From Buckley and Bono to k.d.: Notable covers of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’

Myriad artists have put their stamp on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” one of the most covered songs of all time. It even inspired a book by Alan Light entitled, “The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah.” Here’s a look at some of the various versions of Cohen’s iconic song:

John Cale — The Velvet Underground founding member recorded his version for the 1991 album of Cohen covers “I’m Your Fan,” which also included tributes by R.E.M., the Pixies, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Cale’s rendition sparked new interest in the song, which went largely unappreciated when it appeared on Cohen’s 1984 album “Various Positions.”

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Jeff Buckley — Arguably the most famous cover, the late Buckley’s “Hallelujah” was recorded for his 1994 album “Grace.” Buckley’s version topped the digital charts more than a decade later when it was featured on “American Idol.”

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U2’s Bono — The 1995 tribute album “Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen” included covers by the likes of Sting, Don Henley, Elton John, Willie Nelson and Billy Joel. Bono contributed a trip hop-influenced spoken word cover of “Hallelujah.” He told Light in “The Holy or the Broken” that he believed at the time that the cover was “an interesting approach. People would never think of Leonard Cohen in that way.”

“I just remember wanting to fit in as much of the text as possible, really making it about the text. And I think it was reverent in all the right ways.”

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Rufus Wainwright — The song got a big mainstream boost in 2001 when it was featured during a mournful scene in “Shrek.” Cale’s version played during the film but it was Wainwright’s cover that was included on the platinum-certified soundtrack. Wainwright sang the song at this year’s Luminato Festival in Toronto backed by 1,500 others who took part in the Choir! Choir! Choir! performance.

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k.d. lang — 2004’s “Hymns of the 49th Parallel,” an album of songs by Canadian artists, included lang covering “After the Gold Rush” by Neil Young, “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell and two Cohen tunes, including “Hallelujah.” She also performed her cover during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

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Bon Jovi — The New Jersey rockers covered “Hallelujah” as a B-side for “Lost Highway,” off the 2007 album of the same name. The band would go on to perform the song for an “MTV Unplugged” special and the concert video “Live at Madison Square Garden.”

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Susan Boyle — The “Britain’s Got Talent” phenom recorded “Hallelujah” for her 2010 Christmas album “The Gift.”