Hallelujah
The fact of the matter here is that the best ever version of ‘Hallelujah’ was by Jeff Buckley and the worst ever version of ‘Hallelujah’ is Bono’s. Every other version of ‘Hallelujah’ between now and the end of time will sit somewhere between those two recordings.
As for whichever ‘crusades’ are currently running regarding the Buckley version – apparently there’s one in The Sun – we fail to grasp how any of this is a ‘real victory for real music over Simon Cowell’s plastic pop rubbishzzzzzz’ given that none of it would be happening without The X Factor. “Readers! Let’s really teach Simon Cowell a lesson and show him that he’s powerful enough to get Jeff Buckley in the Christmas Top 5 without lifting a single finger.” “Oh and let’s show that The X Factor is manipulative and not about music by making people buy a song not because they like it but as a token of their dislike for something else.” LOGIC FAIL.
4 Responses to “Hallelujah”
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Mupwangle on December 17th, 2008
On my phone so I haven’t read the article, but does it mention that Burke, Buckley and cohen are all on the same record label?
Mister Pain on December 18th, 2008
Umm.. agree with the sentiment, but STRONGLY disagree with your version judgements. Not only because I am one of those people to whom Buckley the Younger sounds like a tortured female cat, but because the beauty of John Cale’s rendition of this song leaves Buckley’s sounding alot like the American Idol version. And, uh… Leonard Cohen’s version of this (his possibly best known) tune isn’t too shabby either.
Tony Kiernan on December 18th, 2008
I’m with Mr P on this. Both the staggeringnessness of Cale’s version and the feline qualities of Mr Buckley.
Squander Two on December 18th, 2008
Never been a Buckley fan, so hadn’t even heard of this song till all this brouhaha. Have to say I’m really not impressed by the original. Dull, I thought. And, regardless of performance, not actually all that great a song. I mean, it’s OK.
(Hey, I got to say “brouhaha”! Yay!)