January 20, 2012 11:04
Leonard Cohen: 'People have asked for a moratorium on 'Hallelujah'' Leonard Cohen Tickets
The 'Old Ideas' man speaks about his oft-covered 1984 track
Photo: Press
Leonard Cohen has said that people have asked him for a moratorium on the usage of covers of his classic song, 'Hallelujah'.
The track, from his 1984 album 'Various Positions', has been covered by a host of artists including the late Jeff Buckley, Bono, Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright, k.d. lang and The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke as well as being featured on a number of TV shows. Of its popularity, Cohen told The Guardian:
There's been a couple of times when other people have said can we have a moratorium please on 'Hallelujah'? Must we have it at the end of every single drama and every single Idol? And once or twice I've felt maybe I should lend my voice to silencing it but on second thought no, I'm very happy that it's being sung.
In the piece, it was also revealed that Cohen hopes to play more shows and also to release another album, following this month's 'Old Ideas', "in a year or so".
When asked about his songwriting, Cohen said: "I don't really like sings with ideas. They to become slogans. They tend to be on the right side of things: ecology or vegetarianism or antiwar. All these are wonderful ideas but I like to work on a song until these slogans… dissolve into deeper convictions of the heart."
Leonard Cohen releases 'Old Ideas' on January 30. The album is the legendary singer songwriter's first new offering since 2004's 'Dear Heather', and his 12th studio album since 1967.
Visit NME Video for the latest music videos and artist interviews
- Previous: The Used announce details of new album 'Vulnerable'
- Next: Trial for Jennifer Hudson's family killings set
| Date/Time | Venue | Town/City | Seetickets | Viagogo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 08, 2012 15:00 | Hop Farm Country Park | Tonbridge | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Leonard Cohen Tickets |
| Sep 09, 2012 15:00 | Hop Farm Country Park | Tonbridge | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Leonard Cohen Tickets |
You may need to upgrade your Flash Player
You can download the latest flash plugin here.
If you have installed flash but keep getting this message:
1. Try to bypass flash plugin detection here.
2. Ensure you have javascript enabled in your browser.
3. Try using Firefox
Listen to more Free Music at we7.com| Date/Time | Venue | Town/City | Seetickets | Viagogo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 08, 2012 15:00 | Hop Farm Country Park | Tonbridge | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Leonard Cohen Tickets |
| Sep 09, 2012 15:00 | Hop Farm Country Park | Tonbridge | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Leonard Cohen Tickets |
Comments do not always reflect the views of NME, or IPC Media, for guidelines visit our Ts & Cs page