Nothing Compares 2 U

"Overblown", lol. Can you imagine Celine Dion, Xtina Aguilera or Meat Loaf going crazy on its ass?

What Sinead does beautifully here is a combination of exquisite tenderness, with occasional bursts of that shrill, slightly sharp tone (that's all over, say, Mandinka), but then pulling back from that again to softness, so sonically as well as emotionally it's unpredictable - when will it burst out again? Exactly like the emotion of loss/grief in question in the song - it hits you unexpectedly sharply and painfully and dies down again, against a background of general sorrow and hurt.

That strident tone was really something new in pop vocal style I think. Only maybe Suzie Sioux and Liz Frazer as far as I know had done that tone before Sinead, but they were more marginal figures, especially in the US, and didn't apply it to a love song in this way. (I know Sinead said the famous tears in the video were for her dead mother; not sure if that affected her recording?) Sadly I don't think Sinead did anything very good after this though.

^straight pyromania

Like many upthread, I wasn't old enough to really have any specific feelings about this song at the time - it was on Now 18 which I had as a ten year old, but I rarely played it through. Recently though I've been thinking about it. The Quietus have had a recent run of quite interesting articles about songs that make you cry. Manipulative as it is, this is one of those which even when I think about it gives me a strange shivery sensation.
The economy of language, devastating lines like "I know that living with you baby was sometimes hard, but I'm willing to give it another try" seem to pack a lot more than they do on paper.

Her version of 'all apologies' is nice, too. Not better than the original, but quiet and plaintive. Really nails the 'married, buried' part.

I vastly prefer Sinead's version to Prince's.

Prince's released (never heard a demo of his if there is ine in circulation) versions all miss the point of the song. Rosie Gaines is also not the right person for the job.

right on

I like the choir-like backing vocals, gives it a very Irish and religious feel. Like Sinead's Irish-punk take on soul, always did. Be stupid if she tried to sound black, she brought her own background to the song.

Apparently, it's not available on spotify (Sinead's version, I mean). Part of Prince's online policy ?
That's weird since there are other Prince songs by other artists available (Bangles, Times, Chaka Khan...).

Theres a live version on there. But yeah its bc of prince's policy of not cooperating with streaming services

I think this song was a collaboration not a cover so thats why prince retained the rights

I really don't like the official Prince version, and consider it a rare misstep, as if, after Sinead's massive, definitive success and their subsequent falling out he felt compelled to show the world "oh yeah, well check *this* out." And then it's a big whiff compared to hers.

What do you mean ? Wasn't it a cover ? and I guess he had the rights to other songs that are yet available (the previous ones, also sheila e. stuff).

(xpost)

Speaking about her relationship with Prince in an interview with Norwegian station NRK in November 2014 O'Connor said, "I did meet him a couple of times. We didn't get on at all. In fact, we had a punch-up." She continued: "He summoned me to his house after 'Nothing Compares 2 U.' I made it without him. I'd never met him. He summoned me to his house—and it's foolish to do this to an Irish woman—he said he didn't like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to fuck off." O'Connor said: "He got quite violent. I had to escape out of his house at five in the morning. He packed a bigger punch than mine."

wow. that's pretty crazy !

Jesus

i want to do this song at karaoke

Any song where you can seriously belt it out is perfect for karaoke

except that when you're drunk (which is condition sine qua non for me to do karaoke), you're pretty sure to miss all the high notes !

Lol no one could even approach the original though. Almost takes the pressure off.

you could make up for the bum notes by crying by the end of the song !

Nothing Compares to Sinead

Lol yeah. I'm sure my rendition will affect me powerfully, regardless of what the crowd would make of it

I was always curious about Sinead came by that song - was she really one of the 200 people that bought that album by the Family

good question !
I found this "It was Sinéad O'Connor's manager, Fachtna O'Kelly, who came up with the idea for the Irish singer to cover the Prince song."

