NewsSinéad O’Connor dies at 56
1966-2023
As no doubt you’ll now already be aware, Irish singer and musician Sinéad O’Connor has died at the young age of 56.
She released 10 albums in her lifetime, starting with 1987’s The Lion and the Cobra (which featured her first UK hit ‘Mandinka’) although it was her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got that catapulted her into superstardom for a short period in the early ’90s thanks to her astonishing cover of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. The album and the single went to No 1 virtually everywhere.
Her last album, was 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss although No Veteran Dies Alone was due for release in 2022 until she cancelled all activities after the tragic death of her 17-year-old son Shane, in January of that year.
This post is for you to leave your thoughts and tributes to Sinéad O’Conner. Rest in Peace.
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I loved Sinead’s music since the first album. Back then, when I lived in Poland my English was very poor and I was learning a lot by translating lyrics of Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Sinead O’Connor. “Nothing Compares 2U” was great, but I like her other songs and albums more. “Faith and Courage” produced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and Brian Eno among others was fantastic, and “Universal Mother” as well. I’ve seen her live twice, once in Glasgow I was a few meters away from her only and I couldn’t believe how powerful vocal she was. I was always impressed by her ability to put so many emotions in her voice and how masterfully she was jumping between tender whispers and screams of agony. I will miss her very much.
God bless Sinead. x
She had been a very refreshing person and there were times I admired her political InCorrectness coming from a just mind and a brave heart even more than her music. Listening to her first albums recently with the distance of 30, 40 years brought her music back into my focus and I hear her songs with different ears and a different heart now. They aged very well and did not loose anything of their presence and the voice is going into even deeper than ever. Rest in peace Sinead – and thank you.
I found that it’s not easy to find LPs and even CDs from that area for purchase. Wouldn’t some of them (especially I Do Not Want… and Am I Not Your Girl) be very good candidates for the SuperAudio/Multichannel series to hold them in our hands?
On top of all the great music she left behind, she was a very troubled soul and a genuine fighter for good. Rest in peace, Sinead.
Was never a massive fan, but she had real spirit and overcame a miserable childhood to become a star. Sadly, for her those scars were too deep to ever recover from, and led to a troubled adulthood. The way she was treated though for standing up for those who suffered abuse and were ignored for so long, was an absolute disgrace. In particular by many famous Americans and the UK right. Joe Pesci and Frank Sinatra saying they would ‘punch her’ was a new low in terms of US toxic masculinity. Phil Collins siding with UK Conservatives, and attacking her was the last straw in terms of my respect for him. The Booing at the Bob Dylan concert showed that Dylan’s fans had come a long way, and not a good way, since the 1960’s. By contrast Kris Kristofferson showed that now matter how loud the ugly mob are, there are still decent, caring people in this World… May she finally have peace. RIP Sinead.
Apologies for being so late in adding this, but just noticed on another forum that there is a documentary on Sky Arts in the UK tonight at 9pm
Nothing Compares the 2022 film on Sinead early life to to the early 90s.
Unfortunately I don’t remember the original poster to give him credit.
Also another original comment
“The fact is, the media often loves to watch famous people who don’t fit the right narrative circling the drain”
As the saying goes she had “a life well lived”
A Eagle died as well this week incase anybody missed it!
Sorry this is not my kind of artist or music for that matter. I just think it has been blown up about her death. The song she sang and was made famous is written by Prince. Without Prince she would have been just another singer among other nobodies. It is always sad when someone dies. It is unavoidable. But I really think that this has been blown up about her death. Let’s move forward and talk about good things, ok ?
Holy crap! What an insensitive post. You might want to read the comments below. Seems like the vast majority of posters definitely did not think of Sinead as a “nobody.”
Totally agree – can’t actually believe someone liked the post. She wasn’t a one hit wonder & was already famous before Nothing Compares. Of course, the grim reaper comes for us all but a death at 56 (and 17 for that matter) are avoidable.
I don’t really care about the majority. It is my point of view. Not everybody is a fan of all the artists and groups. Otherwise Charts would be pointless if everyone had the same point of view.
Frankly I never ever thought she was any good and I can live without knowing anything about her. That is how it is for me. I’m not looking for becoming Mr Popular and like “SOC”. I am Not a fan of it.
