Sinéad O’Connor, the fiercely independent and deeply emotive Irish singer-songwriter, left an indelible mark on the music world. Among her vast and powerful discography, one song stands out as her signature: “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Released in 1990, it catapulted O’Connor to global fame, becoming an anthem of heartbreak and longing for a generation. But while inextricably linked with O’Connor’s raw and unforgettable performance, the question often arises: who wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U?”
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The answer, surprisingly to many, is Prince. Yes, the enigmatic and prolific musical genius, Prince Rogers Nelson, penned this song of profound vulnerability. This revelation often leads to a fascinating exploration of how a song written by one artist could be so completely transformed and owned by another, becoming their defining masterpiece. This is the story of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a song that transcends authorship and highlights the transformative power of interpretation and personal experience in music.
Prince, renowned for his boundless creativity, was known to write and gift songs to various artists. Before Sinéad O’Connor’s iconic rendition, “Nothing Compares 2 U” was first recorded in 1985 by The Family, a Paisley Park Records side project of Prince. Fronted by Paul Peterson, known as St. Paul, The Family’s version is a solid and soulful rendition, yet it remained largely unknown outside Prince’s dedicated fanbase. It lacked the spark that would ignite the song into a global phenomenon.
The magic happened when Sinéad O’Connor encountered the song. Already a rising artist with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra (1987), O’Connor possessed a voice that was both fragile and ferocious, capable of conveying immense vulnerability and unwavering strength. When she recorded “Nothing Compares 2 U” for her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), she didn’t just cover a song; she inhabited it completely.
O’Connor’s version strips away the 80s synth-pop sheen of The Family’s original, replacing it with a raw, emotional intensity. Her voice cracks with palpable pain, and her delivery is both intimate and universal. She transformed the song into a personal lament, imbuing it with a depth of feeling that resonated deeply with listeners worldwide. It was as if the song was written for her, and her alone, to express a grief uniquely her own.
The accompanying music video further cemented “Nothing Compares 2 U” as Sinéad O’Connor’s signature song. Directed by John Maybury, the video is strikingly simple yet incredibly powerful. Largely consisting of a close-up of O’Connor singing against a black backdrop, it focuses entirely on her face and her raw emotion. The shaved head, the black turtleneck, and the stark setting all contribute to a sense of vulnerability and authenticity.
It’s in the famous close-up where tears well up in O’Connor’s eyes that the video reaches its emotional climax. This moment, unplanned and genuinely felt, became iconic. It was a visual representation of the song’s raw emotion, amplifying its impact and making it unforgettable. In an era of often over-produced and flamboyant music videos on MTV, the simplicity and sincerity of “Nothing Compares 2 U” stood out, making it revolutionary in its own way.
Sinéad O’Connor’s personal life, marked by a challenging upbringing and public controversies, undoubtedly informed her interpretation of the song. In her memoir Rememberings (2021), she details a difficult childhood, including accounts of abuse. While she never explicitly stated that “Nothing Compares 2 U” was about her mother, the raw grief and longing in her performance led many to believe it was a deeply personal expression of loss and pain, possibly connected to her complex relationship with her mother who passed away when O’Connor was young.
This personal connection resonated with audiences. The universality of heartbreak, coupled with the specific rawness of O’Connor’s delivery, turned “Nothing Compares 2 U” into a global phenomenon. It topped charts worldwide, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and became an anthem for anyone who had experienced loss and longing. The album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got also reached number one, solidifying O’Connor’s status as a major musical force.
Despite the song’s massive success and its deep association with her, Sinéad O’Connor’s relationship with “Nothing Compares 2 U” was complex. While acknowledging the song’s power and impact, she also expressed a desire to move beyond it, not wanting to be defined solely by one song. Her artistic journey was far broader, encompassing spiritual exploration, activism, and a constant push against industry expectations and societal norms.
Her relationship with Prince himself was also fraught. While initially grateful for the song, O’Connor later recounted a disturbing encounter with Prince in Los Angeles, detailed in her memoir and previous interviews. She described feeling threatened and intimidated by him, an experience that soured her feelings towards the song for a time. This incident further complicates the narrative of authorship and ownership surrounding “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
In 2018, after Prince’s untimely death in 2016, his original 1984 studio recording of “Nothing Compares 2 U” was posthumously released. While a poignant reminder of Prince’s songwriting genius, it further highlighted the transformative power of Sinéad O’Connor’s interpretation. Prince’s version, while beautifully sung and arranged, lacks the visceral, heart-wrenching quality that O’Connor brought to the song.
Ultimately, while Prince wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Sinéad O’Connor made it immortal. She took a song of heartbreak and infused it with her own unique pain, vulnerability, and strength, creating an anthem that continues to resonate across generations. Her version is not just a cover; it’s a re-creation, a testament to the power of an artist to take a song and make it profoundly, and undeniably, their own. The legacy of “Nothing Compares 2 U” is a testament to both Prince’s songwriting genius and Sinéad O’Connor’s unparalleled ability to connect with the deepest emotions of the human heart through music.
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Rob HarvillaRob Harvilla is a senior staff writer at The Ringer and the host/author of ‘60 Songs That Explain the ’90s,’ though the podcast is now called ‘60 Songs That Explain the ’90s: The 2000s,’ a name everyone loves. He lives with his family in Columbus, Ohio, by choice.
