Surely I can’t have been the only person a little disappointed that the song chosen to pay tribute to Leonard Cohen when inducting him into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame was “Hallelujah.” It’s a great song, certainly, but it’s most strongly associated with Jeff Buckley, to such a degree that some people don’t even know Cohen wrote it. Worse, the version performed by Damien Rice is the Buckley version, with its ascending melody line in the final chorus and persistent falsetto. It’d be like playing a rock version of “All Along the Watchtower” at Bob Dylan’s induction–a fine song, but not really the best choice. So what would’ve been better, and who should’ve sung it? Well, just pick any two of the following:
Bird on a Wire / Hercules and Love Affair
Dance Me to the End of Love / My Chemical Romance
So Long, Marianne / The Arcade Fire
Take This Waltz / Battles
The Future / Feist
Famous Blue Raincoat / Slayer
Chelsea Hotel #2 / Kanye West
Tower of Song / Sonic Youth
First We Take Manhattan / LCD Soundsystem
Jazz Police / Kelly Clarkson