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stephencharlton wrote:Leonard's recording of Hallelujah was played on Radio 2 Steve Wright show this pm. Radio 2 has a massive audience, ? 5 million+ i'm told, so good to hear on national radio !

Gremlins in the works gave an extra bonus

When he was supposed to play Leonard's Hallelujah he introduced it as...

here's the man with his version...

and on came 'If it be Your Will'

Steve Wright let it play until interrupting towards the end and apologising for the wrong song
.... then he played Cohen's Hallelujah later in the show...with Alex's version inbetween.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/wrigh ... _fri.shtml

and there's a link in here to listen again (Fridays' show)

Pete

So which mp3 downloads get to count toward the sales charts? is it only certain ones?
the play.com site doesn't offer Leonard's version as an option on the front page, only Alexandra's, you have to go searching for it.

I may be the only person in the UK to think this way, but I don't much care for Alexandra's version. Too histrionic. But then I don't go much on divas who pull out all the stops and "wobble" the notes - which counts out a lot of popular pop divas.

Hi honeyrose

HMV and Play.com do count towards the charts.

Just put leonard Cohen Hallelujah in search. It will bring up the album but if you scroll down the page you can buy individual tracks from the album. Mind you, who am I to advise, downloading hallelujah was my first attempt at downloading!

As for Alexandra, I think she was just given a song to sing (with the attendant production) by Cowell. Suspect she had no real idea about the complexity of the song itself. Think Cowell thought the refrain Hallelujah would be an ideal Xmas money making machine.

Totally agree with you about wobbling divas!

Hi everyone

Really sad if it's true that LC sold the rights of Hallelujah some time ago , I was delighted when I thought its success would help him financially because he has brought so much pleasure to me and so many throughout the years.
Saw him at The Royal Albert Hall on 18 Nov and he was breathtakingly brilliant, the first time I have seen him live though I have been a follower since 1969. The day after, my daughter and I were wandering around shopping before setting off home to Cambridge, when she (who accompanied me as a dutiful daughter and came away a true convert) spotted a familiar outline outside the door of a hotel. Yes, it was the great man himself. I was too afraid to approach him as I knew if he refused I'd be wrecked, but I should have known better. He was absolutely charming and posed for a wonderful photo with me taken by my trembling daughter, she was so afraid the camera battery would fail as it was flashing red. I will treasure the picture always as a flake (well, almost) of Leonard Cohen's life.

I believe LC would be the first to shake Alexandra's hand and wish her well, he is that sort of person, which is why we love him.
Is it a fact he no longer owns the right to his song, does anyone know for sure?

Welcome to the forum, Evie. What a wonderful story! May we see the photo?

As I understand it, Leonard sold the rights to every song before Ten New Songs (i.e. everything before he went into the monastery) to Sony for a lump sum ... which was then embezzled. Cowell's label, which is hosting Alexandra, is a branch of Sony. So I reckon that the choice of Hallelujah as the winner's Christmas release was motivated first and foremost by the brutal commercial reality that all royalties would go straight back to Sony, thus keeping everything 'in the family'.

This is from "Ten New Songs"....

"I bite my lip
I buy what I'm told
from the latest hit
to the wisdom of old."

(In My Secret Life)

I guess Leonard summed it up ....years before the world tour, the KL court case, the X-Factor, and all the other stuff.

Andrew.

Hi Hydriot
Glad you liked my story, I'm not ashamed to say it took me days before I could think about the experience without bawling my eyes out, even now I'm not safe. The short time that he was outside just standing on the pavement and we happened along, the thought that a few minutes either way we would never have known what we missed. Afterwards, we progressed to Harrods where my daughter wanted to buy a few things but I just wasn't interested so I parked myself on a seat with our 2 small suitcases, drinking coffee outside a cafe just opposite while she went in. Unfortunately, tears kept coming though I tried my best to stop and I was desperately blotting them with a sodden tissue. People walking past must have thought.... well, what would anyone think, poor woman. Little did they know my tears were of pure joy. I will never judge such a scene again.
How do I attach a photo, by the Img button?

Hi Evie B,

would you please let us in on the story tha Hydriot seems to know already and that has obviously impressed him deeply? I cannot find any reference to it on the forum (yet)... That would be so kind of you, we all love to share memorable LC moments!
You can attach a photograph with the "Upload attachment" button you will find below the "Post a reply" - field. You may have to downsize it though if it is too big! Well, please try anyway...

Hi Womanfromaroom
It was me (Evie B) doing all the weeping in the continuation of the story posted a couple of hours ago about my daughter and I meeting LC (by some miracle I wasn't even waiting for) the morning after we had seen him at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I will have a go at uploading the photo, hope you like it, my daughter is very proud of it because she knows only too well how much she was shaking when she took it, a triumph for my little Fuji camera as well I think.
Note: you were right, the photo is too large and wouldn't attach. I will find out how to reduce it and then have another try. It might take me a day or two.
Evie B

i've just found this [new] medley of various hallelujah's:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdw4oTMRAkw

Its got a three in it! Leonard's version of Hallelujah has just been played on BBC Radio 1 placed at 36 in the official uk top 40. Since Radio 1's playlist is designed for the under 30s this is still an achievement.

Buckley & Alexandra's versions are hotly tipped to take the christmas number 1 & 2 spots. The chart is being announced live now if anyone wants to listen in live as the story develops. You can listen online via the BBC website.

Its now a certainty that Hallelujah will feature three times in the UK top 40 simultaneously!

As expected, Jeff Buckley is at Number 2 and Alexandra Burke is at Number 1.

They're playing Buckley's version at the moment. I wasn't sure if they would. My husband is delighted, because he has been complaining for the last two hours at being made to sit through the singles chart, and I can switch it off at the end of this song.

Loved the countdown to number one:

"new entries from Girls Aloud, Duffy, Leonard Cohen ...."

Success!!!
In at Number 36
Jeff's version at Number 2
Alexandra's at Number 1 as expected.