"Hallelujah I Love Her So" is a single by American musician

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. The

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

song was written and released by Charles in 1956 on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

label, and in 1957 it was included on his self-titled debut LP, also released on Atlantic. The song peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. It is loosely based on 'Get It Over Baby' by

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

(1953). The song incorporates Gospel music. "Hallelujah I Love Her So" is a testament to the joyous release of love, featuring a sophisticated horn arrangement and memorable tenor sax solo by Don Wilkerson. Several artists, including Stevie Wonder, Peggy Lee, Eddie Cochran, and Humble Pie have

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

the song.

Personnel

– lead vocal * Don Wilkerson – tenor saxophone solo *The Ray Charles Orchestra – instrumentation * Jerry Wexler – producer

Beatles cover versions

According to biographer

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

(in ''The Complete Beatles Chronicle'', p. 362),

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

(first as

the Quarrymen The Quarrymen (also written as "the Quarry Men") are a British skiffle/ rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several schoolfriends, the Q ...

) regularly performed the song, from at least 1960 through 1962 with

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

on lead vocal. A very early home recording rehearsal (dated tentatively to May 1960) of it was included on ''

Anthology 1 ''Anthology 1'' is a compilation album by the Beatles, released on 20 November 1995 by Apple Records as part of ''The Beatles Anthology'' series. It features rarities, outtakes and live performances from the period 1958–64, including song ...

'' as well as on previous unauthorized releases. They continued playing it regularly including at The Star-Club in Hamburg through the end of 1962, an audience recording was made there which is included in the album ''

Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962 Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Live! (2007 film), ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film *Live (2014 film), ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *''Live (Apocalyptica DVD), ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *L ...

''. Additionally according to author Doug Sulpy (in ''Drugs, Divorce And A Slipping Image'', sec. 22.25) on January 22, 1969 during the ''

Get Back "Get Back" is a song recorded by the British rock band the Beatles and Billy Preston, and written by Paul McCartney though credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to ...

'' sessions, they recorded a version with

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

doing a "loose" lead vocal; that version has never been officially released. Lastly, in December 1961 the two singer-musicians who were asked to join the Beatles,

Tony Sheridan Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity (21 May 1940 – 16 February 2013), known professionally as Tony Sheridan, was an English rock and roll guitarist who spent much of his adult life in Germany. He was best known as an early collaborator of th ...

and Roy Young, recorded a studio version that was released on the Sheridan album ''

My Bonnie My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Mar ...

'' (1962) although none of the Beatles participate.

Beatles personnel

- vocals, guitar *

- guitar * George Harrison - guitar *

Stuart Sutcliffe Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a Scottish painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist of the English rock band the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a paint ...

- bass

Other cover versions

* Peggy Lee (single A-side in 1959 as "Hallelujah I Love Him So") *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

on her Verve release ''

Rhythm Is My Business ''Rhythm Is My Business'' is a 1962 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. The album was recorded with a big band and arranged and conducted by the American R&B organist Bill Doggett. '' DownBeat'' magazine gave this album 3� ...

'' *

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

(as "Hallelujah I Love Him So") *

Timi Yuro Rosemary Victoria Yuro (August 4, 1940 – March 30, 2004), known professionally as Timi Yuro, was an American singer-songwriter. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice," she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul sty ...

(as "Halleluja I Love Him So") *

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desir ...

(single A-side) *

Eva Cassidy Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and guitarist known for her interpretations of jazz, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her first album ...

(as "Hallelujah I Love Him So") *

Earl Grant Earl Grant (January 20, 1931 – June 10, 1970) was an American pianist, organist, and vocalist popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Grant was born in Idabel, Oklahoma. Though he would be known later for his keyboards and vocals, Grant also p ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

Little Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, so ...

on the 1962 album ''

Tribute to Uncle Ray ''Tribute to Uncle Ray'' is the second studio album by Stevie Wonder. Released by Motown in October, 1962, shortly after '' The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie''. It had been recorded first, when Wonder was just 11 years old. The album was an atte ...

'' *

Davy Graham David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham (originally spelled Davy Graham) (26 November 1940 – 15 December 2008) was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival. He inspired many famous practitioners ...

(acoustic instrumental version on 1963 album ''The Guitar Player'') *

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

on the 1958 album '' Belafonte Sings the Blues'', a smart "jazzy" version *

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...

* Frank Sinatra on ''

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

'' (1969) * Humble Pie *

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...

(as "Hallelujah I Love Him So") *

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...

The Blues Band The Blues Band is a British blues band formed in 1979 by Paul Jones, former lead vocalist and harmonica player with Manfred Mann, and guitarist Tom McGuinness also of Manfred Mann and The Roosters. The band’s first line-up also included b ...

The Holloways The Holloways are an English four-piece indie rock band from North London. Their single " Generator" reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart on 11 June 2007. They have had five No.1 singles on the UK Indie Chart and several Top 40 singles. Th ...

* Raymond van het Groenewoud translated the song on his 1988 album ''Intiem'' *

Ben l'Oncle Soul Benjamin Duterde (; born 10 November 1984), better known by his stage name Ben l'Oncle Soul (, ), is a French soul singer and songwriter. He has released four studio albums, the self-titled debut '' Ben l'Oncle Soul'' in 2010, ''À coup de rêves ...

in a French version called ''Demain j'arrête'' *

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in ...

on the special edition of his album '' Let Them Talk'' * Crystal Gayle *

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many o ...

on his 2008 album ''Roots & Grooves'' * Tony DeSare on his 2009 album ''Radio Show'' *

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

on his 2010 album ''Only Everything'' *

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

"Hallelujah I Love Her So" from ''

The Memphis Album ''The Memphis Album'' is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007.

'' * James Hunter *

Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...

* Blue Harlem * Reverend Chris and the High Rollers *

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

in a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

version called ''Rose Marie'' * Ryan Montbleau *

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

, on his 1966 Australian album Neil Sedaka at Chequers *

Elvina Makarian Elvina may refer to: Places *Elviña, Spain, town where the Battle of Corunna took place *Castro de Elviña, ruined site in Galicia, Spain *Elvina Bay, New South Wales, bay in northern Sydney, Australia People * Elvina M. Hall (1818-1889), Americ ...

(Armenian Jazz Singer)

Eddie Cochran version

"Hallelujah, I Love Her So" is an adaption of the

song by

. It was released as a single on Liberty Records in November 1959.

Personnel

: vocal, guitar * Jimmy Stivers: piano * Gene Riggio: drums * Don Myers: electric bass * Mike Henderson: tenor sax * Mike Deasy: baritone sax

Chart performance

George Jones and Brenda Lee version

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

covered the song on his 1984 album '' Ladies' Choice'' as a duet with

titled "Hallelujah, I Love You So". It was released as a single in 1984 and peaked at number 15 on the '' Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart in 1985.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1956 singles 1956 songs 1959 singles 1984 singles Songs written by Ray Charles Ray Charles songs Peggy Lee songs The Animals songs Eddie Cochran songs The Beatles songs Frank Sinatra songs Guy Sebastian songs The Quarrymen songs George Jones songs Brenda Lee songs Liberty Records singles Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler Atlantic Records singles