hdsander

Journal

RSS
Share

"Hallelujah" original & covers (revised)

15 Dec 2007, 19:42

Leonhard Cohen's Hallelujah from 1984 is one of the most covered songs ever. The best known cover of this beautiful song is the 1994 version of Jeff Buckley. But there are dozens more of remarkable artists performing this song. This is the list of my collection so far.

The studio recodings:

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen from The Essential Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley from Grace
Hallelujah - Allison Crowe from Tidings
Hallelujah - Allison Moorer from Getting Somewhere
Hallelujah - Bettie Serveert from Bare Stripped Naked EP
Hallelujah - Brandi Carlile from Connect Sets
Hallelujah - Bono from Tower of Song: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah - Cæcilie Norby from First Conversation
Hallelujah - Chris Botti from December
Hallelujah - Clare Bowditch from Triple J: Like a Version
Hallelujah - Elisa from Lotus
Hallelujah - Henna Heikkinen from Idols 2005
Hallelujah - Holly Lerski & Angelou from Greeting From N.Y.
Hallelujah - Imogen Heap from Music From The O.C.: The Mixes
Hallelujah - John Cale from Music From [scrubs]
Hallelujah - k.d. lang from Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Hallelujah - Kathryn Williams from Relations
Hallelujah - Keren Ann from Keren Ann
Hallelujah - Krystal Meyers from Dying for a Heart
hallelujah - No'am Peled from שיר זר (Shir Zarah), or Stranger Song
Hallelujah - Rea Garvey from Barfuss Original Soundtrack
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright from The Music of Grey's Anatomy
Hallelujah - Sara Gazarek from Return To You
Hallelujah - Susanna and the Magical Orchestra from Melody Mountain
hallelujah - The Jazz Mandolin Project from The Deep Forbidden Lake
Hallelujah - Willie Nelson from Songbird
Hallelujah - Alexandra Burke from Hallelujah

Hum Hallelujah by Fall Out Boy isn't a cover but Hallelujah is sampled in the song.

The live recordings:

Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Cover) - Annie Bethancourt from 2008-01-03 - LeStats Coffee House
Hallelujah - Bob Dylan from A Legend in His Time (disc 3)
Hallelujah - Bon Jovi from MTV Unplugged 2007
Hallelujah - Gov't Mule from Mountain Jam 2007-06-01
Hallelujah - Kate Voegele from Live at Kofenya, Oxford, OH, April 29, 2006
Hallelujah - Over the Rhine from Live at The Dame, Lexington, KY, June 26, 2004
Hallelujah - Popa Chubby from Ten Years With Popa Chubby - Best Of (Live)
Halleluja (live) - Tina Dickow from In The Red: Live Acoustic Set At Copenhagen Jazzhouse, 24. April 2006
Halleluja (Live) - Damien Rice from Live at Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 15-8-03
Hallelujah - Gavin DeGraw from unknown

At last some songs named "Hallelujah", that are no covers of Cohen's original, but worth listening:

Hallelujah - Georg Friedrich Händel from Messias
Hallelujah - Appleton from Everything's Eventual
Hallelujah - BORN from At The End Of The Day
Hallelujah - Bethany Dillon from Imagination
Hallelujah - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds from No More Shall We Part
Hallelujah - Paramore from Riot!
Hallelujah - Patty Larkin from Watch The Sky
Hallelujah - Ryan Adams from Demolition
Hallelujah - Shawn McDonald from Roots

...and a song with so much "Hallelujah"s that it deserves to be mentioned:
Gabriel and the Vagabond - Foy Vance from Hope

The original lyrics from 1984 album Various Positions:
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Comments

  • hdsander

    Thanx for this add, I love Karin's interpretation :)

    16 Dec 2007, 10:40

  • hdsander

    Found at the INTERNET ARCHIVE's Live Music Archive - an address to memorize.

    16 Dec 2007, 12:20

  • Kburner

    Saw Brandi a couple of weeks ago in London and she did a great cover of Hallelujah live.

