A History of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

The one song that stands the best chance to be played during the final jam at the end of the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is "Hallelujah," written by inductee Leonard Cohen.

The song has become ingrained in our culture over the past 20+ years thanks to scores of cover versions (even showing up on American Idol this week). Michael Barthel over at clapclap.org broke down the history of the song in a hugely comprehensive fashion. Check out the number of cover versions by year:

(via kottke)