There are many questions American citizens now have with Donald Trump having been elected the 45th President of their country.
Will he deport law-abiding immigrants? Will he build a wall? Will he ban Muslims from the country? Will he last a full term in office?
And also this: How would Saturday Night Live react to his election?
The last question was answered this weekend… in truly memorable fashion.
The NBC sketch series opened last night with Kate McKinnon dressed as Hillary Clinton.
But there were no witty lines of dialogue. There were no tears being cried. There was no interaction with Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump
Instead, McKinnon simply say at a piano and sang the song “Hallelujah.”
This was especially poignant because Leonard Cohen died this week, leaving this world as the man responsible for having written that iconic ballad.
At the end of her rendition, McKinnon turned to the camera, and as Clinton, told viewers “I’m not giving up, and neither should you.”
It was an amazing decision by Saturday Night Live. Some people are comparing McKinnon’s version here to when Paul Simon sang “The Boxer” on SNL’s first episode after 9/11
Watch the performance for yourself.
Why did “Hallelujah” feel like the perfect track for the moment?
Check out the lyrics below and perhaps you’ll understand:
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 her/She tied you/To a kitchen chair/She broke your throne, and she cut your hair.
And from your lips she drew the 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.