The Top 10 Most Popular Hallelujah Renditions on Youtube.
The most beautiful word: Hallelujah.
The most beautiful song, originally written and sung by none other than Buddhist, and Ladies’ Man, Leonard Cohen.
“And even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand right here before the Lord of song, with nothing on my tongue but ‘Hallelujah’.”
It’s, as I say, a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion…It’s a rather joyous song. I wanted to write something in the tradition of the hallelujah choruses but from a different point of view…It’s the notion that there is no perfection—that this is a broken world and we live with broken hearts and broken lives but still that is no alibi for anything.
On the contrary, you have to stand up and say hallelujah under those circumstances.
~ Leonard Cohen
Then, most memorably, sung by a young man who would, tragically, stay young forever, who would breathe out at the beginning of the song, and finally, never breathe in again. This was the version I first go to know, when, five years ago, my designer Pam Uhlenkamp and I played it again and again in her second floor flat just off downtown Boulder, as we worked endless days and night putting together an issue of elephant.
And, then, most famously, by Rufus Wainwright, a version that made it into Shrek, the blockbuster children’s fave movie.
I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing HallelujahHallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, HallelujahWell your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the HallelujahHallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, HallelujahMaybe there’s a God above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who out drew ya
It’s not a cry that you hear at night
It’s not someone whos seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken HallelujahHallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Here are the top ten most popular versions, as picked by We the People across the World, on youtube. The only editorial privilege I’ve exercised is selecting the top 10 that have kept some of the original heartache and space within each word…there are many pop, casual, speedy, shmaltzy versions that exhibit breathtaking vocal range and a decided lack of heart. Fuck ‘em.
Skip to two minutes in—a surprisingly chill-inducing version, given the context:
The most popular version, surprisingly. The blonde man (?) has an amazing voice:
Buckley:
American Idol Hallelujah, not my fave:
With lyrics:
The man himself. Those lyrics, from that voice. The original:
I love Rufus:
Awesome:
Imogen Heap:
Regina Spektor:
Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Or do you want to write for Elephant?
Waylon, I am honored to have my article Why Yoga? placed in the same line-up as Leonard Cohen and all these beautiful renditions of Hallelujah, including one from a fellow Norwegian singer, the hobbit-looking fellow second from the top.
Here's a Cohen anecdote for you: I grew up just outside Fredrikstad, on an island. Back then, Fredrikstad was home to the late Norwegian writer AxelJensen, whose best friend Tore Bernitz Pedersen, an artist and illustrator, was my friend, even though he was 20 years older than me when I was a 19 year old hippie in the mid 70s. Once, at Tore's home while looking at some of his art work, he put on a Cohen album and started telling me about his time in Greece when he, Axel Jensen and his girl friend Marianne Ihlen lived in Cohen's neighborhood on Hydra. When Axel left Hydra, Marianne and her little son hooked up with Cohen. The rest is history, as they say.
That love relationship, of course, became legend in the famous Cohen song "So Long Marianne." In return, Jensen fell in love with Cohen's old flame Lene.
Hallelujah to all that!
Read an interview with Marianne here: http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/marianne2006.htm…
And about the remarkable, bohemian author Axel Jensen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Jensen
K. D. Lang at the Junos. Period. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
I'm with you, Mary. K. D. Lang does it right!
I was just about to post the same one. Good call!
And Cohen himself said so too!
Allison Crowe. Absolutely.
There is a video @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMOdVXAPJ0 though my favorite, aside from experiencing Crowe's transcendence in concert, is this audio-only version http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/hallelujah
What's the criteria for calling these the ten most popular versions of Hallelujah on YouTube? They are not the most popular chosen by "we the people" according to the YT filter options of views, relevance and rating.
Any Hallelujah discussion should include John Cale's rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckbdLVX736U
Yes, it has over three million views… many more than some of your choices. More importantly, Cale took Leonard Cohen's song and formed it into the shape in which it's performed by almost everyone since. Without Cale you don't have the same top ten however you choose to pick 'em!
I said the criteria in the blog, above–I basically just selected from the top 20 or so those that were my favorite. Totally subjective, for better and worse–so links here are most welcome!
