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Leonard Cohen fans are now furious over President Donald Trump’s campaign team after they used covers of Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” at the Republican National Convention. The song was played not once but twice much to the dismay of Cohen’s fans.
At the conclusion of Donald Trump‘s speech at the RNC on Thursday, the campaign team played Tori Kelly’s recording of the song, a cover of Leonard Cohen’s original song, with the fireworks. The classic track was played between ‘She’s a Grand Old Flag’ and Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’. Fireworks were followed and pyrotechnics that spelt out ‘TRUMP’ and ‘2020’ were used during the campaign.
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Adding to the insult, Christopher Macchio’s rendition of “Hallelujah” was quickly reprised, on camera and at greater volume.
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Following the campaign, Tori Kelly received massive backlash on social media allowing her recording of ‘Hallelujah’ to be used at the ceremony. However, she revealed on Twitter that she was unaware that it was to be played.
“Seeing messages about my version of ‘Hallelujah’. All I know is neither myself nor my team received a request,” the singer tweeted.
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Very amusing and fitting the RNC ended with a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah”, a song about a failed relationship, dishonesty, disappointment, and loss… Nothing exemplifies Trump’s presidency more than those things.
(LOL the MAGAs think it’s a religious song)
— Jeff Jones (@YouWontFeelThis) August 28, 2020
Reminder: Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is a break up song.
— Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) August 28, 2020
I guarantee that the Trump family was watching that guy sing Canadian Leonard Cohen’s poetry and thinking about Shrek, and not of what the song is about which is orgasms.
— Theo Ward (@theopward) August 28, 2020
Someone please mash up Trump’s fireworks w/ “Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen instead.
— B. Dolan (@BDolanSFR) August 28, 2020
Maybe Republicans & .@realDonaldTrump couldn’t find any AMERICAN music that they were allowed to use. . .maybe they figure a dead Canadian Leonard Cohen won’t have his estate write a cease and desist letter re the song Hallelujah
— FoodAsPoetry (@FoodAsPoetry) August 28, 2020
Later, many users took to Twitter to pointed out the irony of incongruity, of choosing a deeply cynical song by a Canadian. Users were dismayed at using the song as the triumphant exit music following a hyper-patriotic American acceptance speech.
Leonard Cohen died a day before the 2016 election. Some of the fans call it to be symbolic, given his political views and the fact that he wrote the protest song, “Democracy”.
Leonard Cohen wrote 80 verses in the original composition of “Hallelujah”. He couldn’t stop writing. The song grew into a reflection about love and loss and spirituality and empathy. Above all, it has space for countless views on what it means to be human.
The opposite of Trump.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) August 28, 2020
What do you think about using Leonard Cohen’s song ‘Hallelujah’ during Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign? Let us know in the comments.
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