Written by Leonard Cohen and first released in 1984, “Hallelujah” is one of the most covered songs of all time, which makes it pretty hard to narrow down just three versions. Yet, that’s what we did for you dear reader. There are hundreds of versions known today with likely many more out in the world (one of our favorites not listed below is by Rufus Wainwright.)
The song, which took Cohen some time to pen, uses Biblical themes to talk about the majesty of the human experience. Love, loss, and everything in between show up in this perfect composition.
Videos by American Songwriter
Below are three versions, including one by Cohen himself. Which is your favorite?
Leonard Cohen
Pentatonix
Jeff Buckley
Photo by Matt Kent/Redferns
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