Dejan, you are welcome to be “Mr Unpopular”, but be aware that as moderator of this site I will decide what comments get published and what don’t. I’m not going to let people write whatever they want on here. It’s supposed to be a respectful community not one where you write what you want and “don’t really care” about anyone else and what they think. Just so you know.
Understood.
I am not being disrespectful. I am just making a point that there are other point of views. Not “everyone” likes everyone out there. Just putting things in perspective. And that other point of views should be considered the same courtesy as the next one.
Have a pleasant day everyone.
Yes, but there’s ways of expressing other views. Saying “not interested” to someone who takes the time to write a lengthy reply isn’t courteous or respectful.
Not interested is a response that I am not interested to know an artist I really have no interest to know about. I really have no interest. Interesting essay but nevertheless that doesn’t change my point of view about SOC in any way. What should I say. “How interesting I will have a listen?!” Why?! I don’t really like the artist, so why should I take any interest in reading the well written essay of the poster. It is well written and a job well done. However it doesn’t change the fact that I am not interested in the artist from the get go.
If you are not interested in a response from another poster, I suggest you just ignore it. Onwards…
Yes, looking forward to see whats next on the horizon of music treats in the future.
Wow. What a thing to say, to deny not only the stunning body of work from this artist, but the grieving of all of those who knew her as fans for what she meant to them, and the irreplaceable loss of those who knew her as a mother, family member, collaborator, or friend.
Sinead O’ Connor’s voice was always gorgeous, her writing impressive, and her interpretations extraordinary, not just delivering the only cover version of a Prince song better than the original, but with a range that spanned Trouble of the World (Mahalia Jackson), Queen of Denmark (John Grant), Sacrifice (Elton John), Do Right Woman (Aretha Franklin), and Mind Games (John Lennon).
But far more importantly than her recorded work was that Sinead O’ Connor wasa passionate and absolutely fearless artist, refusing to trade on her sexuality, refusing to stay silent about oppression of the powerless, refusing to define herself by the revenue she generated for the record industry—and she stayed true to her convictions despite being vilified and often misunderstood for her bravery. She was bold, limitless, powerful, and vulnerable and defined the highest ideal of Punk – action, not simply attitude. What more could we ever ask for from an artist? What more could we take without giving in equal measure?
The deep tragedies and turmoil she experienced from an early age, and the emotional difficulties they caused her as an adult, were not hidden, not cloaked in slick PR apologies. She was upfront about her humanity and bore the often terrible cost of it with her own kind of dignity, grace, and accountability.
We get the artists we deserve. I urge you to reward yourself with a deeper dip into her catalog and to read the testimonials about her impact that other musicians are posting on news of her passing. You can still choose to dehumanize yourself by dehumanizing her but I also urge you to read at least a synopsis of her own book and the documentary films. If none of that works, it might be worth considering how, ten years after she ripped up the Pope’s photo on Saturday Night Live, the Catholic Church grudgingly admitted providing safe harbor to the sexual abusers on its staff, which was the point she was willing to risk her stardom to make clear. Because Sinead O’ Connor understood what has made every truly great artist, in music or any other medium, legendary: If you have a stage, you have the obligation to use it for good.
Hear me roar. What a legacy.
A troubled Soul gone too soon…who could forget Sineads cover of All apologies…
Listening to Am I Not Your Girl? today. I remember it was such a beautiful surprise back then for her to release a covers album, and a brilliant one at that. RIP Beautiful Lady. xx
I bought the Phil Ramone produced covers album Am I Not Your Girl for 1p – the postage was 12600% more at £1.26. The cd sounds absolutely brilliant -no compressed sound and stunning orchestration. It might have not been her best, but I have fond memories of playing it. Sinead was totally unique. RIP.
Not a fan but extremely sad nonetheless. I’m sure there won’t be a knee jerk reaction to her death and suddenly her music is back in the charts as always seems to happen after the passing of a musician. Call me cynical, but I’ve got a strange feeling……….
For me and my mates the entire The Lion and the Cobra was groundbreaking and thrilling! I remember listening to the opening track Jackie and getting those shivers that really meant something then as they do today. I thought she was beautiful just the way she was, and the voice of an angel with so much power, angst and emotion. May she and her son be reunited and RIP. Sinead’s candle will continue to burn in all of us!
