Hallelujah - Burke or Buckley?
Lisa Norman | Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Buckley version is by far the best and will never be rivalled in comparison but still, give it a rest. The 1994 release shot to fame by Buckley before he tragically drowned a few years later in 1997.
The Burke version has broken Leona Lewis’ record and knocked her off the number one spot for the fastest selling download single of all time. Leonard Cohen the writer of the track is looking set to fill his pocket with a stash of royalties so it’s worked out well for everyone.
I can’t see it being a bad thing that this song has been bought into the public eye again - after all, more people will want to listen to the Buckley version. Other takes have been done by the likes of Bob Dylan, and Rufus Wainwright.
Burke has secured a £1million record deal on Simon Cowell’s label, Syco. Good on her I say and despite all the blubbering, her version isn’t half bad! This isn’t the first time Cowell has used the song and got Buckley more fame either. A competitor on American Idol sang it and that week the track reached number one on the US download chart.
I’d rather them big up a classic and amazing track like this than release drivel like Will Young’s 'Anything Is Possible' and the like.