leonardcohenforum.com

Anyone interested in joining the campaign to get Jeff Buckley's version to number 1?

Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray has joined and has started broadcasting to download the Jeff Buckley version. Either way LC will get a lot of royalties from either version.

Hi Tim,

I don't think it's gonna happen - the girl's sold a million copies before the disk has even been pressed!

she does seem to be coming from the right place, though. Her influences are first and foremost G-O-D, plus some credible soul singers. Check out: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =129768088

All good things, John E

maybe I've had a bit too much of the red stuff but I just watched the video on the myspace link and, well I guess I can go with that, I certainly wouldn't argue with it as a Xmas no.1, meself I think Leonard will be chuffed (colloquial English word meaning 'well pleased')

Tim08 wrote:Anyone interested in joining the campaign to get Jeff Buckley's version to number 1?

Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray has joined and has started broadcasting to download the Jeff Buckley version. Either way LC will get a lot of royalties from either version.

Why not get the original Cohen version to no 1 - I personally don't care for any cover version. Only the original for me please.

If anyone's interested - go to the BBC website and look up Entertainment, scroll down until you see the picture of Leonard and you can take part in a Hallelujah quiz.

here's link for Lindaj's bbc quiz recommendation - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7783704.stm

i scored 5 out of 8.

bono's version is atrocious.

blake who are one of the quiz artists who may or may not have recorded hallelujah - my lips are sealed - were on songs of praise last sunday - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... s_Big_Sing : blake appear 20 minutes into show approx and at 34 minutes approx - although the whole show's worth watching IMHO.
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is alexandra's record a worthy number one? phone-in and studio discussion on radio 5 - click `monday` at radio 5 bacon link and listen from one hour and 49 minutes onwards.

studio `experts` are :-

dr peter webb - http://www.sociology.bham.ac.uk/staff/webb.shtml

mark frith - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Frith

the doctor says leonard will be "getting a lot of money" ???

http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/bacon.shtml
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
p.s. thanks john for alexandra link - impressive web site and a great video too.

i'll be entering the competition for dinner with her!!

the song is on Burke's official site:

http://alexandraburkeofficial.com/

Halleluha starts playing automatically. scroll down just a little to see the accompanying vid.

interesting that a way to promote the sales of a song is to, in essence, give it away like this. but that's the power of the web for ya!

update...reading back to page 9 i see John put the burke official link up b4 i did

John Etherington wrote:A friend of mine, who has a good perception of these things, has pointed out something obvious about the "Halleujah" phenomenon that should have occurred to me in the first place. She said that it is a collective spiritual hunger that is the reason why the song has to be enter the wider public consciousness, at this time. Suddenly, it became clear to me that if Alexandra (and is it JLS?) are the ones who have been chosen to bring the song to the greater populace right now, then that's the way it's got to be.

All good things, John E

hmmmm...an interesting concept

Although I'm part atheist, I prayed to 'God Almighty' to let Alexandra win - and fervently
hoped Cowell would rig the vote - because the thought of the boy band winning was not a good one.

I think Alexandra is a decent messenger for the song.

Boy bands...no way, jose.

More links:

"Alexandra pours heart and soul into winning song" [she certainly seemed to!):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/de ... ndra-burke

*Leonard Cohen's lament has become a perfect secular hymn": [hallelujah to that!]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/de ... hallelujah

"Hallelujah! He's our man": [you can say that again!]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/de ... music-2008

All those urls mention 'guardian' but the stories were in its Sunday sister paper The Observer, in the UK.

And from The Guardian yesterday, Monday:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/de ... ndra-burke

and today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/de ... gitalmedia

hmmmm...an interesting POV.

i saw one of jls's mothers on tv and she revealed that he's taking a sabbatical from studying theology at university.

so it's possible that (schooled in the pentacostal tradition?) jls might be able to rival alexandra in the God stakes.

i'm pleased to disclose to the board (for those who aren't avid x-factor fans) that eoghan also looks likely to be offered a contract.

as he's a good catholic lad, no doubt God's watching his progress with pleasure too.

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/X-FACT ... 4795384.jp



h

From the website.http://alexandraburkeofficial.com/

‘Hallelujah’ Is Fastest Selling Download Ever Across Europe
Posted 15th December 2008
Alexandra’s debut single has already made it into the record books: today it was confirmed as the fastest-selling download single in history across the whole of Europe!

The single sold over 105,000 copies in the UK on download only in just one day, Sunday 14th December. It smashed the previous record of 82,000 in one day achieved by Leona Lewis with her debut release, ‘A Moment Like This’.

Comparatively Take That’s recent No.1 single ‘Greatest Day’ sold 9,488 downloads on its first day, and Girls Aloud’s No.1 track ‘The Promise’ sold 7,600 downloads.

‘Hallelujah’ is currently at No.1 on HMV.com, 7Digital and Play.com’s download chart, as well as being top of the iTunes 100 chart.

The single will be released on CD in shops this Wednesday 17th December and is backed by ‘Candyman’ and ‘Without You’, two audience favourites from Alexandra’s time on the show.

Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for HMV says, ‘We’re seeing a phenomenal rush to download the ‘Hallelujah’ single from our website. It’s both our fastest and biggest-ever selling download, and Alexandra already has the Christmas No.1 all wrapped up. The physical CD single, which comes out on Wednesday, will give the release another huge boost and it’s now about how many copies Alexandra may go on to sell. HMV is ordering massive extra stock to keep up with the unprecedented demand.’

Here are a couple of other media links:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/200 ... -20973951/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/200 ... -20973753/

The latter is useful for compare and contrast purposes.

http://www.the-dish.co.uk/2008/12/16/ha ... the-charts

'Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah is in at 3rd place so far but interestingly it is looking like Leonard Cohen’s original version of the song will be entering the charts as well!'

that griffin guy has got a good voice - but his `humorous` lyrics fail to excite me.

maybe one has to be a soccer fanatic to appreciate them.

changing the words can be creative and fun when one master salutes another - e.g. noël coward reprising cole porter's `let's do it...` (discussed on radio 4 at link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fy446 )

AvidCohenFan wrote:http://www.the-dish.co.uk/2008/12/16/ha ... the-charts

'Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah is in at 3rd place so far but interestingly it is looking like Leonard Cohen’s original version of the song will be entering the charts as well!'

if lenny enters the charts [how gr8 would that be] as well we can excuse asda in grimsby piping out the Top of the Charts version to all and sundry

How the hell have we got to the situation from where Various Positions wasn''t even released in the US at the time ['they won't buy it' was the reason] - 1984 - with Cohen diehards keeping the flame burning in little pockets around the globe, to where we are today...

Finally [and please excuse my self indulgence]. i first heard cohen at about 11pm on January 1st 1970, when I put side two on of Songs from a Room. This is what I heard; I was 'just' a teenager and thought this was truly mesmerising stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNN0804olxw