Such an amazing talent and always unafraid to tell the truth. Rest in peace and sincere condolences to her family for the tragedies they have had to endure the last few years.
Yes, those first two albums are classics. Yes, her output was hit and miss after that. But 2014’s “I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss” was a masterpiece! The people who wrote her off after the SNL incident really should seek it out. Makes me wonder just how good that record she shelved might have been.
Granted, it was a fan post that I read this in, so take it with a grain of salt, No Veteran Dies Alone was going to be an EP, but after postponing it, she was working on writing songs to expand it to a full album.
Very upsetting news. I was lucky enough to be exposed to “The Lion & The Cobra” at an early age, that amazing voice coupled with great songs that were impossible to resist. It was always something special to stay up late watching long-running music video show Rage and catching, say, “Troy” being played…. I was an avid chart watcher back in the day, and “Mandinka” was a minor chart hit in Australia, but I don’t know if anyone could have expected what happened with “Nothing Compares 2 U”, I distinctly remember seeing the song enter the charts in the lower top 40 and suddenly like the next week or something it shot to no. 1! I couldn’t believe it! Unfortunately my attention wandered away from Sinead over the years (I am still kicking myself I didn’t get hold of Universal Mother when I could’ve), but after her book Rememberings and seeing the Nothing Compares doc, I was looking forward to whatever she would be doing next, hoping she would be able to carry on after the tragic loss of her son. Sinead, we love you. All the best and sincere condolences to her family and friends.
i was reading a tribute to her on a rock music page this morning, which i now can’t remember, and the tributes they posted were so lovely…annie lennox, alison moyet, peter gabriel…annie;’s and alisons were beautifully written and expressed…sinead had an enormous set of balls and at the same time, was so fragile…i got to see her once on the bill with midnight oil and the hunters and collectors in berlin, and then during the second year of the lilith fair, here in the states…pure magic
Being the same age as Sinead, this is both a shock and disbelief she has passed. I remember Mandinka when it came out, and I bought Lion on the back of that. Wasn’t disappointed! The last album I bought was How About You Be You, which for me is a fantastic album which stands up alongside any of her catalogue. I’ve never seen her live, but her performance of Troy is just sublime. My favourite track is Damn Your Eyes, a cover I believe. It’s just beautifully sung with energy and soul. May you now rest in peace Sinead. You will be missed
And, this is my favourite track from Sinead O’Connor. I saw her in Bewleys, Dublin having a coffee when she was No 1 with Nothing Compares to You and everyone ignored her. That’s typical of Ireland. All the old women were looking disapprovingly: who does she think she is with that shaved head and those boots?!
https://youtu.be/17xwitIAB98
The Thief of Your Heart.
This one is hard. I’m not your average Sinead fan.
I was very sad to hear this news yesterday. I was born in 1968, and seem to keep losing musicians around my age all too often (Elliott Smith, Dolores O’Riordan, Sinead). I can’t claim to be a diehard fan — she was erratic and hard to follow — but I heard I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got when it was released and still consider it one of the best albums of the 1990s. “Nothing Compares 2 U” was the hit, but it’s not the highlight of that remarkable album. Every track is amazing. As I do every time we lose another artist I admire, I started scrolling through her other albums in Spotify and iTunes, and lo and behold, found several other amazing performances and songs scattered throughout her other albums.
She struggled with her mental health at a time when it was easier to label someone “crazy” than too sympathize and offer help. She spoke hard truths about the Church at least a decade before anyone was ready to admit it. But because she was unpredictable and sometimes (let’s face it) a mess, it was easy to write her off. I lost a child to suicide myself, so I felt deeply for her a couple of years ago when her son died the same way. It’s a hard thing for any parent to recover from, and when you add all of Sinead’s other baggage … let’s just say I’m sad but not shocked today.
Rest in peace, Sinead. I hope there is another realm where you can see your son again.
I know ‘Nothing Compares 2U’ was her big one. But for me ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ was her definitive song.
Defiance, intelligence, and a big up yours to the press. She will be missed in an era of soulless beige identikit ‘artists’ who produce romantic dirges on a production line.
