Trump campaign's use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is "blasphemy," singer Rufus Wainwright says
CBSN
On Monday, Donald Trump turned a town hall Q&A into a music-listening session, with the former president swaying on stage for more than 30 minutes to some of his favorite songs — including Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," as covered by the singer Rufus Wainwright in the film "Shrek."
Now, Wainwright and Cohen's estate are taking issue with Trump's use of the song, with Wainwright writing on social media that "witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy."
The publishing company for Cohen's estate has sent a cease and desist letter to the Trump campaign, Wainwright said. Cohen, who died in 2016 at the age of 82, originally released the song in 1984, with many musicians later covering it, including Wainwright and the late Jeff Buckley.
