Hallelujah! A Playlist For Mardi Gras & Easter, But Not The Days In Between

    Some Christian traditions don’t say “hallelujah” during Lent (Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal and others), saving it up for a super joyful resurrection celebration on Easter. Since so many great pop tunes have us singing “hallelujah”, you should be sure to listen to them before the H-A-double-hockey-sticks go silent for 40 days. Turn up these hallelujah hits on Mardi Gras, and bring them back again on Easter morn.

    AlliBethBee
    by AlliBethBee

    Community Contributor

    Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars

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    Girls, hit your hallelujah. Then do Lent for a while. Then hit it again.

    Andy Grammer - Good to be Alive (Hallelujah)

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    Oh no! Andy Grammer FINALLY found his hallelujah, but now he has to put it away for 40 days!

    Ne-Yo – Religious

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    You got me religious.

    Elvis Presley – American Trilogy (The Battle Hymn of the Republic)

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    Let’s take it a little farther back, because Elvis. There’s nothing quite like hearing The King sing “glory, glory, hallelujah.”

    Eden’s Edge – Amen

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    We’ll give you an “Amen” everyday and a “Hallelujah” most days, Eden’s Edge! Plus, this music video is truly adorable. Watch it before Ash Wednesday!

    Ray Charles – Hallelujah, I Love Her So

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    Ray Charles sings praises over the one who brings him coffee in his favorite cup. Ray Charles gets it. Ray Charles is not giving up coffee for Lent.

    Panic! At the Disco – Hallelujah

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    All you sinners stand up, sing hallelujah! *stands*

    George Harrison – My Sweet Lord

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    My sweet Lord, hallelujah. Pretty much sums it up.

    Maren Morris – My Church

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    Maren, does your church bury the hallelujah during Lent, too?!?!

    Emmylou Harris – I’ll Fly Away

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    Now, even though this one comes straight from the hymnal, it probably doesn’t sound so folksy-fresh when you sing it in church.

    Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah

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    When your Mardi Gras party winds down and things start to get a little deep, you know it’s time for Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Listen to the original, and then take turns playing your favorite covers while discerning what to give up for Lent.

    Handel’s Messiah – Hallelujah Chorus

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    Perhaps the most famous Hallelujah song ever, this transcendent chorus has made its way from 18th century England to Dumb and Dumber and now to your very own Mardi Gras celebration. You’re gonna want to get on your feet for this one, folks! Seriously, when this piece is performed by a choir, it’s tradition to stand.

    Who says ancient liturgical traditions and pop culture don't mix?