Why Did Sinad O'Connor Cover Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U"? Let's Get Into It

One of Sinad O'Connor's most iconic songs wasn't written by the late Irish singer. Why did Prince give "Nothing Compares 2 U" to her? On the outside, it may seem like Prince and Sinad O'Connor had very little in common. She was an Irish Catholic whose music centered around religion and politics while Prince was

One of Sinéad O'Connor's maximum iconic songs wasn't written via the overdue Irish singer. Why did Prince give "Nothing Compares 2 U" to her?

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On the out of doors, it may seem like Prince and Sinéad O'Connor had very little in not unusual. She used to be an Irish Catholic whose track focused round faith and politics whilst Prince was once a Jehovah's Witness whose art was once sexually charged and provocative. One factor they did have in commonplace used to be their talent to escape the abuse they persisted at the hands of their very own circle of relatives.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a breakup tune that Sinéad turned into a letter from an abused daughter to her abusive mom. It's in regards to the loss of formative years and the way despite one's best possible efforts, you still long for the precise more or less love just a mother or father can provide. The song's that means modified considerably. So, why did Prince give "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Sinéad O'Connor? It isn't an easy story.

Source: Getty Images

Before Prince gave "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Sinéad O'Connor, he needed to write it.

According to the BBC, in July 1984 Prince had returned to Los Angeles from Dallas after seeing the Jackson's on their Victory excursion. Feeling inspired, he immediately went to the studio and recorded the "initial version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" in a matter of hours." Susan Rogers, the studio engineer, used to be the one different person there and instructed Duane Tudahl in his ebook Prince and The Purple Raine Era Studio Sessions, "I was amazed at how beautiful it was."

Susan believes this tune used to be written about Prince's former housekeeper Sandy Scipioni "who had been forced to quit when her father died unexpectedly of a heart attack." She advised BBC 6 Music in 2018 that Sandy did the whole lot for Prince and his temper grew considerably darker after she left. A friend of Prince's by means of the name of Jerome Benton thought the track used to be perhaps about his ex-fiancée, which obviously turns out more believable.

Either approach, Prince didn't assume the track matched his public personality so he passed it to his side venture, The Family. That band was once "formed around his then-girlfriend Susannah Melvoin, and the singer Paul Peterson." They released it in 1985 on their one and simplest album, which did no longer do well. The Family broke up soon after.

How did "Nothing Compares 2 U" finally end up on a Sinéad O'Connor album?

Despite the fact that it's in reality a shocking music, "Nothing Compares 2 U" wasn't getting the treatment it deserved. When Sinéad's supervisor Fachtna O'Ceallaigh recalled hearing it, she thought it would make a very good addition to her consumer's second album. Some say Steve Fargnoli introduced the track to Sinéad. He was once her new manager at the time she recorded it and had up to now dealt with Prince during the "Purple Rain" generation.

Although Sinéad was going thru a breakup when she recorded "Nothing Compares 2 U," one line specifically stood out within the video. The video itself is intimate in some way that's virtually embarrassing. Washed in muted tones, the vast majority of it is a closeup of Sinéad. When she sings, "All the flowers that you planted mama, in the back yard, all died when you went away," tears roll down her face. She would later reveal that the ones tears were actual because the grief concerning the loss of her mother in 1986, coupled with their chaotic dating, took over.

Sinéad O'Connor as soon as spent a harrowing night with Prince.

In her memoir titled Rememberings, Sinéad opened up about a in particular scary come across she had with Prince. Before recording "Nothing Compres 2 U," she had never met Prince till he summoned her to his house in Los Angeles one evening. The first thing Prince did was once be offering her a drink then whilst getting it, demanded she "get it herself."

Back in the day, I'm speaking about early 90s, for those who truly liked a woman, you'll make a mixture tape or CD and some of the tracks you would always put on there was once Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U (written by way of Prince). In reality, you would be smart to still include it in 2023. Iconic.

— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) July 26, 2023

"I've seen this before. I grew up with it. I start mentally checking for exits," she wrote. At this level the Purple One started lecturing Sinéad about the usage of swear words in interviews. "I don't work for you," she mentioned. "If you don't like it, you can f--k yourself." Things escalated when Prince left after which returned with two pillows. He wanted to have a pillow battle but it used to be clear that he weighed his down with something heavy. She ran and he chased after her, but thankfully Sinéad was ready to name a friend.

Apparently this stemmed from some mysterious criminal lawsuits between Sinéad's manager and Prince. Regardless, she had no real interest in seeing Prince once more. The exchange didn't stop her from weeping when he died from an unintentional fentanyl overdose in April 2015. "I just felt terribly sorry and sad for him of the loneliness of his death," she advised People. (*2*)

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