Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah": The 10 best covers
Singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen, who died at the age of 82, had a musical career that spanned five decades, and his music would have a huge influence over several generations. His most famous song, “Hallelujah,” would go on to be covered by a multitude of musicians over the years including Bon Jovi, Rufus Wainwright, Regina Spektor, Michael McDonald, Norah Jones, Justin Timberlake, k.d. lang, Brandi Carlile, Susan Boyle, Bono, Willie Nelson and Renee Fleming.
To celebrate his life and musical career, I rounded up my collection of “Hallelujah” covers that best represent the tone and raw emotion of his most famous song.
Jeff Buckley’s version made the song popular all over again
There was Alexandra Burke’s rendition on “The X Factor”
A well-known YouTuber made her own moving version
Rufus Wainright’s rendition live at the Fillmore
Bon Jovi also did a beautiful version
As did Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris
Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, Live in Verona, New York
Willie Nelson
Norah Jones
Finally, Susan Boyle, made famous on “Britain’s Got Talent,” also had an amazingly stirring rendition
Bonus track: k.d. lang’s rendition when Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006
This article originally appeared on CNET.
