Nothing Compares 2 U
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"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written in mid-1981 by Prince for The Family. In 1990, a cover version by Sinéad O'Connor became a number-one hit in many countries, charting in the U.S., UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Germany. The subject of the song is actress Susannah Melvoin.¹

The Family version

In 1985, The Family (a funk band created as an outlet to release more of Prince's music) released a self-titled album. "Nothing Compares 2 U" appeared on the album, but was not released as a single and received little recognition.

Sinéad O'Connor version

“Nothing Compares 2 U”
Single by Sinéad O'Connor from the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Released	January 8, 1990 (1990-01-08) (UK)
Format	CD single 7" Single 12" Single
Recorded	1989
Genre	Pop
Length	5:09
Label	Chrysalis
Writer(s)	Prince
Producer	Sinéad O'Connor, Nellee Hooper
Sinéad O'Connor singles chronology
"Jump In the River" (1988) "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990) "The Emperor's New Clothes" (1990)

"Nothing Compares 2 U" video capture

Background

Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor re-recorded the track in 1990 and included it on her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, bringing the song to worldwide prominence. The song's music video was a hit on MTV. The single topped the charts worldwide, including the United States, UK and Australia. Unusually (for a ballad), the song also topped the Modern Rock Tracks.

O'Connor's version was listed at #77 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time.[1]

Music video

Mainly shot in Paris, the video for "Nothing Compares 2 U" was directed by John Maybury. The clip consists almost solely of a closeup on O'Connor's face as she sings the song's lyrics. Toward the end of the video, two tears roll down her face, one per cheek. O'Connor stated on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s that it was caused by the lyric "All the flowers that you planted, Mama in the back yard/All died when you went away", because she had a very complex relationship with her late mother, whom she claims abused her. The clip won Best Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards – the first video by a female artist to win in this category.

Critical reception

• In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the Sinéad O'Connor single at number 162 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, which contains only two songs of the 1990s ranked higher.
• In a 2006 poll for a Channel 5 program "Britain's Favourite Break-up Songs", Sinéad O'Connor's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" was voted fifth.
• VH1 Classic listed Sinead O'Connor's version as the second greatest classic love song, behind Al Green's "Let's Stay Together".
• In 2002, VH1 ranked the song the 18th greatest one-hit wonder.
• In 2007, VH1 ranked O'Connor's rendition number 10 of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s".
• In 2008, VH1 ranked the song the number 1 on "Final Countdown - Top 50 Heartbreakers".

Track listings

7" single

1. "Nothing Compares 2 U" — 5:08
2. "Jump in the River" — 4:13

CD maxi

1. "Nothing Compares 2 U" — 5:08
2. "Jump in the River" — 4:13
3. "Jump in the River" (instrumental) — 4:04

Certifications

Charts

Other cover versions

• Due to the popularity of the O'Connor cover, Prince began to perform the song in concert, and included a live rendition on his 1993 compilations The Hits/The B-Sides and The Hits 1. His version is a duet between himself and Rosie Gaines, who at the time was in his group the New Power Generation.
• Dune covered the song on their 1995 album Forever, which was recorded with the London Session Orchestra.
• The song was covered by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their 2003 album Take a Break.
• It was covered by Shiny Toy Guns for the Electro Goth Tribute to Prince compilation in 2005.
• The Welsh band Stereophonics performed a cover version of the song for the charity War Child Music.
• South African indie pop-rock group Fire Through The Window covered the song and it appears on their self-titled debut album.
• The song has been translated into the Hawaiian Language by The Coconutz and lead singer Daniel Ho. It is included on the soundtrack to the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
• The opera girlband All Angels have covered the song and have recorded a music video for the track as the lead single for their new album Into Paradise (2007). This pop version was released on November 26, 2007, under the label UCJ (Universal).

References