Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ has made an unprecedented triple appearance in this year’s UK Christmas Top 40, thanks to the awesome power of The Internet.
X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke’s cover predictably managed to storm to Number One, making it the fastest selling single by a solo female artist. But in second place came Jeff Buckley, after concerted on-line campaigning from groups of fans on social networking sites propelled him up the charts on download sales alone.
Those who find Buckley’s take on the song almost as histrionic as Burke’s may be pleased to note that even Cohen himself got a look in on some chart action, with his original bringing up the rear at Number 36.
The only other time different versions of the same song have held the two top spots in the UK was in 1957, when Tommy Steele and Guy Mitchell went toe-to-toe with Singin’ The Blues- surely evidence that today’s charts are no more ridiculous than they ever were.