Copying my post from yesterday on the SDE Postbox page:
Sad to hear of Sinéad O’Connor’s passing. Saw her live once in 1997 and it was a great show. She sang ‘In This Heart’ acappella which brought the house down. We waited to meet her after the show and they asked everyone that was hanging out by the exit to stand across the street and that she would come greet us as she left but she came out, gave us all a wave and then quickly got into her bus. Was surprised how short she was. Also saw her sing backup for Peter Gabriel at the 1993 WOMAD festival in San Francisco. She received a HUGE ovation when she was introduced. I think it was bigger than when PG walked out. This was just short of a year from the SNL incident. Her 2021 autobiography is a good read. What a voice. Sad.
Very sad news, RIP Sinead.
Troy and Nothing compares… touch my soul. R.I.P. Sinead
Genuinely heart breaking news. A great singer and a colossal activist. She leaves behind an immense body of work but awful that she’s gone. Safe travels Sinéad
So sad and no way to make things good, rest in peace Sinead. You brought so much happiness to so many people around the world. I, too, am thankful for your incredible contribution to music.
I don’t know if I’m getting ahead of myself, and am misunderstanding the situation, but the word suicide doesn’t seem to be appearing around this. It needs to be addressed. If Sinead took her own life, that makes it even more heartrending, and many people who are suffering need to be reassured that there are avenues for help. Please don’t lose hope. Please reach out. Please realize that your life has meaning and that your life has unique value that needs to remain in this world. Please stay with us.
Woah crap…Sinead’s passing hit me really hard…when I heard “Mandinka” for the first time 1987, it was like a ton of bricks to the head… beautiful & fierce…”Lion & the Cobra” was a lifechanging debut…then IDNWWIHG was a true masterpiece, with a great mix of originals & covers with true artistry, great singing, respect for the material & striking production…loved the Prince original by the Family in 1985, but Sinead transformed it completely…since then, it’s been a challenge to keep up because it lacked uniform pattern & style…a bigband album here, a soundtrack song there (her song on “In The Name of the Father” is one of my faves), then a song on Red Hot & Blue, then an EP, it was all over the place…then her ripping up the pic of the Pope on Saturday Night Live, I was like YES go Sinead!! It wasn’t just a stunt, she really felt that way, that injustice & felt compelled to make that provocative stand, and it’s clear that it was more important for her to do that than watch out for her own career…that’s REAL punkrock!! Every single time, she really did stick her neck out & I really admire her bravery and honesty & being her true self in the face of hostility…then her getting booed at the Dylan tribute, I got really angry with that audience!! I’m not a Moz fan but he was spot on with that message of his, I’m sure he identifies with her…anyhoo, with her music all over the place, I bought that best-of back a few years ago & I need more…will buy future reissues & unreleased music…yes she was troubled, yes she had mental health issues like bipolar disorder, her son’s death was terrible, but I’m comforted to know Sinead O’Connor is definitely at peace…she really did make her mark & she will be missed no question…I say legend with real gravitas, not shallowness…
On November 29, 1992, I was on vacation in London and saw Sinéad O’Connor live in concert on a bill with David Byrne, Alison Moyet, and the Balanescu Quartet (covering Kraftwerk) at the Royal Festival Hall. After several false starts, Sinéad had to be coaxed on stage and I vividly remember there being a buzz that she might not perform at all. Finally, she appeared and sang a gorgeous rendition of Bob Dylan’s “I Believe In You”. I’ve since heard the studio recording of her cover but it doesn’t compare to what I heard on stage that night. Her performance moved my cold, cynical soul to tears. What an immense talent she was. There are far too many tracks to list here but my personal favorite (today) is “This Is To Mother You”.
In 2011, Sinéad attended a work event here in NYC and I was lucky enough to say a quick hello to her (and Debbie Harry!) A wonderful writer, a fantastic singer, and a true artist that wasn’t afraid to push buttons (I will always be grateful for her speaking out on the many atrocities of the Catholic Church). R.I.P.
The first time I ever heard that voice was ‘Heroine’ – a fantastic track she did with The Edge for the Captive OST in late 1986. When TLATC came out the following year I was all over it.
If you’ve never heard ‘Heroine’ give it a listen – the calling card of a truly singular talent.
