Surely the most famous song written and performed by Leonard Cohen, who passed away last week, is Hallelujah. The song, with its Biblical references to Samson and Delilah and David and Bathsheba, has been covered by hundreds of performers, including Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainright, Willie Nelson and Justin Timberlake. The song was also featured in the movie Shrek. Which of the following also performed or recorded the song Hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen by Takahiro Kyono is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
A. The Canadian Tenors sang a version which was described in Newsweek magazine as a “vomitously overstuffed murdering of the track.”
B. British singer/songwriter Alexandra Burke won the 2008 X Factor competition, having performed Hallelujah in the final week of competition. A poll in the United Kingdom found Burke’s commercially released version of the song to be the tenth worst cover song of all time (behind such choices as William Shatner’s version of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and Madonna’s cover of American Pie).
C. Bono recorded a version of the song on the Leonard Cohen tribute album, Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, which included an odd rap delivery backed by drum machines and falsetto background vocals. The song was universally panned; even Bono later said of this recording, “I didn’t just let myself down, or my parents, I let the whole school down.”
D. Adam Sandler sang a version of the song at a Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert, including new lyrics such as “the mayor’s ban on 32-ounce Mountain Dew-ya” and “Turnpike Exit 13 stinkin’ like poo-ya.”
E. A 7-foot-tall clown known as Puddles Pity Party sang the song. Director Gary Yost filmed a performance of this version, about which he said, “The soul and heart can come through despite any costume we wear.”