© 2025 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support essential local news and protect public media with a donation today!

Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' Turns 30

Canadian poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen performs at the Auditorium Stravinski during the 47nd edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 5, 2013. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)
Canadian poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen performs at the Auditorium Stravinski during the 47nd edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 5, 2013. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Newsweek has ranked the top 60 versions of Leonard Cohen’s famous song “Hallelujah,” which he performed for the first time 30 years ago, on Jan 31, 1985.

At that time the song didn’t get much of a reception, but today there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of versions, and on YouTube the song has millions of views. So what is this song’s appeal?

Author Alan Light joined Here & Now’s Robin Young back in December 2012 to discuss the famous hit. We revisit that conversation

[Youtube]

Newsweek’s Top 5 Versions Of ‘Hallelujah’

5. k.d. lang (Hymns of the 49th Parallel, 2004)

[Youtube]

4. Regina Spektor (concert for the Jewish Heritage Festival, 2005)

[Youtube]

3. Rufus Wainwright (Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture, 2001)

[Youtube]

2. Jeff Buckley (Grace, 1994)

[Youtube]

1. John Cale (I’m Your Fan, 1991)

[Youtube]

Guest

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.