I wish to make it clear that I actually really like this song, both when it is performed by Leonard Cohen and also by Jeff Buckley, but from what I’ve seen, the people making the complaint about this choice of song, are doing it on a basis that is entirely ill founded. Several campaigns have started (relatively minor I might add and in no way a threat to the somewhat inevitable X Factor Christmas No. 1) which are encouraging people to buy Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, with one of the main motives for this to prevent the X Factor version, which people haven’t actually heard all that much, from getting to number one in the charts.
Fair enough you might think, but when you consider that the hallowed Jeff Buckley version ISN’T the original and is a cover in itself, it starts to look a bit silly. Why can people get on their high horse about one artist covering a song, but say its ok for another to cover that same song? I’m sure there are some people who dislike the Buckley cover for pretty much the same reason that these fuckwits are moaning. I mean the Buckley cover is pretty good, I like it a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s suddenly become untouchable and uncoverable, it’s simply a very good version of an excellent song. It seems to me, and this is obviously not true for all people who are unhappy about the choice of song, that the ones getting the most annoyed about this thing, forgot that Buckley actually covered the song himself, and it was originally written by Leonard Cohen. If you are one of these, shut up you bellends.
In addition to this, I’ve read estimates that the song has been covered a further 170 times, including efforts from little known artists such as Bob Dylan, Rufus Wainwright and KD Lang. Where were the complaints about it those times, dickheads? Did those interpretations, or other ones, kill the song? Yeah, some might be upset about it being chosen for the X Factor winner to sing, but given the above and considering it has probably been murdered by artists many, many times before, any complaint looks at very best a bit peurile and at worst, completely moronic. It might be a bit irritating, but it’s clearly not that big a deal. Leonard Cohen obviously doesn’t give a shit (in fact given his previous financial woes he probably welcomes the money), and Jeff Buckley probably doesn’t care either, given that he is dead. So just worry about something else please? If you have got a problem with the X Factor being the unmitigated festival of shite that it is, then take it up properly. (I would expand on this, but WWE Armageddon is on soon, no one will care about my rant on how rubbish and vile it is and i can’t really be arsed.)
Anyway, ignoring everything I have just said, why not lend your support to a real campaign for truth and justice, in relation to this years Xmas number one, and support MTV’s ‘Best Act Ever’, Rick Astley’s quest to rule the charts one more time. A Facebook group has been started in this honour and can be found at the following address.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=37655682127
Basically it’s an extension on the internet thing where you get ‘rickrolled’, but this is instead an attempt to get Rick Astley to Christmas number one. It probably won’t work, but it’s worth 79p of my money in hope. Good luck fair soldier.
UPDATE: Not that I have let this worry me too much, but subsequent discussions on this have shed some new light on this issue, and made me feel even more like the campaign to get Jeff Buckley to number one is a bit misguided.
I didn’t mean to cause anyone personal offence when it comes down to this, its not important enough for me to want to do that to anyone. I’m just trying to make the point that the new version isn’t actually that big a deal, so if you were upset, I apologise from the depths of my heart.
The X Factor version isn’t even that bad. It’s not great and yeah, it lacks what you think made the other versions superior in terms of feeling or whatever, I’m not denying that, despite the fact that such concepts are largely subjective and assumed. Who knows the real motivation Buckley had behind recording his version (which has been brought to my attention was a cover of the John Cale interpretation); you just think they were noble because you like him. The thing is though; this new version doesn’t have to take anything away from the existing songs, if you don’t want it to. You can still listen to those versions instead. If people listen to it for the first time as a result of this, so what? It’s a good song that they get enjoyment out of regardless of who is singing, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
If people don’t know it’s a cover, they were unlikely to have ever investigated Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, etc. etc. because, maybe, music isn’t as important to them, as much as that can be difficult to grasp as a concept, so its only really ‘The X Factor Song’ for those of people who wouldn’t otherwise be aware of the song altogether.
And that’s who the X Factor largely caters for, people who like music a bit, but aren’t overly bothered. I just don’t see why people have such a problem with it, it’s not like this is a new phenomenon, some people just don’t like music as much.
Besides when you consider that the Buckley revenue from downloads is just lining the pockets of Sony, which also released the X Factor version. In addition to the fact that Sony are well aware that this controversy has been created, hence Zavvi/HMV displaying Leonard Cohen albums alongside ‘Grace’ and the X Factor Single, it seems that whilst people think their cause may be noble, in reality they’ve been suckered into a clever (albeit I’m not sure how deliberate) marketing scheme, where the only winner is a major label. A better option if you really want to protest about music being a business rather than an art form, would not have been to give them money, which will just be invested in suckering more people into buying shit albums. But you didn’t really think about that, did you?
i totally disagree
noone should cover this song ever again
Thanks a lot for what i assume is a completely reasoned response.
Any group which encourages people to download any song instead of x-factor is worthy of a nod I reckon. There isnt any fun in the christmas number one any more, and this just brings a small part of that back.
Fair comments. And I agree that there are some people in the campaign to get Buckley’s version to number one who don’t actually know that Buckley’s itself is a cover. BUT. The reason I am backing this campaign is because I am sick of The X Factor getting the Christmas number one. Give Alexandra the credibility as to have to work really hard for a GREAT ORIGINAL single so that she makes it to number one in the New Year rather than release a version of a song (to a whole generation of kids that have never heard Cohen’s or Buckley’s version so they think Alexandra’s is the only version) that will only get number one off the back of the 11million viewing figures for a REALITY TELEVISION SHOW! That’s my complaint. Cohen’s and Buckley’s version are both fantastic – Hallelujah is truly a great song and both versions have something incredible in them – but by no way, should Alexandra’s hit number one just because its ‘that girl that won the X Factor’. Is that not why Leona Lewis has yet to win awards this side of the pond because despitethe fact she has an incredible voice, she is dogged by the cover of ‘an X Factor winner’. Alexandra’s time will come. Buckley’s time is now.
I think the point is not necessarily that X-Factor are producing another cover, rather that this is at long last a backlash to the X-Factor factory, churning out big meaningless hits…. And people who really appreciate talent music rather than the ‘instant celebrity’ fans of the X-Factor, are making a stand and showing what real performance and singing is about. Not belting and warbling. Sing with tenderness, rather then just blasting out a song without having a full understanding of the words. Jeff Bluckley does, Alexandra X-Factor = FAIL…
Good points but the actual protest is not if a song should be covered, of course it should, but against the X-Factor Christmas No 1 machine which people feel is cynical and rather unfair to what used to be a fun week for music. Which would get the Christmas No 1?
The fact they used a song which is a classic has really lit the fire. Especially when there is an already excellent cover for it. Most of all, people want that version heard instead of it becoming ‘The X-Factor song’. The people doing this campaign would have achieved that because the press is covering it, and the Buckley version is getting played a lot.
I think i have exhausted myself arguing this with other people, but in response to what Damien said about it being the ‘X Factor Song’ i can’t say i agree really.
Mainly because,
a) The people who will associate Hallelujah with the X Factor alone obviously have never heard the Buckley version and would be unlikely to do so, as they clearly arent really that interested.
b) For people who know the song already, it’s unlikely that the new song will cause them to forget their previously favoured version, and if it does so what? Surely that would be a mark of the quality of the cover? (Not that i am saying this is the case, i havent really heard it, although i noticed vocal acrobatics, which can fuck right off.)
c) I cant remember what song Leon did as his song, and im struggling to recall the previous Xmas number ones sung by X Factor winners. So in all actuality, its not that important.