One of my favorite songs of all time Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah" as sung by Gordon Downie, is only available to be heard while you are watching the movie Saint Ralph.
Other people have recorded it, but there is just something about the way Gordon Downie sang it…
I just made my regular trek through internet world looking to see if it is available as a mp3 yet. Still no. But, I comfort myself wish how many people are on the internet looking for that same song.
There are just some things that you come across in your life that are just magical. This song is one of those for me, and for the other people out there looking for it.
I just found today that somebody put that part of the movie on YouTube for fans of the song. I’m posting it for other people who are looking for the song.
This is one of the very few movies that my hubby and I own. It is a really delightful movie
MAJOR SPOILER: The movie concerns a boy who wants to run in a race. The video has the outcome. Saint Ralph is a sweet movie. You might want to consider renting it before you find out who wins:
X
X-Evolutionist's Space 
Ah..*sighs*..one of my fave song from an incomparable wordsmith, Leonard Cohen. It\’s on my top ten most played songs on my iPod list. :). Have you heard the FULL version from \’Shrek\’? The lyrics are different. That\’s where I first heard it sung.
John Cale\’s version (which appears on Fragments of a Rainy Season) is pretty awesome as well. One of my all-time favorite songs.
Hi Greg and Diana Le, I\’m happy to hear others who like this song! I\’m going to find those two versions you posted. The song has a lot of verses, and people pick and choose to in order to say the story they want to say. This site has a quote from John Cale saying it\’s 15 verses :http://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8046The song can be about King David of the Bible, or it can be a general love story, or anything in between. X
Here\’s more info on the number of verses:http://ask.metafilter.com/48952/All-lyrics-to-Cohens-Hallelujah
It always seemed to me like a dirge for a love lost. Something that was once miraculous and held so much excitement turning into disappointment, bitterness, and sadness.
Greg, I just listened to the John Cale version on my new favorite site Groveshark. Great song! Here\’s the verses that Gordon Downie sang in my favorite version:http://steelwhitetable.org/2005/08/12/best-song-ever-written-by-a-canadian/Did you know that the line about "saw her bathing on the roof" is about King David, and how he first saw Bathsheba? True story! X
Diana Le, Thanks for telling me about it being in Shrek. I looked it up on youtube. I\’m happy that song is getting a whole new fan base. Before that, people first heard it in the movie "Saint Ralph", as I said in my blog. I\’m Thanks bunches! I\’m going to check out all the other verions. X
Greg and Diana Le: It looks like you two are talking about the same version. I looked up the soundtrack on amazon.com. Look who sings the song in the movie, unless I\’m misunderstanding. X
Better link for Shrek soundtrack clips:http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B00005CF9Y/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_010?ie=UTF8&track=010&disc=001
X, the song I have on my iPod is sung by Rufus Wainwright. To me it sounded the same as in Shrek (I was always pretty sure it was) but (u may have a point), it might be different.
Compare and contrast:Rufus Wainwright:http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Hallelujah/1338696John Cale:http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Hallelujah_shrek_soundtrack_/2274982X
Here is another version of Hallelujah, and this one says it\’s sung by Shrek, doesn\’t sound like it though:http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Hallelujah/4659199
Rufus Wainright sings the song in the movie Shrek. John Cale has been performing it live for the last 20 years, based on hearing it performed by Cohen himself. The verses have changed and been combined over time. It\’s a really interesting song.
Greg, Thanks for the info. It\’s a great song no matter who sings it. Here\’s KD Lang singing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
Greg, I posted another link to a version of Halleluja below: X
I think I\’ve found my new favorite version of this tune. It\’s live and offers more folksy embellishments. Worth a listen anyway… http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Hallelujah/3280049
I can not believe comments have gone this far with ou talk of the Jason Castro version from American Idol.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2nRxKC-OyA a great version…short because of the show but it is on itunes full length mp3
Bobo and Greg: Thank you for the additional versions, both great! I have a Halleluja playlist on my Grove Shark. Bobo, I did not find the studio, longer version on Grove Shark. That\’s funny that I didn\’t think of him. We watched the show, too. Did you watch the show Idol? X
Clarification: I\’m adding all the versions of Halleluja to my grove shark playlist. Wonderful site Greg told me about: http://grooveshark.com/
Does spelling count?
@Everybody: While we are on the subject of good music, I found this on Pandora a month or so ago. It is about the Chrysler Motors bailout twenty years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daBx_PBrvSEI\’m changing my name to AIGX