Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” Becomes America’s #1 Digital Song
This week, Jeff’s 1994 recording “Hallelujah” hit the #1 spot on iTunes’ singles
chart thanks to America’s top-rated network television show, American Idol. It’s the first U.S. Number One song on
any chart for the revered singer/songwriter, who died May 29, 1997 at age 30.
Jason Castro, a 20-year-old aspiring singer from Rockwall, Texas, performed “Hallelujah” on Tuesday, March 4th before the Idol judges. Although “Hallelujah” has been performed by artists ranging from k.d. lang to Bon Jovi, American Idol judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell both stated that Jeff Buckley’s version was their personal favorite. Jason Castro’s rendition of the song-combined with the judges’ favorable comments-propelled droves of viewers to the iTunes Store to download the original version from Grace, which promptly shot to No. 4 on iTunes singles chart and then over the following weekend continued to climb, finally reaching the coveted Number One position. To date, Legacy Recordings has sold over 565,773 digital downloads of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.”
“It’s a thrill to see Jeff’s work being embraced in his own country at this level,” says Mary Guilbert, the artist’s mother and the chief executor of his estate. “Even though it has been more than a decade since his departure, it was very moving to hear the American Idol judges speak so highly of Jeff. A mother can’t help but love that!”
“Hallelujah” appears on Jeff Buckley’s Grace: Legacy Edition, a special three-disc set issued by Legacy Recordings in August 2004 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the album’s original Columbia release. Fans can download the track now directly from iTunes.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 8:30 am and is filed under ALL.
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