One word: “Troy”
Two words: “Troy” (Live)
I was going to die, on the side of a mountain, digging a car out of the snow, in the middle of the night, and a snow storm, and this song.
Whatever people may think of Morrissey, he is certainly right about what he says on this topic.
He’s 100% right about Sinead. Now if only he’d disavow a few things and get a record contract again.
Sad news that moved me more than I imagined. Her first two albums were on major rotation for years on my stereo. I remember running out and buying “Faith and Courage” when it was released and really felt like it was a proper comeback. That album should have been a much bigger hit.
Like George Michael, Prince, and MJ, I can’t help but feel there was some more they could have shared with us of their unique perspectives, if only they had not been so worn down by this crazy world. Hope she’s finally at peace.
Her cover of “I am stretched on your grave” with the “Funky drummer” beat is out of this world. Rest in peace.
Great artist. Brave activist. She did not have an easy and calm life. She had no luck neither.
In addition to individual songs from one album or another, the album I like the most is the one with the Irish melodies Sean-Nós Nua
Fan since “Mandinka,” saw her live in 1990 , was hoping to see her again one day. Absolutely heartbroken – I remember being moved to tears by many of her songs, like “Black Boys On Mopeds,” and especially “Fire On Babylon.”
She gave us a truth we didn’t deserve, and paid with her career and mental health, which us fans could never replenish, much as we might have tried. I hope she felt some tiny bit of the grace we so much wanted for her.
The booing of her at the Bob Dylan bash is yet another stain on the reputation of the United States. Rowing against the current is a hard and lonely life. RIP
Huge fan of Prince, lots of cd’s, fan recordings etc. Nothing compares is a fabulous Prince composition but…she gave the song an everlasting soul. Her perfect voice that flows from anger to love and from love to anger. And in the end of the vocal part that wonderful ‘nothing compares’. Simply perfect! She nailed that song, her song!
Rest in Peace.
Last month my 12 year old niece asked me about punk rock. I played her some Stranglers, Ruts, The Jam, Buzzcocks and others. She keenly observed they all had a different sound and asked what made them “punk”. I explained that punk wasn’t a sound. It’s an attitude, a set of common beliefs, a feeling that united like minded individuals who took a stand against and called out societal wrongs. Sinead was punk. Shaving her head before the release of her first album so her label couldn’t market her as a sexpot. The very public methods of speaking out against the Catholic Church. She was a shit disturber with the voice of an slighted angel and she will be missed.
She was too beautiful – and sensitive – for this wicked cruel world.
For me her first album was a masterpiece, the rest no. So long…
Holy crap! This is such a shock. She was a good singer. For me, her cover of the Cole Porter song “You Do Something To Me” on the Red, Hot & Blue album was always a stand out for me. I think it would have been interesting if she’d done a whole album in that style.
Actually, she did, didn’t she? Am I not Your Girl was all jazz classics, and a truly great album, my fav.
Really sad to see her go way too early, but having recently sent her biopic, Nothing Compares, I am not surprised.
A brilliant but troubled human, scarred from birth, and determined to go her own way, no matter what. Even the pope couldn’t stand in her way.
Farewell, hope you have finally found peace ❤️
am i not your girl…absolutely loved “success has made a failure of our home”…brilliant song and video…didn’t really go with the rest of the album, but still amazing.
She sacrificed her international career to tell an inconvenient truth no-one wanted to hear. She was instrumental in the start of a process that freed her country from the stranglehold of clericalism.
That’s more than enough for one lifetime.
The recent Boomtown Rats doc told a similar story about how hard it was to break the Church’s stranglehold on Irish life. Very brave.
Bob and the Rats were banned from RTE and other Irish media for daring to call out the Irish Church on the Late Late Show.
My post to FB….
This album (The Lion and the Cobra), this artist (Sinead O’Connor). I can not explain the impact she had on me, before the Prince song (which I love). Late night, 120 minutes in MTV a video came on the screen and struck a cord deep in my spirit that was so impactful, I had to go to the record store the next day and purchase her album. The one is shown here.
Fast forward late 90s, and I work in a clothing store in Atlanta. In walks Sinead and one of her sons. I approached her (I’m totally freaking out but trying to hold it together), I said, what are you looking for today? She looks at me, quickly looks back at the ground, and says, “I’m just looking” in such a timid voice. I tell her, please don’t hesitate to ask if I can help you with anything.
