St. Vincent slammed “American Idol” covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in a recent interview with Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2, calling them “the worst thing in the world.”
“Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ is one of the best songs ever written, period,” St. Vincent said. “It’s an absolute masterpiece, it took them however many years to write. The song itself is about the complication that it is to be alive, and the agony and the ecstasy and all of the inherent conflict therein.”
She added, “You know how, for a period of time, it became a song that people would cover on American Idol? They’d sing it and just be like ‘hallelujah, haleluuuujah.’ It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
Cohen recorded “Hallelujah” for his 1984 album, Various Positions. The song, which has been covered over 100 times and appeared in movie and TV soundtracks, has become a staple of televised talent contests these days.
Several artists, including Bob Dylan, Rufus Wainwright, KD Lang and Jeff Buckley have covered the song over the years.
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