PalenQ

Both MSNBC and Canadian CBC news casts Friday night carried quite a bit of coverage of what they said was a 'mania with Britons' - buying kitschy Christmas goods, like reindeer horns to wear, etc.

And then it talked about the contest for which Christmas song would see the most up until Christmas - Christmas Song of the
Year - and two versions of Halleluja - one from the 80s by Leonard Cohen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf36v0epfmI

And it said incredulously another version of Hallelujah was competing with Cohen's for the title - perhaps it was does by a British Idol star - or perhaps this British Idol star had the third most popular song and was moving up (One critic was quoted as saying what a dirge it was)

anyway a rather amusing thing about British Christmases to me - i like it - like those silly little hats and crackers

PalenQ

Seems that Simon Cowell selected Cohen's song as the first one to be recorded by an Idol Britain star - as detailed in Toronto paper (Cohen is Canadian)

Britain Christmas Song of the Year

It's a Christmas miracle for Leonard Cohen -
The song immediately captured Britain's most coveted musical accolade: it is, as of yesterday evening, the official "Christmas Number One" or "CNO. ...
Toronto Star -

http://www.thestar.com/Entertainment/article/557174

SallyCanuck

I saw that news report; they also said that the late Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah was also in the running. I'd never heard of this annual Christmas #1 song so asked an English friend and she said she has a CD of all the winners up till recent years.

Jeff Buckley was American; he drowned in 1997.

Radio show I had on yesterday played the Leona Lewis version.
Tried to listen to Buckley's version on YouTube but, although it's available, got the message that it wasn't available in "your country".

hetismij

Jeff Buckley's version is at number 2, thanks to a coampaign by Jeff Buckley fans to try and stop the God awful version by the wannabe star from getting to number one. Sadly they didn't succeed. Every year now since X-factor began their winner has had the number one Christmas single, regardless of how good bad or indifferent it is. Takes all the fun out of the Christmas chart.
This years version of Halleluja is horrible, totally missing the point of the song, and using some of the weirder verses for it. Over 80 to choose from and they chose those.

Either the original Leonard Cohen, the John Cale or the Jeff Buckley version - all different - but please not this ruination of it.

SallyCanuck

Listened to John Cale - it is very good but, to me, very much like Cohen singing. I've listened to several versions by different artists today and enjoy them all.

alanRow

This turn of events is something the Americans can be blamed for.

Jason Castro sang it on American Idol at the start of year & Simon "high waist" Cowell said that the Jeff Buckley version was the best he'd ever heard.

As a result of this exposure, the Jeff Buckley version went to number 1 in the US download charts.

Simon saw this & realised that he wasn't making any money from this, thus the decision to have Hallelujah sung by the winner of Pop Idol.

So Americans - please keep Simon Cowell the next time he goes out there and save music for the world

Barbara

I don't like this song no matter who sings it. It's pretty sad that it's the Christmas Song of the Year as it has nothing to do with Christmas at all.

I'd even rather have Christmas is all Around by Billy Mack.

Otzi

"Cohen" singing Christmas songs? Something ain't kosher.

tuscanlifeedit

Drat. I was hoping it would be Santa's Super Sleigh.

stormbird

Yeah - what Barbara said.

Pete_R

It's not the "Xmas Song of the Year" Barbara, I think you've been mislead by PalQ's constant misunderstanding of British life. The number one record in the pop charts over Christmas week is commonly known as the Christmas number 1 but it is very rarely a Christmas song.

hetismij

In the good old days the Christmas number one in the UK was a Christmas song - Slade, Wizard, Mariah Carey, Cliff Richard, Paul mcCartney and so on plus of course the best of them all, though never number one, the Pogues and Kirstie McColl.

In recent years Christmas number one is whatever song is chosen for the X-factor winner, and before that what ever song the latest boy-band chose to release. They have nothing to do with Christmas any more.

