Prince wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U” for The Family, a funk band he signed to his label, in 1984. The album track initially received little attention, but it caught the ear of Sinead O’Connor, whose cover version set off a dark chain of events that left her with an uneasy relationship with the song in question.
O’Connor’s debut album, The Lion and The Cobra, gave her a taste of success, but nothing could have prepared her for the life-changing impact of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U.’ Suddenly, the Irish singer became one of the world’s most recognizable figures, and her hit track was everywhere.
Prince publicly commended her efforts, saying, “I adore it, it’s amazing!” Everything has a cosmic meaning for me. I believe we basically took that song as far as we could before passing it on to someone else.” Despite Prince’s claims to the contrary, O’Connor revealed behind closed doors that her success with the song angered the artist. “First and foremost, Prince didn’t like others covering his songs,” the Irish performer told “The Times”.
