Just like when any musician dies, everyone is talking about Sinéad O’Connor’s music lately.
Of course her most famous song is Nothing Compares 2 U. O’Connor ‘s power ballad dropped in 1990 on her Second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. Easily her most-successful hit, it got the title for number one single in the world by Billboard Magazine for that year.
But O’Connor had many other successes beyond Nothing Compares 2 U.
In fact, her debut album The Lion and The Cobra, released in 1987, topped charts around the world. It reached gold record status and landed her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. That album brought hits like Mandinka, Troy, and I Want Your (Hands On Me).
Besides Nothing Compares 2 U, O’Connor’s 1990 album brought other hits as well. It was rated the second best album of the year by NME (wikipedia.org), second to Pills ’N’ Thrils & Bellyaches by the Happy Mondays. I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got also brought fans hits like The Emperor’s New Clothes and I Am Stretched on Your Grave.
O’Connor’s third album was Am I Not Your Girl? Released in 1992, it didn’t get much acclaim at all. Probably because she was a powerhouse in the pop world at this point, thanks to her previous album. And Am I Not Your Girl? was mostly a cover of jazz standards recorded in the 1970’s and prior. O’Connor said it was the songs she grew up with that made her want to be a singer.
O’Connor didn’t have much luck regaining her following with her fourth album, Universal Mother. Released in 1994, the album produced both Fire On Babylon and Famine. Even though neither song won any great reviews, the video for each was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video.
O’Connor continued on to make six more albums. And she collaborated with many other artists, including Peter Gabriel, Mary J. Blige, Dolly Parton and Roger Waters. She was nominated for several awards for her work. Here are 10 of our favorite songs she’s recorded during her life. – Wendy Rush