I walk back to the shoe department and proceed to carry on a very pleasant conversation with her son. They had recently moved to Atlanta. He was very polite and personable. The entire experience left me on cloud nine.
In 2021, I purchase tickets to see Sinead in concert for the first time, at City Winery in Atlanta. I am elated, I have never seen her in concert. The show is cancelled due to something called a pandemic. It’s rescheduled for my birthday the following year! Nope, rescheduled. Then it’s set for the future but no specific date.
An announcement from the O’Connor camp, “Sinead is completing her new album, a tour of Australia in 2024, the US to come in 2025.”
I hate what has happened to her, to Sinead’s family, to her fans. She meant more to me in a quiet way, kinda like she acted toward me in that store years ago. Quiet, but hugely impactful.
She was traumatized so early in her life, and that resulted in a beautiful and brilliant artist for the world to enjoy, she continued to struggle through the years. Losing a child and suffering so many emotional and psychological challenges.
Sinead, thank you for sharing a moment, a part of your life, your passions, and your visions. You are a hero, and icon, one of a kind. Thank you for your music. https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tbe/2/16/1f3b6.pnghttps://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/te1/2/16/262e.pnghttps://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t9c/2/16/1f9e1.png
56 ! Shocked . Such sad news thanks sinead treasures !
Sinead O’Connor was extraordinary; a true artist in every sense of the word.
True artists provoke and challenge. Sometimes, some of those artists sacrifice (or intentionally turn their backs on) commercial success because they value the opportunity to provoke and challenge and speak their mind, unhindered by the straightjackets imposed by record companies, public expectations or institutions. They value that opportunity far more than money or fame or the adulation of strangers and can only exist as their true artistic selves outside of the brightest spotlights that once shone upon them. Inside those spotlights they are often seen as thorny or uncooperative or difficult and they cannot thrive in such conditions.
That Sinead O’Connor was not silenced by her detractors or by the intensely cruel hands she was dealt in both child and adulthood; that she persevered and survived for fifty-six years while carrying such unimaginable pain is extraordinary.
True artists open themselves up to scrutiny and share their pain and their joy. Sinead O’Connor did both. They choose to continue to see and sing about and comment upon what is wrong in the world and they share that spotlight and redirect it to the dark places where the wrongdoing flourishes – sometimes the darkest of places.
Thank you for everything you did, Sinead. Particularly your provocations and for challenging the individuals and institutions that needed to be provoked and challenged; and still do. You were a true artist.
Your voice conveyed all that ever could be conveyed in true art. It was sublime. You were extraordinary. Your music held beauty and grace. It was often thorny and provocative and challenging, just as it should have been, but it was also undoubtedly extraordinarily beautiful.
Today is an incredibly sad day.
Condolences to her surviving family and to her friends and fans. Such a loss.
Rest In Peace.
For me personally I’ll always remember the impact she made to US by Peter Gabriel, perhaps only featured on two tracks but really made those tunes something special. Rest in peace fair lady.
Morrissey certainly has a good point. Music CEO’s now calling her a hero and legend while not interested in her at the least when she was still alive. On the flip side, they have to run a commercial company with shareholders etc. I don’t know if they disrespected her but if they did, shame on them and in which case they certainly have egg on their face.
Sinead was definitely ahead of her time when protesting sex abuse in the catholic church by ripping up a picture of the pope on stage in the USA. You would think her own country, religious Ireland, would be up in arms but it was the sickening religious right in the USA, the western version of Iran, who managed to cancel her and kill her off in the USA for sure.
We are now 30 years later and finally the Catholic Church is being held somewhat accountable. Well done Sinead!
I’m not surprised by her death. She already tried to commit suicide multiple times before her son passed away last year. I didn’t expect losing a child -the worst thing one can go thru in my book- making her mental situation any better.
I’m grateful for her music. I got her first 3 albums and then bought the 2cd version of her reggae album which was excellent. Later I managed to get a copy of the deluxe version of I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got which quickly went out of print. I’m sure all of her albums will be reissued soon, with bonus tracks, available at every street corner like Amy Winehouse’s music, so those lovely music CEO’s can make money for their shareholders.
