The Official Song of Writing (Corrected)

engmajor2005 · Jan 19, 2007

"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen is, as far as I'm concerned, the official song of writing: enough writers have it on their playlists. While the Jeff Buckley cover seems to be the most popular (I'm a Rufus Wainwright cover advocated myself), I'm sure another band could do a great job.

Take your pick: there's mostly current alternative bands to choose from, but imagine if Cobain was still alive...

Note: I forgot the poll, so I posted this new thread. Sorry.

RG570 · Jan 20, 2007

hm...emo and goth bands...

I'd hope with all my might that none of those bands ever get their hands on that song.

Leonard Cohen and Hot Topic don't mix.

JennaGlatzer · Jan 20, 2007

Lea Salonga!

It's probably telling that the only one on your list I know is Nirvana... and I think Kurt could have done something cool with the song, but I want a devastatingly vulnerable female voice capable of belting to deliver my ideal cover.

I also suggest "Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride" as a great writing-- and exercising-- song.

Simon Woodhouse · Jan 20, 2007

Reader Meet Author, by Morrissey, is my writing song. I especially like this line –

You don't know a thing about their lives
Books don't save them, books aren't Stanley knives

Maprilynne · Jan 20, 2007

JennaGlatzer said:
Lea Salonga!

Wow, I am totally into that!!

Maprilynne

ChaosTitan · Jan 20, 2007

I voted for Evanescence. It would be worth it just to see what sort of music video they'd produce. I love their videos.

TrainofThought · Jan 20, 2007

I picked Evanescence since it's the only one other than Nirvana I know.

Alan Yee · Jan 20, 2007

Evanescence, because I like them and haven't listened to any of those other bands.

Serenity · Jan 20, 2007

I picked Staind, just to be different! :tongue

I love Evanessence and can tolerate James Blunt on rare occasions (his singing style just isn't my cup of tea). Blue October is pretty cool too.

I'm sure you'd recognize them if you heard them.

James had the ever radio present "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", Staind had "It's Been a While" and "Right Here" to name a few.

ChaosTitan · Jan 20, 2007

I've heard and listened to everyone except H.I.M.

Snow Patrol's big hit right now is "Chasing Cars." Stephen King ranked it as his favorite song of 2006 (yes, I read the articles he writes for EW). "Somewhere A Clock is Ticking" is another of my favorites.

jodiodi · Jan 20, 2007

I picked Staind because I really like them, plus I can hear their singer's voice doing the song. My favorite song by them is Outside. It's one of the few songs on my playlist with words when I'm writing (along with Alicia Keyes Fallen).

engmajor2005 · Jan 20, 2007

I finally voted. I didn't want to be the first vote, didn't seem fair somehow.

I chose Blue October, because the vocalist's voice is so vulnerable and frail, but can be angry and almost diabolical if need be. Their single "Hate Me" is the best song of last year.

If MCR or H.I.M. got a hold of it, the cover would be...different. I'm sure My Chem would inject some speed into it, giving it a punkish feel. H.I.M. covered "Wicked Game" with a metal groove, and it sounded good but that kind of treatment would ruin this song.

I think James Blunt would do a good job covering this song, but not good enough.

Staind...I don't know. They've moved away from the darkness of their first two albums (three if you count the obscure independent release); their most recent one is pure radio pop. Late-90s Staind would make a cover of this song that would cripple you: today's Staind, not so much.

Nirvana would do an awesome job, and it was tough to rule them out, and Evanescence would bring together the best of the Buckley and Wainwright covers, but in the end I would love to hear Justin Furstenfield (the vocalist of Blue October) give his contemplative, almost spoken-word treatment to this song.

Mud Dauber · Jan 20, 2007

engmajor2005 said:
I chose Blue October, because the vocalist's voice is so vulnerable and frail, but can be angry and almost diabolical if need be. Their single "Hate Me" is the best song of last year.

Great song. :Thumbs:

engmajor2005 · Jan 20, 2007

RG570 said:
hm...emo and goth bands...

