Nothing Compares 2 U is a song written and composed by Prince for his side project The Family; the song appears on his 1985 debut album, The Family. The song’s lyrics explore feelings of longing from the point of view of an abandoned lover.
Several years later, Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor recorded a version of the song for her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990). It was released as the album’s second single in early 1990 and became a worldwide hit. O’Connor co-produced the album with Nellee Hooper, and its music video, directed by John Maybury, received widespread airplay on MTV. In December 1990, Billboard named Nothing Compares 2 U “World Number 1 Single” of 1990 in its first Billboard Music Awards.
Tracklist:
- Nothing Compares 2 U
- Jump In The River
Nothing Compares 2 U
Song by Sinéad O’Connor Lyrics
It’s been seven hours and 15 days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away
Since you 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
‘Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares to you
It’s been so lonely without you here
Like a bird without a song
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Tell me baby, where did I go wrong?
I could put my arms around every boy I see
But they’d only remind me of you
I went to the doctor, guess what he told me
Guess what he told me
He said, “Girl you better try to have fun, no matter what you do”
But he’s a fool
‘Cause nothing compares, nothing compares to you
All the flowers that you planted mama
In the back yard
All died when you went away
I know that living with you baby was sometimes hard
But I’m willing to give it another try
Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you
Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you
Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you
Songwriters: Prince Rogers Nelson
The music video for the song was directed by John Maybury, consists mostly of a closeup on Sinéad O’Connor‘s face as she goes through stages of sadness and anger while singing the lyrics; the rest consists of her walking through the Parc de Saint-Cloud in Paris. Toward the end of the video, two tears roll down her face, one on each cheek. O’Connor has said that her tears were real. She did not intend to cry but then thought, “I should let this happen.” She explained that the tears were triggered by thoughts of her mother, who died in a car accident in 1985. She said she learned to channel her emotions with the “bel canto” singing style, which she compared to extreme acting methods. In the middle and at the very end of the video, there is a shot from O’Connor‘s photo session for the I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got album cover.
Marie Bernadette O’Connor (December 8, 1966 – July 25, 2023).
