Wrapping up The The yesterday served as the perfect segue into today's Retro Spin, featuring Sinéad O'Connor. While she didn't ping on most people's radars until 1990 with her cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U, she actually first hit the scene in 1987 with her debut, The Lion And The Cobra.
In the early 80's, she got her first chance to record with In Tua Nua, when drummer Paul Byrne heard her singing a rendition of Barbra Streisand's Evergreen. While the band loved her voice, at the age of fifteen, they felt she was too young to join up with them.
After placing an ad in Hot Press, she met Colm Farrelly and formed the group Ton Ton Macoute with him. While the band relocated to Waterford so that she could attend school, she would soon drop out to focus fully on music.
Ensign Records took notice of her, and would sign her, putting her to work on the soundtrack for the film, Captive. She'd work with The Edge of U2 to write the song Heroine. It was during this time that she would join up with manager, Fachtna Ó Ceallaigh, an outspoken individual who made no attempt to edit himself when talking about the industry and other musicians. O'Connor would unfortunately pick up this bad habit from him.
Chrysalis acquired Ensign Records in 1984, and in doing so, opted to keep her and record a debut album, the above noted 1987 release. It would be a critical smash in the UK, receiving rave reviews. She performed for the first time in the USA on Late Night with David Letterman, singing Mandinka, which not only garnered her attention abroad, but led to a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Performance.
Feeling the original cover would be too aggressive for US audiences, Chrysalis would opt to change it before release. This softer approach presented a more vulnerable artist, one which would appeal more than the original which featured her shouting.
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| Alternate USA cover |
Admittedly, I don't know much about O'Connor, with exception of her hit single from the 90's, and controversy which would follow shortly thereafter. I never really saw her as an artist I would have any interest in.
Which is why I'm glad I picked up her debut when I saw it for a couple bucks at a local used CD shop. Granted, I was only doing so because it met my short criteria for albums I don't know anything about:
- It was an artist I knew of
- It was released in the 80's
- It was cheap
As it first started up, had I not known who was singing, I would have easily mistaken this for an album by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Sinéad has an incredibly powerful voice that can go to the complete opposite spectrum of sweet and quite with ease. In general, the album was a pretty hard rocking experience. I'm not going to lie; it gave me a newfound respect for her.
I dug this album from start to finish. However, if you put me on the spot and told me I had to pick standout tracks, I'd probably pull Mandinka, and I Want Your (Hands On Me). The latter more so over the other.
O'Connor would go on to have breakthrough success in 1990 with her 2X platinum certified album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, led by the aforementioned Prince cover. She released her third album, Am I Not Your Girl?, in September 1992. While poised for super stardom success, she would foolishly throw all of this in the trash with her October appearance on Saturday Night Live, when she pulled out a photograph of Pope John Paul II, ripping it up, while proclaiming, "Fight the real enemy."
Severe backlash followed, along with immediate repercussions. She was banned from Saturday Night Live, criticized by various institutions and celebrities, booed by the public while performing at future events, and record label Chrysalis distanced themselves, ultimately not resigning with her after the release of her 1994 album, Universal Mother.
Despite all of this, O'Conner remained unapologetic for her actions, a silent protest that one kind of has to respect. I mean, if you're going to say and do something, have the guts to stand behind it. Sinéad unrelentingly did just that.
She stepped away from the public eye to raise her child, not returning until 2000 with Faith And Courage. Though she would label hop extensively over the next several years, she consistently released new albums every few years through 2014. Though she remained active, and announced a new album in 2021, as well as a tour in 2022, things were cut short by the death of her son. O'Conner herself would pass away just a little over a year later.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 22, 1984 |
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