I'd hope with all my might that none of those bands ever get their hands on that song.

Leonard Cohen and Hot Topic don't mix.

Yes, because everyone who listens to My Chemical Romance and H.I.M. shops at Hot Topic.

ChaosTitan · Jan 20, 2007

engmajor2005 said:
Yes, because everyone who listens to My Chemical Romance and H.I.M. shops at Hot Topic.

I'm a fan of every singer/group in the poll (except HIM, but I haven't listened to them yet, so give me time). Where do I shop? :tongue

WriterInChains · Jan 20, 2007

My choice would be Disturbed, but they're not listed. :Shrug:

I don't have that song on my playlist anyway, so my opinion prob'ly doesn't count.

ETA: Mudvayne.

PeeDee · Jan 20, 2007

I did a snoopy dance when grunge died, and I'm limbering up to do one when this Gothic/Emo/Angst stuff dies away. I only hope it's soon.

I like My Chemical Romance because they remind me of early Alice Cooper (thematically, not musically) and because they wander more into rock and punk, which I can stand.

I like Evanescence off and on, depending on how many angst-ridden people I've dealt with that day.

Disturbed would do a good version.

Iron Maiden also. THAT would be good.

Even better, Nightwish.

(I would happily find a Cradle of Filth version too)

Shadow_Ferret · Jan 20, 2007

Anyone can cover it just so long as I never have to hear Leonard Cohen do it.

PeeDee · Jan 21, 2007

We mentioned somewhere, we'd like to hear a woman do the song.

Here you go. Kate Nolson.

PattiTheWicked · Jan 21, 2007

I think Snow Patrol would just do an awesome job, because I love their song "Run", as well as "Chasing Cars," but I actually voted for My Chemical Romance because Gerard Way does some really interesting stuff in their videos, and it might turn into a Mardi-Gras-like celebration with vampires and stuff. Evanescence does good vid too, so they'd be my other choice.

One band I didn't see listed but which would actually be my *top* pick is Social Distortion.

For the record, I listen to all of the above bands except James Blunt, and most of my clothes come from Old Navy, not Hot Topic

ChaosTitan · Jan 21, 2007

PeeDee said:
We mentioned somewhere, we'd like to hear a woman do the song.

Here you go. Kate Nolson.

Also Carrie Clark. Sorry, I don't have link to go with the name, but it's on her album "Release the Butterfly."

engmajor2005 · Jan 21, 2007

Okay, I like me some Disturbed and Mudvayne, but if they covered this song I believe I would die.

Now Cradle of Filth...interesting.

I personally have nothing against emo music; some of it is good (most of it is not). But I think we can all agree that the day boy bands died was one of the All Time Greatest Days Ever.

engmajor2005 · Jan 21, 2007

chaostitan said:
I'm a fan of every singer/group in the poll (except HIM, but I haven't listened to them yet, so give me time). Where do I shop?

In case you didn't catch it, my comment was dripping in sarcasm.

engmajor2005 · Jan 21, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
Anyone can cover it just so long as I never have to hear Leonard Cohen do it.

Thank you! Great lyrics, but Cohen's vocals sound like some weird mix between Frankenstein and WWE Superstar The Undertaker.

janetbellinger · Jan 21, 2007

I voted Nirvana because I'm so old it's the only one I've listened to. But since Nirvana is no longer playing, how about the ex lead now part of Foo Fighters- he's totally versatile.

The Official Song of Writing (Corrected)

Who should cover Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah?"

Evanescence

Blue October

My Chemical Romance

H.I.M.

Staind

Snow Patrol

Nirvana

James Blunt

wishes you happiness

Author Waiting in the Wings

Around

A flowering bud of bitchiness

Still Here!

NCIS...

Around

Reflections of Reality

writing on the wall

Around

Feed my eyes

Where's my tea, please...?

Court Jester

Where's my tea, please...?

Unleashing Hell.

Around