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Shouts
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surfinggal wrote:
love this, so beautiful...........
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andwright wrote:
yeah i do too!
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AlbatrossinComa wrote:
who gets chills when they hear this song. I know I do.
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Cristianomagi wrote:
niente da dire. ascoltiamo.
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corky64 wrote:
Great track....<3
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danontherun wrote:
haunting and mystifying. i'm sitting cross-legged right now, so I'm calling this bowing down.
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maple521 wrote:
There is no one like this guy around, a one off.... shame.
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reliefpfeiler wrote:
i love it <3
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Pewpewlazers wrote:
He sounds like a woman on this track. Such a perfect treatment to the cohen original.
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Marjo47 wrote:
so beautiful.
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Majek92 wrote:
I want him back ! ! !
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ZamboniChaser wrote:
Through love, the kingdom is lost, abused or stolen, yet the man is still thankful to God for what he has…always thankful. The Old Testament references show conquered love and the talents lost in epic style. The additional lyrics on his live recording (“yeah and even though it all went wrong, I'll stand right here before the lord of song, with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah”) synch it and translate into empathy of the soul that has ever put all it has on the table and rolled the dice in the name of love only to find all lost and still find the strength to be thankful for the pain. This is a powerful song for the soul and a reminder that every day is a blessing, every day. Cohen’s wish that this song not be so commercial suggests that most people don’t let their soul hear the lyrics, or, perhaps, it is more personal, as his songs are personal, and commercialization of them feels like silver being gilt onto a solid gold plate – more popular, but less valuable at the face value.
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BarbNY wrote:
If you can, get the DVD of his performance at the Metro in Chicago (1995). He always closed w/Hallelujah. In that version the transition from the very long intro into the song is a heartstopper. Also, Cohen wrote more verses that no one ever uses. Buckley, at the end, includes one of those verses but changes it quite a bit to a more adult version. He uses Cohen's idea of the verse and updates it. It's the best version and the only time I heard that verse used. No one -- no one could do this song justice like Jeff Buckley.
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bassoline wrote:
one of the best songs !!
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Barbie_Rella wrote:
It's just perfect.
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Meandmyarmy wrote:
Despite hearing this song so many times... This never fails to send shivers down my spine - Perfection.
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thetrogg wrote:
see also Steffen Brandt & Tina Dickow for a third way to interpret this classic (other than Buckley and Cohens takes I mean)
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wolla2 wrote:
Wonderfull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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MsFranx66 wrote:
Without a doubt the best version of this song on the whole planet. Jeff Buckley's singing is as beautiful as he was.
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wodkaflamingo wrote:
*sighing*
Jeff Buckley
Hallelujah
full track
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Recent Activity
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DRGNLRD1213, mattysurvive, samfordham and 1 other person loved Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah. 7 minutes ago
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