I briefly considered this for karaoke on Saturday night, only because I had been refusing to attempt Prince for months, because how could I even presume, so I was thinking Manic Monday or this, which is still tough but I remember getting compliments for my diva-like performance of it in 1991(!) at my 12th birthday party (yeah, the oldest I got compliments for that sort of behaviour), but I don't have that range anymore so I chickened out. I said I'd do Poplife but it wasn't on there, I got roped into backing vocals on Purple Rain, didn't do myself too proud really.

there's been very little "here's the shitty stuff Prince did" since his death; wondering when that will start to slip out. the only negative story I could remember (aside from him maybe personally being a dick to people) was that violent story Sinead recalled. Wonder what the story behind that is.

it's a weird story

it's probably true though, idk. i can't imagine those two would ever get along.

so the version on the hits cd kinda sucks yah but if you saw p perform this in the 2014/2015 tour (he sang it all himself with mellotron backing) then that would be your choice version trust me. fuck it maybe ill put up a version on youtube.

he sang this at the piano last month when I saw him and it was great. he's fully capable of doing great versions of the song, it's too bad he never officially recorded one.

there's been very little "here's the shitty stuff Prince did" since his death; wondering when that will start to slip out. the only negative story I could remember (aside from him maybe personally being a dick to people) was that violent story Sinead recalled. Wonder what the story behind that is.

― akm, Monday, April 25, 2016 5:13 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

once the details of his speed & opiate addiction start to appear i'm sure there will be all sorts of tell-alls. Surprised that this interview with his alleged dealer hasn't been posted in any thread yet: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3555292/Prince-s-former-drug-dealer-reveals-extent-addiction.html

sinead o'connor is (like prince himself) a bit of a loon and a fabulist, so i'm not sure we should take her story at face value.

Over the last few days I've been positively haunted by this song. At the time in 1990, I had a hard time engaging with it ... the song and video were absolutely everywhere, the beat was strident and a bit plodding, and it was generally difficult to see past the cult of personality around Sinead. But 26 years (gah) later, this sounds to me like an absolute gem of a gospel tune -- and is just wrenching in the wake of Prince's death and what increasingly sounds like a lonely existence.

That said, before I go and call this one of Prince's best songs, I actually wonder a bit how much of the credit for her version should go to him. The lyrics are amazing and the verses are undeniably beautiful in all the versions of the song. But the chorus on the Family original (and the live version w Rosie Gaines) is an unlistenable train wreck -- the chords are totally different and oddly mismatched with the melody. It makes me wonder what Sinead or Nellee Hooper (the original producer before he and Sinead got into a row) saw in the tune in the first place.

Have they ever said anything about it?

I assume this is one of the songs which was inspired by his love for Susannah melvoin

Still never heard the family album. It's hard to search for in the downloadosphere

xpost All very good questions! I'm not sure I've ever read, or remember reading, how this obscure Prince song made its way to a (relatively) obscure Irish singer.

I don't understand what people are hearing that would make them say the version with Rosie Gaines is an unlistenable train wreck

weird hearing the family do this song recently as a tribute while sticking to the original arrangement so faithfully. the reason their version never went anywhere, apart from the aspirationally overwrought vocal, was because it has that stupid 'oh oh ohhh ohhh ohh' part after every few lines (how did that make the final edit?). it has the same problems as the prince/gaines duet, though that was somehow even worse, as it had unnecessary NPG bombast on top of the stupid hammy melodramatics of the family version.

its actually kind of amazing that anyone would hear that song in the late 80s and think 'i know what this song needs' (or rather, i know what this song definitely does NOT need)

I don't understand what people are hearing that would make them say the version with Rosie Gaines is an unlistenable train wreck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZlzN0Gtpp8

In the Gaines version (not sure if it's on YouTube), the chorus comes at 1:34 -- it's less that it's jarring and more that the chords are again different (different than the Family version, actually) and chorus doesn't really land.

So I guess the question is: who re-wrote the chorus for Sinead's version?

I can't stand the Rosie version.

Not big jazz fans you two, I'd guess?

also, prince and rosie singing this as a DUET doesnt work. its a song thats meant to be solitary. not two lovers singing back to each other, like endless love or something.

That. Like the Dixie Chicks doing Landslide as a harmonizing trio. Plus, love jazz, just think Rosie version is kind of generic and cheesy, both the production and the performance, but Sinead gets at something deeper, perhaps due to the austerity of the production/arrangement?

My snark was directed more at NTI, who seemed upset at chord substitution.

I don't think he was upset. He's just saying that it doesn't sound good and he's really right. I could honestly hear the Family version working with different instrumentation or a different mix or something though.

Family version would work better with a stronger and more distinctive vocalist. Clare Fischer's string arrangement is still sublime. Altho Sinead's version is still definitive, I think the recorded Family version would likely work with an impassioned vocal. There must be a demo/guide vocal version in the vault.

Impassioned Prince vocal, that is.