The fire set earlier this week in the building was not a good thing, by any means. But it spawned a wonderful, impromptu assembly in the gym while we waited to go back to classes. The spontaneous outbreak of song and dance was very inspiring and a testament to the Rough Rider spirit and creativity I have quickly come to appreciate in my short time here.
I was especially inspired by a young woman student who sang some of “Hallelujah,” the classic song by Leonard Cohen covered by so many artists in so many genres. I came to know it only a few years ago it via Jeff Buckley’s elegiac rendition.
I played some of the song in my classes today and was pleasantly surprised to see that many students responded to it and know it from some recent popular culture appearances.
So, I gathered up a bunch of versions of the song and made a little playlist of some I already knew and some I discovered while browsing iTunes.
Here they are. We’ll be hearing some of them in class this week!
Know of another one you like? Add a comment here and I’ll add it to the list.
| Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Leonard Cohen | Songs from the Road (the original) |
 |
Leonard Cohen | Live In London |
 |
Jeff Buckley | Grace |
 |
John Cale | Fragments of a Rainy Season |
 |
Brandi Carlile | Live at KCRW.com |
 |
Allison Crowe | Tidings: 6 Songs for the Season |
 |
k.d. lang | Hymns of the 49th Parallel |
 |
k.d. lang | Sounds Eclectic: The Cover Project |
 |
Yasmin Levy | Sentir |
 |
Rufus Wainwright | Hallelujah – single |
 |
Kathryn Williams | Relations |
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