    17 Dec 2007, 16:55

  • hdsander

    Let me guess... it was the last song, as a solo? Have a look at this live recording from her last tour: http://www.last.fm/user/hdsander/journal/2007/10/26/558760/

    17 Dec 2007, 17:05

  • hdsander

    No, the track is from the live bonus CD of In The Red, sung only by herself. A wonderful recording, enforcing the beauty of her voice!

    28 Dec 2007, 14:48

  • Knirrie

    There's also a Dutch artist called BORNwho has a song called Hallelujah, it's nice! Check it out :)

    6 Jan 2008, 17:00

  • hdsander

    Thank you, I'll look for it.

    6 Jan 2008, 17:14

  • wezarscrew

    Another add to the list Allison Crowe Enjoy!

    24 Feb 2008, 16:15

  • wezarscrew

    forget... but it's great to see the video

    24 Feb 2008, 16:16

  • Torpidquixote

    Imogen Heap did a cover of it for the OC soundtrack. c:

    25 Feb 2008, 01:33

  • hdsander

    Thank you all for the interest and the recommendations. :)

    25 Feb 2008, 10:18

  • Knirrie

    I just recently discovered Gavin DeGraw also did a live version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. I wasn't very impressed by it but I thought it would complete your list ;)

    10 Mar 2008, 15:26

  • hdsander

    Thank you [i]Knirrie[/i], I have listened to Gavin's version now and I also was not impressed. He tries to give the song a personal touch, but you can't improve a perfect song. ;)

    10 Mar 2008, 19:56

  • Knirrie

    This hallelujah thing can go on and on forever :) I just found a Leonard Cohen Hallelujah cover by Damien Rice. I still need to listen to it but I hope (and expect) it's better than the Gavin DeGraw one.

    11 Mar 2008, 14:19

  • hdsander

    Found and added! Every serious artist will perform this touching song one day. Recently Alison Sudol (A Fine Frenzy) asked her fans for songs that she should cover... the major idea was Hallelujah. Every serious fan wants his artist to perform this touching song on day. ;)

    11 Mar 2008, 14:56

  • Knirrie

    Yeah I wish Josh Ritter would sing this song :) That would be overly utterly and über amazing :)

    11 Mar 2008, 18:50

  • hdsander

    BTW I found 35 unique versions of [i]Hallelujah[/i] performed by 20 artists in my music library (6 tracks by Brandi Carlile!).

    11 Mar 2008, 20:12

  • hdsander

    After a short investigation at the iTunes shop I know 30 more covers of [i]Hallelujah[/i]! Stand by, another update will follow soon...

    11 Mar 2008, 21:28

  • hdsander

    ...and some additional covers found at the iTunes shop that I do not have in my music library: [IMG]http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/5585/hallelujahdx3.jpg[/IMG]

    12 Mar 2008, 19:18

  • hdsander

    Thanks to alexisbradmer added the hebrew version of No'am Peled and an instrumental by The Jazz Mandolin Project.

    4 Apr 2008, 11:43

  • Knirrie

    Boohoo I just added a comment and now it's gone :( Well let's try again :) Bono also did a kinda freaky cover of Hallelujah. Check it out :)

    29 Apr 2008, 11:19

  • hdsander

    Thanks for the head up! Donno how I could miss this, I have it on my computer! ...and yes, it's really freaky, kinda refreshing if you're listening the complete list. :)

    29 Apr 2008, 11:46

  • Eclectic-G

    Thanks for this informative post. I was wondering why I seem to be hearing different versions of "Hallelujah" every day. The answer is simple: everybody and his brother has done a cover of it!

    14 Jul 2008, 15:47

  • PhamilyJules

    Ug....the Bono cover is horrible. I don't like it. It starts off with a tribal chant. Kinda fun, but not my thing. >.<

    29 Jul 2008, 03:57

  • wezarscrew

    The newest Hallelujah cover in (Frisian) Frysk by Nynke Laverman. Saw it 22 September, but then not the complete song... and noticed today the full version on youtube :D

    1 Nov 2008, 14:28
See all 35 comments
Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).