Dance Me to the End of Love.....

Two different cover versions of Leonard Cohen’s 1984 song Hallelujah were topping the charts in England over the Christmas Holidays.

Alexandra Burke covered the song on an “Idol”–type TV show called the X-Factor overseen by American Idol’s Simon Cowell. Despite the fact that Leonard Cohen will earn a hefty royalty from sales and downloads of the single, the idea of “Hallelujah” being bandied upon on a TV talent show rubbed a lot of Leonard Cohen fans the wrong way.

Fans decided that they would rather hear Jeff Buckley’s 1994 version and used Facebook and MySpace, to promote mass downloading of Buckley’s Hallelujah.

Leonard Cohen wins either way. The popularity of the song has helped the 74-year-old singer-songwriter to overcome his financial troubles of recent years.

I received a CD this Christmas by another artist who covers Leonard Cohen. Madeleine Peyroux purrs like Billie Holliday in the studio and does an excellent cover version of Cohen’s Dance Me to the End of Love on the 2004 release Careless Love.

34-year-old Madeleine Peyroux was born in Georgia but lived in Paris during the formative years of 13 to 22. Gee why didn’t my parents think of that?!

Listening to Peyroux feels like toast and honey under a warm blanket. Madeleine has an amazing, sultry voice, wavering between happiness and sadness. On one track she performs “I’ll Look Around” a song originally sung by Billie Holliday. Peyroux manages to make both joy and heartbreak sound so good.

The CD was produced by Larry Klein, Joni Mitchell’s ex. Madeleine Peyroux also does a great version of Bob Dylan’s "You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go".This is probably the main reason I got the CD for Christmas. My husband is a huge Bob Dylan fan.

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love