I listened to Cale, did see that it was hugely popular. I was mainly selecting for ones that had a lot of heartache in them, and weren't too speedy (Cale's was great, as evidenced by the views, just didn't hit me).
It's MEANT to have the heartache. Anyone who's ever followed Leonard Cohen knows that he, his music and especially his lyrics (he is a poet, after all) are complex, often deeply poignant, and never ever "pop".
I adore this song and am enjoying the many renditions, but I have to agree…no one sings it like Ms. Lang. She has the perfect voice for any song because there's nothing gimmicky about it…it's pure in the way that few voices are. Karen Carpenter had the perfect voice, too…bet she would have sung this amazingly. Thanks for all the videos in one place…the song is just so powerful for me and always has been.
Awesome post!!! I love this song, and it's so fun to hear the different renditions!
I'd like to add the Damien Rice version : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEKCsSlK3jg&fe…
wow… many great versions out there, but I have to say I agree with the other that kd lang is my fav and it was sooo moving when shed did it at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVq0L4kkpKM
I hear America singing. Would love to see additions (Like the Lang) and maybe this could be a signature of what elephant can do? Love the Buckley, shivers, o-o-o-o
For emotional authenticity, I love the newest recording by the song's creator, Leonard Cohen, and of all the interpreters, I also find Allison Crowe's performance most moving. It is a song that has been performed so many different ways, and each deserves its own audience.
I'll add any that get a few mentions, let the Elephants speak!
Allison Crowe is my favorite artist for this and many other songs she performs. I appreciate that Hallelujah can be enjoyed in many voices. None is "best". All have a place. Thank you Leonard Cohen!
Thanks, Waylon, for putting that together. I was just starting to do the same thing using the same criteria and now can go find renditions of Sweet Memories to make a similar list.
Hi, I like the particular post! Extremely interesting read! I don’t know if you have had a Twitter or not, but I’m going to follow you from @dmastylo provided you can let me know what it is?
As much as I love this song, and most of the artists on this list, there is an amazing version most people haven't heard. Kate Voegele's version of this song gives me goosebumps every single time I hear it. <3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v22NMAG1k18
Wow how do you not like Jeff Buckley. Watch the tribute to 9/11 with Jeff Buckley singing and if you are an American you will never have second thoughts
Ohh…don't forget this live version by Allison Crowe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thNVaVfCQEo
This song has always been so powerful and moving to me — just the sound, not the lyrics. Then a few months ago, a friend sent the youtube link below to me with Alexandra Burke's rendition providing accompaniment to the video. This video-Hallelujah combo drove me over the edge and to Google. I studied it for hours — the lyrics, Leonard Cohen, opinions about the meaning of the lyrics, etc. And I watched the video and listened to the music over and over and over. AWESOME.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hN8CKwdosjE
[...] most painfully lovely songs about love, loss, and spirituality. Quebecois-born to Jewish parents, Cohen has studied Zen Buddhism extensively, and its influence is evident in many of his songs. His latest [...]
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Time for Three does a not to miss rendition, instrumental, absolutely beautiful!!! http://youtu.be/K_SZp_L3q4c
Love Rufus, Love Jeff Buckley…love the original obvs. But Damien Rice…amazing
live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbk8JnzvUX4&fe…
Will Blunderfield kills it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOBa2Iwcg0c
Jeff Buckley’s version will always be the definitive one for me. There is so much emotion in his voice. I “discovered” him when “Grace” was released, and have loved his voice ever since. His voice is so haunting that it almost “hurts” to hear it – especially given the tragedy of his being taken from us.
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[...] to eight million versions of it until you’ve inoculated yourself against earworm (and annoyed the hell out of everyone around [...]
Check out Brandi Carlile's version…it is pretty amazing as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvUfq2UslOM
Wow, Regina!!!!
Didn't even know ahe had covered this. "That Time" crushes me, and this one is a slam dunk too. Brilliant compilation, Way.
Most recent and very beautiful rendition by Carly Rose Sonenclar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDh30jpSALk
KD lang and Jess Buckley still tops, a special thanks to Jason Castro for bringing this song to my attention!
Here's my latest fave version from Switerland http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=4YYfqiUu6eQ&de…
This young guy is just as awesome live
I remember that too.