The number of incredible renditions of Canadian singer Leonard Cohen’s song, “Hallelujah,” that flood the Internet never cease to amaze us. Such a beautiful, meaningful song certainly deserves the recognition that it receives. While hearing these renditions alone is a treat, one of the best things about these renditions is the personal spin cover artists incorporate as they sing this heavenly tune.
One of the Internet’s favorite covers of “Hallelujah” to date, as apparent by over 4,500,000 video views, is Celtic Thunder’s 2012 performance. Featuring Neil Byrne, Keith Harkin, and Emmet Cahill, the trio produced one of the most beautiful and unique versions of Cohen’s song to date.
In a video of Celtic Thunder’s live “Hallelujah” on-stage performance, we witness a peaceful, solid blue stage with the singers and band all dressed in formal wear. Neil Byrne kicks off the performance with a solo featuring his sweet voice. With just him singing alone, the audience is already tearing up.
Just when everyone thought the performance was already amazing, things take an unexpected turn about halfway through the video when the band in the background begin to play faster, and Keith and Emmet pop out from behind Neil, also dressed in suits. The audience claps and roars as they appear.
With all three singing at once with their unique yet complementary voices, and one singer hitting notes the majority of us can’t hit without damaging our vocal cord, the remainder of the performance is almost too much to handle! As the song comes to a close, as expected, the crowd goes wild. There’s no group out there who could match the trio’s on-stage production!
“What can I say? I stumbled across Celtic Thunder completely by accident a few days ago, and since then I’m continually amazed with every track I hear. The way the boys can go from ‘Seven Drunken Nights’ to this testament to the fabulous talent they possess. This song gave me goosebumps!” says one pleased viewer.
From the versatile, eclectic style of the group’s singers to the beautiful on-stage decor, most of us would agree that Celtic Thunder does a wonderful job, no matter who is performing!
The world-famous, theatrical Irish group has been around since 2007. Currently, the Celtic Thunder line-up includes Ryan Kelly. Neil Byrne, Damian McGinty, Emmet Cahill, Michael O’Dwyer, and course, the band itself. The group has released twelve albums and ten live performances on DVD.
To hear Celtic Thunder’s “Hallelujah” rendition, watch the video below!
If you love Celtic Thunder’s cover, make sure to check out their 2013 album, Voyage II, which includes “Hallelujah” along with 15 other incredible songs.
