In a development that is equal parts mind boggling and seasonally heartening;
Leonard Cohen’s anthemic song
“Hallelujah” is set to become a Christmas Number 1 and Number 2 on British song charts. The
Cohen song could become the first to occupy the top two slots in the prestigious UK charts. Thanks to the iTunes buying public and a clever
Facebook group strategy the poet, novelist, songwriter, ladies man, fedora wearing, golden voiced, 74 year old Canadian legend may finally get his long deserved due (chart wise).
The 1984 anthem
"Hallelujah" is set to make music chart history by becoming the first song to hit the top two slots at the same time. But alas, it’s not the
Cohen version that is enchanting the masses. This time, it’s
Alexandra Burke, who won ITV's X Factor final last week and whose cover of
"Hallelujah" has already been downloaded more than 150,000 times since Saturday evening.
And second place is almost within the posthumous grasp of
Jeff Buckley. The American singer-songwriter, who drowned in 1997, recorded what some believe to be the definitive version of
Cohen's Old Testament-informed love song for his 1994 album
Grace.
Such is the awe in which
Buckley's cover is held that horrified fans from all over the world embarked on a
Facebook campaign to get it to No. 1 as soon as it emerged that
"Hallelujah" would be released as a single by the
X Factor winner.
Last week their pleas had propelled the
Buckley version to No. 30 on the strength of downloads alone, and yesterday an unofficial provisional "mid-week" chart suggested it had shot up to No 3. According to the figures, it was trailing
Leona Lewis's cover of
Run by
Snow Patrol - last week's No. 1 single - by just under 10,000 sales.
The double honour, albeit one shared by
Buckley and
Burke, would crown a triumphant year for Cohen, which saw him forced into his first tour in 15 years after his former business manager allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars that he had put aside as his retirement fund. In March "the sexy septuagenarian" was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and ushered, officially, into "the highest and most influential echelon of songwriters". The cover bonanza should ease his financial pain a little, bringing in some huge royalties.
"Hallelujah" has already been reinterpreted by everyone from
John Cale - whose take many purists judge to be the finest - to
Rufus Wainwright, whose version graced the
Shrek I Soundtrack.
Buckley’s cover of the song has garnered a great deal of critical acclaim since its release 14 years ago;
Leonard Cohen, who originally wrote "
Hallelujah", preferred it to his own version,
Q Magazine voted it one of their ‘Top 10 Greatest Tracks’, branding it “as near perfect as you can get”, and
Rolling Stone included it in a list of the ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’.
Hallelujah indeed, thank God for small mercies. Don’t forget it was only a couple years ago that
Crazy Frog -
"Axel F" (a freaking ringtone) held the British holiday charts captive for what seemed an
eternity.
Ding, ding... Here's to the arbiters of taste across the pond!
