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Dig Music Home > Music News > Cohen calls for halt on 'Hallelujah'

Cohen calls for halt on 'Hallelujah'

Leonard Cohen
Jul 13, 2009 Updated Jul 20, 2009

Leonard Cohen has joined an increasing list of critics who think that his covers are being over-saturated.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has called for a halt to new versions of his classic song 'Hallelujah,' saying the number of covers and movie appearances is turning into an overkill.

"I was reading a review of a movie called Watchmen that uses it, and the reviewer said, 'Can we please have a moratorium on 'Hallelujah' in movies and television shows?' and I kind of feel the same way," Cohen told the Guardian. "I think it’s a good song, but too many people sing it."

Artists that have covered the song include Brandi Carlile, Jon Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Bono, Jeff Buckley, K.D. Lang and Rufus Wainwright.

Despite the apparent over-use of the 'Hallelujah', the album from which it is from was almost panned by record company Sony, who very nearly refused to release the 1984 record Various Positions.  Cohen would have to smile when considering such an irony and indeed, such a royalty cheque.

Source: rollingstone.com external link

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Artist Biography

Fromwikipedia

Leonard Norman Cohen, CC, GOQ (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships. Cohen has been inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of...

This entry is from Wikipedia external link, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under CC-BY-SA external link. Visit Leonard Cohen external link on Wikipedia to correct or update this entry. Any changes made to the Wikipedia article will not be immediately available here. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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Comments

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On Jul 14, 2009. 2:12am
Bill Jewell said

I loathe to think such a lovely song is *done to death*

On Jul 17, 2009. 6:41pm
ajayro said

The best version ever IMO is by Jeff Buckley. No other version comes close in musical or emotional terms, including Leonard Cohen's own version.

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