There is a Welsh version of Hallelujah which is more Christmassy i believe, and is one of the few foreign language versions approved of by LC.

Hallelujah is in fact based upon the Old Testament and the stories of David, and of Samson, amongst others.

caroline_edinburgh

It's a shame the anti-X Factor faction chose to plug Buckley's version rather than Cohen's, since Cohen is still alive and could do with the cash.

flanneruk

"In the good old days the Christmas number one in the UK was a Christmas song"

Return to sender? I want to hold your hand? I feel fine? Green, green grass of home? Lily the pink? Grandma? Two little boys?

You're boasting of your youth again. Till the Scaffold popularised nonsense songs, the Christmas Number 1 was always just a bloody good pop single.

No irony. No boy bands. Just stuff you could bop or snog to.

Cholmondley_Warner

Just stuff you could bop or snog to.>>>

Another Brick in the Wall?

PatrickLondon

You keep your private life to yourself...

Cholmondley_Warner

Every Xmas number one:

1 1952 Al Martino Here In My Heart
2 1953 Frankie Laine Answer Me
3 1954 Winifred Atwell Let's Have Another Party
4 1955 Dickie Valentine Christmas Alphabet
5 1956 Johnnie Ray Just Walkin' In The Rain
6 1957 Harry Belafonte Mary's Boy Child
7 1958 Conway Twitty It's Only Make Believe
8 1959 Emile Ford & The Checkmates What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For
9 1960 Cliff Richard & The Shadows I Love You
10 1961 Danny Williams Moon River
11 1962 Elvis Presley Return To Sender
12 1963 The Beatles I Want To Hold Your Hand
13 1964 The Beatles I Feel Fine
14 1965 The Beatles Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out
15 1966 Tom Jones The Green Grass Of Home
16 1967 The Beatles Hello Goodbye
17 1968 Scaffold Lily The Pink
18 1969 Rolf Harris Two Little Boys
19 1970 Dave Edmunds I Hear You Knockin'
20 1971 Benny Hill Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)
21 1972 Little Jimmy Osmond Long Haired Lover From Liverpool
22 1973 Slade Merry Xmas Everybody
23 1974 Mud Lonely This Christmas
24 1975 Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
25 1976 Johnny Mathis When A Child Is Born (Soleado)
26 1977 Wings Mull Of Kintyre / Girls' School
27 1978 Boney M Mary's Boy Child-Oh My Lord
28 1979 Pink Floyd Another Brick In The Wall
29 1980 St Winifred's School Choir There's No One Quite Like Grandma
30 1981 The Human League Don't You Want Me
31 1982 Renee & Renato Save Your Love
32 1983 The Flying Pickets Only You
33 1984 Band Aid Do They Know It's Christmas?
34 1985 Shakin' Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone
35 1986 Jackie Wilson Reet Petite
36 1987 The Pet Shop Boys Always On My Mind
37 1988 Cliff Richard Mistletoe & Wine
38 1989 Band Aid II Do They Know It's Christmas?
39 1990 Cliff Richard Saviours' Day
40 1991 Queen Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are The Days Of Our Lives
41 1992 Whitney Houston I Will Always Love You
42 1993 Mr Blobby Mr Blobby
43 1994 East 17 Stay Another Day
44 1995 Michael Jackson Earth Song
45 1996 Spice Girls 2 Become 1
46 1997 Spice Girls Too Much
47 1998 Spice Girls Goodbye
48 1999 Westlife I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun
49 2000 Bob The Builder Can We Fix It?
50 2001 Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman Somethin' Stupid
51 2002 Girls Aloud Sound Of The Underground
52 2003 Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules Mad World
53 2004 Band Aid 20 Do They Know It's Christmas?
54 2005 Shayne Ward That's My Goal
55 2006 Leona Lewis A Moment Like This
56 2007 Leon Jackson When You Believe
57 2008 Alexandra Burke Hallelujah