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Congratulations to the Winner of the UK X-Factor Final 2008.

Watch Youtube of Beyonce and Alexander performing their duet.
Also Youtube of Alexander singing her debut single Halleluja
Lyrics to Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Alexander Burke

The three final contestants included JLS, the brilliant Boy Band who was in Louie Walsh’s category. Also Eoghan Quigg the young 16 year old from Northern Ireland who has a huge amount of confidence for such a young boy and he was in Simon Cowell’s category. Finally, there was Alexander Burke, 20, from North London, who was in Cheryl Cole’s (Girls Aloud) category. Alexander has the most amazing voice which she uses with such poignant sincerity in her vocals.

So those were the final three. First to leave was Eoghan Quigg, which left Alexander and the band JLS, to battle it out in the final of this years X-Factor. It was too close to call at this point after both acts had performed really well throughout the show.

They both, singley performed the amazing song, Hallelujah written by Canadian Poet, and songwriter Leonard Cohen, 75. The song has huge religious and Biblical connotations but is actually quite an overtly sexual song as was Cohen’s intent. I saw Leonard Cohen perform his song Hallelujah in a church and the song is so blatantly sexual it made me smile. A poets words are not always as they seem for most of the time. The clue lies in the word Hallelujah, which is completely metaphorical.

Originally 80 verses long, Hallelujah took Cohen almost a year to write and he would discard verses as he went, in the process of crafting the perfect song and end result. Hallelujah is a stunning song and does have reference to various parts of the Bible making the lyrics seem pure and religious.

Hallelujah has been covered by various artists, including Bob Dylan and Jeff Buckley who referred to his own rendition of the song as homage to “the hallelujah of the orgasm”. Other cover artists would often use other verses, taken from the original version of the song, and Leonard Cohen’s re-work of the Hallelujah in which the lyrics became even more sexual, and the song’s structure was slightly reworked.

Basically this is a song which works in many ways and depending upon which verses are used the meaning of the song takes on a new significance. Hallelujah was originally released on the 1984 studio album Various Positions. A live recording of the song containing additional lyrics was recorded in 1988 and released on the 1994 album, Cohen Live.

After both artists performed the Leonard Cohen song it was announced that Alexander Burke was this years X-Factor Winner as chosen by the UK public. Her mentor, Cheryl Cole, managed to get Beyonce onto the show to perform an amazing duet of the song Listen with Alexander, which was a bit of a coup.

But it was Alex’s performance of the ethereal and highly charged Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah which clinched it for me. Alexander was the bookies favourite and she won by a cool one million votes. She has now secured herself the coveted £1 million prize of a recording contract with Syco, Simon Cowell’s recording Company, which is a spin-off of Sony BMG.

Hallelujah will be her debut single and is available to download as from Midnight tonight and will be available in the shops from Monday 15th December. Hallelujah should easily become the Christmas number 1. During the show Simon Cowell made a prediction to Alexander in which he said “Tonight a star is born”.

Three years ago she was turned away from the X-Factor at the Boot Camp stage after being told “She wasn’t ready yet”. Well, tonight belongs to her and she is very much ready now after spending the last three years preparing for this outcome. Alexander Burke has a brilliant career ahead of her. She has an incredible voice and is a very humble and worthy winner.-

Alender Burke performing the song ‘Listen’ with her idol Beyonce

Alexander Burke singing her debut single Hallelujah

Lyrics to Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Hallelujah

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I’ve walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know
What’s really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don’t even know the name
But if I did, well really, what’s it to you?
There’s a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn’t matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

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