“icon”, “legend”…some words are too big.
I’d call her a one-hit wonder. Apart from Ireland and some in UK there was no success with singles an not much with albums.
But I don’t live on one of the british isles, so she stayed a one-hit-wonder to me.
Time and a place.
Indeed !
Even Paul McCartney refused to speak ill of Allen Klein the week he died.
Some people can’t see past their own feet. You are entitled to your view but this isn’t the place for it.
even if she is what you say, this is her passing ,so no bitter comments today please.
There was no bitterness in my words.
I also don’t want to offend anyone. But a legend should have more than one song, a song not even wrtitten for or by her.
Every music is art.
Every loss is a loss.
She does have more than one song. Just because you haven’t heard more than one, it seems…
You could make a start here;
https://www.discogs.com/artist/42895-Sinéad-OConnor
I’m sorry you missed out on her amazing career and music, but to diminish her impact by saying that “icon” and “legend” are words too big to describe her, well, the most charitable way to describe it would be “tone-deaf” (if you don’t want to be thought of as offensive or bitter). Dismissing her as a one-hit wonder reads as cruel, frankly.
You could instead learn a bit about her, and see why someone who was asked to honor Bob Dylan over 30 years ago, and who told the truth about child abuse in the Catholic Church long before anyone wanted to listen, and bore her soul out regarding her own mental health issues, might be considered to be in that pantheon.
Or you could take the words of many in the music industry who felt moved to say something about her in tribute – a very, very long list of them can be found here: https://pitchfork.com/news/sinead-oconnor-remembered-by-massive-attack-anohni-tegan-and-sara-perfume-genius-more/
Always good to read comments about which the author has no knowledge.
I would argue some music “legends” or “icons” have zero hits —e.g. Nick Drake.
Morrissey says better than anyone else could, about Sinead :
“YOU KNOW I COULDN’T LAST
“She had only so much ‘self’ to give. She was dropped by her label after selling 7 million albums for them. She became crazed, yes, but uninteresting, never. She had done nothing wrong. She had proud vulnerability … and there is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’ (this I know only too well), and they are never praised until death – when, finally, they can’t answer back. The cruel playpen of fame gushes with praise for Sinead today … with the usual moronic labels of “icon” and “legend”. You praise her now ONLY because it is too late. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you. The press will label artists as pests because of what they withhold … and they would call Sinead sad, fat, shocking, insane … oh but not today! Music CEOs who had put on their most charming smile as they refused her for their roster are queuing-up to call her a “feminist icon”, and 15 minute celebrities and goblins from hell and record labels of artificially aroused diversity are squeezing onto Twitter to twitter their jibber-jabber … when it was YOU who talked Sinead into giving up … because she refused to be labelled, and she was degraded, as those few who move the world are always degraded. Why is ANYBODY surprised that Sinead O’Connor is dead? Who cared enough to save Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Monroe, Billie Holiday? Where do you go when death can be the best outcome? Was this music madness worth Sinead’s life? No, it wasn’t. She was a challenge, and she couldn’t be boxed-up, and she had the courage to speak when everyone else stayed safely silent. She was harassed simply for being herself. Her eyes finally closed in search of a soul she could call her own. As always, the lamestreamers miss the ringing point, and with locked jaws they return to the insultingly stupid “icon” and “legend” when last week words far more cruel and dismissive would have done. Tomorrow the fawning fops flip back to their online shitposts and their cosy Cancer Culture and their moral superiority an
d their obituaries of parroted vomit … all of which will catch you lying on days like today … when Sinead doesn’t need your sterile slop.”
MORRISSEY 26 July, 2023.
You beat me to it! I agree 100% with Morrissey. May she rest in peace. She was ahead of her time and deplatformed and humiliated by the same press and people queuing up to salve their lack of conscience. Amazing person, she burned bright and is gone too soon.
This post was for condolences & memories. I agree with most of the comments on this post (especially the one praises her performance of “You Do Something to Me” from Red Hot + Blue), but don’t understand this particular post. Why? Remember the artist & the beauty of her voice. Let’s not turn it into a liberal bashing of the religious right. Actually a little stunned this post made it past the screeners. Let’s see if my response does.
