The Meaning Behind “Nothing Compares 2 U” Made Famous by Sinéad O’Connor

The Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U” has been covered countless times. It’s one of those songs that is timeless enough to connect with artists across a number of genres. Perhaps the most famous rendition though comes from the late Sinéad O’Connor.

The oft-misunderstood Irish singer released her rendition of this track in 1990. It quickly became the definitive version. It’s undoubtedly O’Connor’s biggest hit from her storied career. So, in the wake of her passing, we revisit the story behind “Nothing Compares 2 U.” How did this Prince track end up in O’Connor’s hands?

[RELATED: Top 5 Sinéad O’Connor Songs]

Behind the Song

Prince originally wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U” for his side project The Family. The group released a version of the song in 1985 on their only studio album, but it failed to become a hit for them. Prince recorded his own version as well, but it wasn’t released until 2018, two years after his death.

It wasn’t until O’Connor delivered Prince’s poignant lyrics that audiences really latched onto the ballad. Few breakup songs are as tear-jerking as this one. Like many of Prince’s songwriting efforts, “Nothing Compares 2 U” is melodramatic and deeply affecting.

Since you’ve been gone I can do whatever I want / I can see whomever I choose / I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant / But nothing, I said, nothing can take away these blues, the lyrics read.

It was O’Connor’s manager, Fachtna O’Kelly, that suggested she record a version of the track. Clearly, O’Kelly had a touch of clairvoyance, somehow knowing that O’Connor would be the perfect fit for this track.

“Sinéad’s manager, brought in a cassette and when I heard it I actually started crying,” Chris Hill, co-director of O’Connor’s label, once said. “I just sat there with tears in my eyes. Then O’Kelly rang up Sinéad and went, ‘Chris is crying.’ ‘Was it that bad?’ Sinéad asked.”

Prince notoriously kept the meaning of his songs under wraps. “Nothing Compares 2 U” is no different. Even O’Connor didn’t know the exact meaning behind the song.

“I think I’m probably similar to millions of people who loved the song, and we’re all people who associated the song with a loss of some kind,” O’Connor once said.

Although the track made her a household name, recording “Nothing Compares 2 U” didn’t give O’Connor the recognition she was looking for from Prince himself.

“I thought Prince would fall in love with me and it would all be lovely, but he was the most frightening human being I ever met in my life, even more frightening than my mother,” O’Connor told the Belfast Telegraph in 2019.

Music Video

O’Connor’s music video for “Nothing Compares 2 U” is arguably even more iconic than the song itself. Most of the video consists of up-close shots of O’Connor as she gives a deeply emotional performance of the song. One of the most famous shots from the video sees a single tear roll down O’Connor’s face.

“I didn’t intend for that moment to happen, but when it did, I thought, ‘I should let this happen,’” O’Connor once explained.

(photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns)