variations: Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"
I should be grading but instead I'm trawling through youtube.
Here's something that I came across. There are literally hundreds of sites on this song, and aparently a BBC documentary as well. The Jeff Buckley version on youtube has been hit 11 million times (mostly it seems most recently from Dutch people arguing about some Dutch singer).
Anyhow, I thought I would chip in my 2c.
The "Shrek" Version: Rufus Wainwright.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0DKOGco_o
Piano and vox.
Very nice, spare arrangement. This version lets the music speak for itself and doesn't try anything fancy. The version in the movie itself was the original cover version by John Cale.
Here is a nice John Cale version with a very classical arrangement of strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckbdLVX736U
Not sure I completely like the violin melody on its own, but with the piano it works beautifully.
Alison Crowe's version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMOdVXAPJ0
Female vox with piano
Very clean version, critically acclaimed and rightly so. I'm not sure I like all the vibrato and the retarded passages seemed a bit forced but nice nonetheless.
Alexandra Burke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsuXbkrA_AQ
this is the Brit-pop version. I'm not sure I like it all that much. The arrangement seems too much, and the video is way over the top. Still she's a good singer for sure. I would have loved to hear her sing a stripped-down version.
k.d. lang's version at the Juno awards 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
Female vocal plus combo (brokeback mountain style)
This is definitely the female version I like the best. k.d. lang's trademark legatos only marginally get in the way of the lyrics here.
Jeff Buckley's version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ
Solo Male vox and electric guitar
This is the fan choice. I'm still up in the air about it. I really like the way he approaches the song, but the vocal gymnastics at the end kind of break the mood for me. Nice guitar playing.
Here's something that I came across. There are literally hundreds of sites on this song, and aparently a BBC documentary as well. The Jeff Buckley version on youtube has been hit 11 million times (mostly it seems most recently from Dutch people arguing about some Dutch singer).
Anyhow, I thought I would chip in my 2c.
The "Shrek" Version: Rufus Wainwright.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0DKOGco_o
Piano and vox.
Very nice, spare arrangement. This version lets the music speak for itself and doesn't try anything fancy. The version in the movie itself was the original cover version by John Cale.
Here is a nice John Cale version with a very classical arrangement of strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckbdLVX736U
Not sure I completely like the violin melody on its own, but with the piano it works beautifully.
Alison Crowe's version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMOdVXAPJ0
Female vox with piano
Very clean version, critically acclaimed and rightly so. I'm not sure I like all the vibrato and the retarded passages seemed a bit forced but nice nonetheless.
Alexandra Burke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsuXbkrA_AQ
this is the Brit-pop version. I'm not sure I like it all that much. The arrangement seems too much, and the video is way over the top. Still she's a good singer for sure. I would have loved to hear her sing a stripped-down version.
k.d. lang's version at the Juno awards 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
Female vocal plus combo (brokeback mountain style)
This is definitely the female version I like the best. k.d. lang's trademark legatos only marginally get in the way of the lyrics here.
Jeff Buckley's version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ
Solo Male vox and electric guitar
This is the fan choice. I'm still up in the air about it. I really like the way he approaches the song, but the vocal gymnastics at the end kind of break the mood for me. Nice guitar playing.