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St. Vincent says talent show covers of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ are “the worst thing in the world”
“The song itself is about the complication that it is to be alive, and the agony and the ecstasy and all of the inherent conflict therein.”
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is regarded as “one of the best songs ever written” by artist St. Vincent, but she believes that the song’s use across talent shows such as American Idol and The X Factor is “the worst thing in the world”.
The song famously took Cohen five years to write, and it went through hundreds of drafts before it was finally released in 1984. It went on to become widely recognised due to covers from artists such as Jeff Buckley and John Cale, and was regularly covered by contestants on talent shows across the decades.
St. Vincent seems to feel that these covers take away from the complex meaning behind the track, which she feels explores “the complication that it is to be alive”. Speaking to Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2, she says, “You know how Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ is one of the best songs ever written? Just, period. It’s an absolute masterpiece, it took him however many years to write.
“The song itself is about the complication that it is to be alive, and the agony and the ecstasy and all of the inherent conflict therein,” she states. “You know how, for a period of time, it became a song that people would cover on American Idol? People would sing it and just be like ‘hallelujah, haleluuuujah’ [she sings in a mocking tone]. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
Check out the interview clip below:
@bbcradio2 “That is the worst thing in the world” Safe to say St Vincent isn’t a fan of people covering Hallelujah 😂🫣 Listen to St Vincent’s chat with Jo Whiley on BBC Sounds 🎧 #stvincent #hallelujah #hallelujahcover #jowhiley
In other St. Vincent news, her new album, All Born Screaming, is due for release on 26 April. You can check out the latest single from the forthcoming record below:
St. Vincent is heading out on tour this May. View all of her upcoming live dates.