“Last year, Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” enjoyed a renewed popularity, topping the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart in the U.S. and hitting No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart after “X Factor” winner Alexandra Burke performed her own version of the song.”
source: Billboard http://tinyurl.com/d6jumo

but then, you prolly know this already… Just sayin’ hi – B

: )

Last one, I promise.

“Hallelujah”

I heart Kate Voegele right now over all versions I’ve heard.

Here is one that you might want to add to the list??

Espen Lind(on guitar), Askil Holm, Alejandro Fuentes, Kurt Nilsen(World Idol) 4 norwegian great singers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM

I think this song has a life of it’s own and noone will ever totally capture it for good. That’s what makes a really, really, really great song. (Maybe)

“he delivers the lyrics the way they were written to be delivered.”

It reminded me of the several times my creative writing teacher would take me outside the classroom and make me read my writing to him. He was checking to see if I had plagiarized. There is that special nuance that rarely anyone fully captures in covers. People say to do a good cover you have to ‘make the song your own’ somehow, but I write lots of songs and when I do my own, it’s like wearing your favorite pair of jeans – they’re just part of you.

I agree so far on Cohen’s original. To be honest, I am careful about listening to Cohen do this song – I have my memories too, and why fool with a perfectly balanced day. I sort of agree with you on Buckley’s version, but I still wish I could sing like he did. I’d like to try to do a version of this song too. It was the first thing I thought when I heard the original. (Obviously, not the only one. Too human, all too human.) Thx for the post – just wandered here following that little blue bird. There it goes now…

By the way, I heard Damien Rice do a great version a few years ago
Here

Also here’s him doing it when Cohen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Here