Canadian poet and singer Leonard Cohen performs at the 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, on July 8, 2008. His song Hallelujah is a hit in Britain. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone/Associated Press)

Canadian artist Leonard Cohen is about to have a chart topper in Britain with a song he first released in 1984.

Hallelujah is set to make music history with three places on the U.K. singles charts, including No. 1 and No. 2.

The song's remarkable renaissance is the result of recordings by two young stars — American singer Jeff Buckley and reality TV show winner Alexandra Burke.

Burke's and Buckley's versions of the song are vying for the top two spots on British charts for Christmas week , with more than 100,000 downloads of each version.

Burke won British talent competition The X Factor last week with her rendition of Hallelujah, and it became an immediate hit.

British fans of the late Buckley were determined not to be outdone by a reality TV star and have orchestrated a campaign to push his version up the charts. Buckley first released the song on his 1994 album, Grace.

Quebec-born Cohen's own version of Hallelujah is hovering around 34 on the British charts.

The Canadian singer songwriter returned to touring last year after being bilked out of retirement savings by a former financial manager. This year he completed a successful European tour.

Hallelujah has been covered more than 170 times by artists such as k.d. Lang, Bono and Rufus Wainwright.