SINEAD O’CONNOR

‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ Singer Died At Age 56

Sinéad O’Connor was born, Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on December 8th, 1966 in Dublin, Ireland. Sinéad O’Connor’s life was equal parts amazing success and crazy controversy. Her early life was that of torment and abuse, at the hands of her mother and eventually she became a child of the system popping in an out of an asylum home for Juvenile delinquents called the Grianán Training Centre run by the Order of Our Lady of Charity. It was here that as a way to discourage her from sneaking out and shoplifting that a nun gave her a guitar and taught her how to play. At the age of 15, she recorded a song with the band Tua Nua called “Take My Hand.” She had met the band through one of the volunteers at the home, but even though she had an incredible talent the band decided that 15 was too young for her to tour with them and she eventually went on to form her own band called Ton Ton Macoute.

It was her performances with her band that eventually got her noticed by the music industry. After being signed to Ensign Records in 1986 she co-wrote a song with U2’s guitarist, The Edge, titled “Heroine” for the soundtrack to the movie Captive. Soon after in 1987 Sinéad released her first album The Lion and the Cobra which like her life was equal parts success and controversy. The first album earned Gold status but it also began her pursuit of activism and on the cover of the album, was Sinéad’s beautiful face with a freshly shaven head, as she was determined to challenge society’s view of what was beautiful. Her second album went double platinum and incidentally became the highlight of her career. The album was titled “I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got,” and featured the song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was written by Prince and became the song that O’Connor is most famous and recognized for. In 1991, Sinéad O’Connor was named Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine and she was presented with the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards, which she in turn dedicated to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community.” The song’s incredible success, however, led to more controversy in the troubled singer’s life when she publicly rejected the four Grammy nominations that she got for the song, because they were “too commercial and for destroying the human race.” The activism and anti-society views spiraled from there.

Soon after, she was banned from a New Jersey arena when she refused to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” because she believed the lyrics promoted war. In 1992, after singing a version of Bob Marley’s War she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on US television while appearing on Saturday Night Live in an act of protest against child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. This lead to an obvious backlash from the huge Catholic population both in America and Ireland. The backlash was enormous and crushing. She was eventually nicknamed the Joan of Arc of Rock Music. Unfortunately all of O’Connor’s activist efforts were not as memorable and

She was a supporter of feminism one year and then against it the next, she supported the Irish Republican Army and then claimed to be too young to understand it, she then got ordained as a Catholic Priest by an obscure sect that is not recognized by the Catholic Church called the Latin Tridentine Church. Soon after this she converted to Islam. During this time she changed her name multiple times as well, changing it to Magda Davitt and then to Shuhada' Sadaqat. During her time as a Priest and after the ripping of the Pope’s picture she said that the Catholic Church was doomed to fall, but that she meant no disrespect because she believed in Jesus and then when she converted to Islam she criticized publicly anyone who was outspoken about Christian or Jewish faith and called all non-Muslims “disgusting.” Ultimately her fickle nature and quick changing activist views were determined to be symptoms of her mental instability and she came public with her battles with Mental Illness and suicide attempts. She wrote a memoir that became a bestseller titled Rememberings. Her troubled mind led to a troubled career which never really recovered after the 1992, Saturday Night Live incident. Although she continued to tour and produced dozens of albums which were met with mixed reviews, a few garnering Grammy nominations but most failing to impress. In the book Rememberings she spoke about that eventful night in 1992 that changed her life forever and said,” Everyone wants a pop star, see? But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame."

Ultimately Sinéad O’Connor was an incredibly talented singer, that had an unfortunate set of circumstances that created a path she could not deviate from. However, it is clear that through the controversy she created a legacy that will never be forgotten and has songs credited to her that will forever be timeless. Sinéad O’Connor, you were taken far too soon and had so many challenges in your life to deal with. You will live on forever in the hearts and souls of your fans, heck, the President of Ireland spoke out fondly on your behalf. Your troubles are now over, may you Rest in Peace.

By Michael Devine u