This Day In Music – Sinead O

On this day 23^rd February in 1990, Sinead O’Connor was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Her version of the Prince penned song was also a No.1 hit in 18 other countries. A month later the Irish singers second album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, was I pole position on the UK charts as well as 13 other countries including six weeks at No.1 in the US – going on to become the third best-selling single of 1990.
For a moment there, Sinead could do no wrong, every time time you turned on MTV, there she was staring into your living room, the big close up of her face with a tear rolling down her face.
The iconic video directed by John Maybury was shot in Paris, France. O’Connor’s cry toward the end wasn’t accidental: she later stated on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s that it was caused by the lyric “All the flowers that you planted, Mama, in the back yard, All died when you went away,” because she had a very complex relationship with her late mother, who used to abuse her in childhood. The much-viewed video cleaned up at the won 1990 MTV Music Awards winning O’Connor: Video of the Year (O’Connor became the first female artist to be awarded with it), Best Female Video, and Best Post-Modern Video.
The song was produced by British DJ and re-mixer Nellee Hooper who was also a member of the influlental Bristol based group Massive Attack. “Nothing Compares 2 U” was first released by The Family who were a funk band created as an outlet to release more of Prince’s music, tucked away on their first and only album, the self-titled The Family.
Then what happened? Well things were going well, she joined many other guests for former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters’ massive performance of The Wall in Berlin. Appeared on a couple of high profile charity albums but her follow up singles just didn’t happen. You would imagine that after such a massive hit and with an album that spent 1 week short of a year on the chart, any artist would land another top 10 hit, but no, her next single “The Emperor’s New Clothes” stalled outside the top 30, as did the next two, ‘Three Babies” and “My Special Child”.
Then the controversy started. Frank Sinatra threatened to “kick her ass”, after she announced that she would not perform if the United States national anthem was played before one of her concerts. Then after receiving 4 Grammy Award nominations she withdrew her name from consideration?
But that was nothing. On 3 October 1992, O’Connor appeared on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest. During the dress rehearsal she held up a photo of a refugee child during an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s “War”, which she intended as a protest over the sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, by changing the lyric “racism” to “child abuse.”
During her actual live performance the photo of a refugee child was no where to be seen, instead she held up a photo of Pope John Paul II to the camera while singing the word “evil”, after which she tore the photo into pieces, said “Fight the real enemy”, and threw the pieces towards the camera.
It was a very brave thing to do, but also a strange way to throw your career away in the US. But Sinead is a brave woman, and has continued to ‘rock the boat’ since then using her position to make people aware of various causes close to her heart.
And what about that shaved head? While her look was initially an assertion against traditional views of women, years later, O’Connor said she had begun to grow her hair back, but that after being asked if she was Enya, O’Connor shaved it off again.
Nothing compares to you!