Hallelujah
 

This week I find myself interested in the singles chart for the first time since I was about 12. For those who arent aware, or for those who are outside of the UK the Leonard Cohen song 'Hallelujah' was chosen last week for this years X Factor finalists winners song. The X Factor is the standard God awful reality tv show we get every year, much like American Idol and pretty much guarantee's a Christmas #1 regardless of what song is chosen or who it is that wins it. However due to the winners song chosen this year there are now three versions of it in the top 40. The widweek charts place Alexandra Burke at #1 but Jeff Buckley at #3 and even Leonard Cohen at #34. I cant help but be slightly perplexed at having Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley in the Christmas chart, even if 90% of the rest of it is utter **** as always.

Surely this has never happened before? Has anyone heard this chicks version of this song? If i close my eyes I can almost hear Mariah Carey having a go at it she belts it out so loud. It sends shivers down my spine, and certainly not in a good way!

I have so far managed to avoid hearing it and i plan to keep it that way. It says a lot about our society that every year these idiots reach no1 at christmas

She sounds nothing like Carey.

Cohen sings it with feeling.
Buckley barely sings it with any feeling whatsoever.
Burke sings it with heart and soul. And vocally this is the best version there is.

Now I hate myself.

I think the song is over rated in the first place personally.

You just know this song is suddenly going to miraculously appear in those best songs of all time lists in rubbish magazines from now on.

Hallelujah! :(

The Buckley version already does, especially in the likes of Rolling Stone and Q etc

What I mean is the style in which she sings it. It just sounds far too big and too powerful. X factor bias aside for a moment it is the opposite of the reason I like the song to begin with. It always sounded best when done in a very intimate way to me. The smaller the better.

A bigger voice is better as far as these shows go.

I haven't heard it but while i like Jeff Buckley i'm not big on Hallelujah. Too overplayed i think.

Its frustrating as a Jeff Buckley fan to have his most well known (only well known?) song be a cover that has been covered by 17,000 other artists too but I still love it.