“Nothing Compares 2 U” – Sinead O’Connor Song Review

“Nothing Compares 2 U” is a song written and produced by Prince that was originally intended to be performed by his side project, a band called The Family; it was featured on their debut album in 1985. The reason why there are several different versions of the song performed by many artist is that the lyrics are extraordinarily well written. It is one of those songs that any singer can pick up and find ways to express themselves creatively. The song is about the aftermath of a broken relationship and one of the former partners realizing through personal experience that nothing compares to the loving relationship that was there before.

Sinead O’Connor recorded and released a version of the song for her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got in 1989. It was released as the second single for the record and it became a global hit; her rendition of the song became more popular than any other version, including the original by Prince’s band.

The music video was directed by John Maybury, who set out to create some closeups of the singer on camera and mix them in with different scenes that shows characters enacting the lyrics of the song, creating the aesthetic of a relationship that is ending. However, after Maybury shot all of the closeups, including the famous tears from O’Connor while performing the song, the director decided to make the video almost entirely closeups in order to tell the story in a more poignant way. The director succeeded and the music video has gone one to be one of the most popular over the last few decades. The video was played heavily on MTV, and named “#1 World Single” at the first Billboard Music Awards in 1990.

The major differences between O’Connor’s version and any others are that it is written and composed in the key of F major, and the production is light in order to place strong emphasis on the lyrics.

The song writing is what makes this track special. It depicts a story that anyone can relate to. When O’Connor picked it up, she drew inspiration from different parts of the lyrics. The most important inspiration comes from the third verse because it reminds the singer of her deceased mother. When she performs the song she feels that it is a way for her to communicate with her mom spiritually.

O’Connor’s vocals are exceptional. She took an existing piece of music and added her magic to it, including incredible performers in both the music video and live on stage. She can still sing this song today and audiences can hear the wonderful resonance in her voice.

The instrumentation is a light keyboard, a delayed soft drum to add a pop element to the song, and some violin. These instruments are played softly in order to put emphasis on the vocals and lyrics.

O’Connor created one of the greatest pop songs and performances with this track.