I don’t understand why you’d want to separate the artist from the way she was mistreated by the industry and press (and religious right) for 30 years. It’s a shallow, disingenuous memorial to only remember the beauty of her voice. For many what made truly Sinead special wasn’t her music, but her spirit, righteousness, and perseverance.
What’s more disingenuous than talking about the abuses of the catholic church then converting to Islam? Having a great singing voice doesn’t necessarily make you an intelligent person. This was never intended to be a political debate. I’ll remember her for the first time I heard “Jump in the River” and amazing music that followed. Getting booed off the stage at a Bob Dylan tribute concert, tearing up a picture of the pope, everything else is a footnote. Artists should be remembered for their art.
What about the religious right bashing her @ Bobfest where ugly America reared its head? I will always admire her for tearing up that picture and speaking out against the Catholic Church. May she rest in peace.
If it’s my post that offended, I’m sorry. If it was the repost of Morrissey’s, I’m sorry too. I can’t see any liberal bashing of the religious right. She was an amazing singer who had the guts to speak out. I didn’t always agree with her but I always defended her right to speak. I don’t think you can talk about her as a singer without talking about her views. She was more than an amazing singer. She wanted to make a difference.
I would never think I could speak for anyone here but I think SDE is plural and accepting. The quality of the comments in general is very high. Some like Mark Lawtons are pithy and powerful, others longer, detailed and heartfelt. Nearly all are amazing and make me proud to come here. I’m not aware of any bias or political opinion other than an awareness that she spoke out on what she thought was wrong.
My favorite thing about her was that she could sing. She had a gift. And she’s always been with me.
The song “Jealous” is for me the most beautiful song in the world.. I can’t even listen to it completely because it turns me on! Another artist who I will miss terribly even if her religious trips overwhelm me.
Only time I ever saw her in concert was at Glastonbury many years ago, indeed I still have it on bootleg cassette somewhere having bought it at a stall later on, but all I can say is what a brilliantly talented girl who wasn’t afraid to put her head above the parapet and speak her mind on so many things. I think also whilst thank you is nowhere near enough for what she gave us in her music it’s what I think it’s best to say, as she said on one of her songs, thank you for hearing me. Rest in peace Sinead and I hope that you finally get the peace you so richly deserve.
The Lion And The Cobra !
One of the records I have listen the most. I have her others albums but it was never the same.
The first one was such a discovery, it changed so much from everything I was listening to. It was full of rage, energy, rock, mystical, folkloric… And this album never got old, it’s timeless and it always has the same effect on me.
I also have at home the maxi-vinyls of the singles with few remixes which do not exist on CD.
I liked a few tracks from the last one (I’m Not Bossy).
I think Rob Dean, formerly of Japan, deserves a lot credit on that one.
I thought Bossy was very good.
“All the flowers that you planted Mamma…” is one of the most beautiful moments in the history of music. Gives me chills. RIP.
Means more now
An iconoclast. A true soul. A unique voice. Ahead of her times. I am heartbroken. She will be missed. And not forgotten.
rest in peace tortured soul… hope we’ll see her final work released now.
R.I.P. Sinead & Shane free
I absolutely loved The Lion and the Cobra and the cover with her snarling that was replaced with a demure pose in the United States. While her second album was very successful, I always went back to TL&C, her raw talent on full display.
It seemed like she was coming out of her troubles with a new album ready and tour plans, but that has all come crashing with this tragic news.
Farewell Sinéad. And thank you.
Don’t know much about her body of work. She is one of those artists I always wanted to explore more (the same applies to Tanita Tikaram). “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “Blood of Eden” are the only releases I have. R.I.P., Rose of Ireland.
Very sad news. I had a crush on her when I was a teenager at the time of her hit song ” Nothing compares to you. ” R.I.P., you have been loved.
i loved, love and will always love this human. Since Mandinka. She had some mental problem and she might said some shit, true, but she is so much more than that and so so so much underrated. And i’m not talking only about music. All the crazy things she said and did were the bricks to our liberty. She was ahead of her time. And she paid a high price with her health and her career. And now with her life. World wasn’t ready for her and still not aware of her true value. Her recognition comes too late. Another part of me has died.
devastated beyond words. thank you for your beauty, fragility, vision and courage. thank you for feel so different, I’m so grateful to have it in my life