"HALLELUJAH" CHRISTMAS #1 & #2, THE SONG THAT SAVED 2008

Two years ago I bought a Jeep Commander and it came with Sirius Satellite Radio.  One of my favorite Radio Stations on Sirius is BBC Radio One, and every year I look forward to UK Chart Show on the Sunday before Christmas (2008 December 21, 2008).  That is where they announce that years Christmas #1, some of you that are movie fans may remember a British Romantic Comedy "Love Actually" with Hugh Grant.  In that movie one of the underlying stories was a parody of an old rocker trying to once again obtain the coveted title of the Christmas #1.  At that time, I did not realize this has been going on in the UK since 1952, until I became an avid fan of BBC Radio 1.

This year God brought us a special gift a song that saves 2008, for the first time in the history of the Christmas number one and UK Singles Chart show, 2008 Christmas #1 and #2 are the same song, Hallelulah.

Hallelujah, is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְלוּיָהּ meaning "praise (הַלְּלוּ) Yah (יָהּ), "Praise God" is the Christmas #1 and the Christmas #2.  The song was composed by Leonard Cohen, and on December 21, 2008 Hallelujah became the first song in 51 years to occupy the first and second positions on the UK Singles Chart.  The Number one was sung by the 2008 X Factor Winner (UK's version of American Idol) Alexandra Burke, Here is the video of her singing Hallelujah:

 

The number 2 spot was held by Jeff Buckley, since the announcement of the song as the official 'Winner's Song' of The X Factor 2008, there has been a strong upsurge in interest in previous versions of the song, especially that by Jeff Buckley. 

A much talked about Facebook campaign with the aim of getting the Buckley version rather than that by Burke to UK Christmas number 1 gained over 130,000 members.  However, Burke's did reach number one, keeping in line with X Factor's monopoly of the UK Christmas Number 1 over the last few years, with Buckley's version reaching number 2 and Cohen's original charting at number 36.  

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Here is a link to Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah:  

December 21, 1968 gave us Apollo 8, Forty years later December 21, 2008 gives us HALLELUJAH.  PRAISE GOD.

-LEX REX