TORONTO — The fifth best cover song of all time is Jeff Buckley’s version the Canadian tune “Hallelujah,” according to a ranking by BBC Music.
The American singer’s rendition of the song, written by Montreal-born Leonard Cohen, appears on his 1994 album Grace.
Buckley died in 1997 at 30.
“Hallelujah” was recorded by Cohen in 1984 and has since been covered by dozens of artists, including Rufus Wainwright, k.d. lang, John Cale and Alexandra Burke.
BBC DJs and music experts compiled a list of the 50 best cover songs after asking listeners to vote for their favourites.
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The No. 45 song on the list is James Blake’s version of “Limit To Your Love,” a song by Canada’s Feist and Chilly Gonzales.
In the top spot was the Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 synthpop version of “Always On My Mind” — a song first recorded in 1972 by Brenda Lee and Gwen McCrae and made famous by both Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.
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Other covers to make the list include Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” (originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles), Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” (originally recorded by Otis Redding), and David Bowie’s “China Girl” (originally recorded by Iggy Pop).
Here’s a look at the Top 10 cover songs, as chosen by BBC Music:
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