Faith and Courage: A Retrospective of Sinéad O'Connor
Click below on the streaming service of your choice to listen to the playlist as your read along. Only YouTube has all the songs from the playlist as some are not available on Spotify.
In the late 1980s, modern rock experienced a lull. As the initial waves of new wave and post punk receded and the guitar reasserted itself in mainstream music, few compelling artists broke through with new music to capture the popular consciousness of alternatively minded listeners. One artist that did was Sinéad O’Connor. Then, almost as quickly as she rose to prominence and was celebrated as a refreshingly different and forceful female presence in the rock world, she fell from grace, ironically, due to those same qualities. Since then, however, over the past thirty-plus years she has continued to provide an impressive volume of musically varied output, either from herself or as a guest on a multitude of others’ music. Unfortunately, she has been known for her behaviour and mental health situation over that time more than her talent, and therefore this profile seeks to restore some balance back towards her immense talent and impressive musical output over a career of almost forty years.
The Playlist - song \ album \ Artist (year)
*Songs not on Spotify playlist
Heroine (Theme from Captive) \ Captive Soundtrack \ Sinéad O'Connor & The Edge (1986)
Monkey in Winter (12” B-Side version) \ Deception \ The Colourfield (1987)
Troy \ The Lion and the Cobra \ Sinéad O'Connor (1987)
I Want Your (Hands On Me) \ The Lion and the Cobra \ Sinéad O'Connor (1987)
Kingdom of Rain \ Mind Bomb \ The The (1989)
The Emperor’s New Clothes \ I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got \ Sinéad O'Connor (1990)
You Cause as Much Sorrow \ I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got \ Sinéad O'Connor (1990)
My Special Child \ Non-album single \ Sinéad O'Connor (1991)
Visions of You \ Rising Above Bedlam \ Jah Wobble’s Invaders of The Heart (1991)
Success Has Made A Failure of Our Home \ Am I Not Your Girl? \ Sinéad O'Connor (1992)
Blood of Eden \ Us \ Peter Gabriel (1992)
Be Still \ Peace Together \ Various Artists (1993)*
You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart \ In the Name of the Father Soundtrack \ Sinéad O'Connor (1994)
Fire On Babylon \ Universal Mother \ Sinéad O'Connor (1994)
All Babies \ Universal Mother \ Sinéad O'Connor (1994)
Haunted \ The Snake \ Shane McGowan & The Popes (1995)
Ode to Billie Joe \ The Help Album \ Sinéad O’Connor (1995)
Empire \ Clear \ Bomb the Bass (1996)
I’m Not Your Baby \ The End of Violence Soundtrack \ Bono, The Edge, and Sinéad O'Connor (1997)
I Am Enough for Myself \ Gospel Oak EP \ Sinéad O'Connor (1997)
Daddy I’m Fine \ Faith and Courage \ Sinéad O'Connor (2000)
The Lamb’s Book of Life \ Faith and Courage \ Sinéad O'Connor (2000)
Wake Up and Make Love with Me \ Brand New Boots and Panties \ Sinéad O’Connor and The Blockheads (2001)
Harbour \ 18 \ Moby (2002)
Tears from The Moon \ Conjure One \ Conjure One (2002)
Singing Bird \ Sean-Nós Nua \ Sinéad O'Connor (2002)*
Special Cases \ 100th Window \ Massive Attack (2003)
1000 Mirrors \ Enemy of the Enemy \ Asian Dub Foundation (2003)
Y Mas Gan \ Throw Down Your Arms \ Sinéad O'Connor (2005)*
Downpressor Man \ Throw Down Your Arms \ Sinéad O'Connor (2005)*
Something Beautiful \ Theology \ Sinéad O'Connor (2007)*
Illegal Attacks \ The World Is Yours \ Ian Brown (2007)*
Jackie, Is It My Birthday \ Married to the Eiffel Tower \ The Wolfmen (2009)
The Wolf is Getting Married \ How ‘Bout I Be Me (And You Be You)? \ Sinéad O'Connor (2012)
Dense Water Deeper Down \ I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss \ Sinéad O'Connor (2014)
The Voice of My Doctor \ I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss \ Sinéad O'Connor (2014
“Heroine” \ Captive Soundtrack \ The Edge & Sinéad O’Connor (1986)
“Monkey In Winter” \ Deception \ The Colourfield (1987)
Sinéad was born in Glenageary, a community southeast of Dublin and near the southern point where Dublin Bay meets the Irish Sea. She was named after Sinéad de Valera, the wife of Ireland’s president at the time, Éamon de Valera. She has recounted stories of a troubled childhood, in particular due to abuse from her mother, who she left at the age of thirteen to live with her father. Early signs of her rebellious behaviour – shoplifting and skipping school – landed her at a Grianán Training Centre, a Magdalene asylum, which gave her the opportunity to develop her vocal talent but also occasioned further traumas from imposed discipline.
Her singing ability was easily recognizable, first taken up by Paul Byrne of the band, In Tua Nua. After auditioning a fifteen-year-old Sinéad, the band wrote and recorded the song, “Take My Hand.” However, due to her young age, they decided not to add her to the band. At eighteen, Sinéad formed a band, Ton Ton Macoute, with Colm Farrelly and others in Waterford, where she was attending school. Dropping out of school, she accompanied the band to Dublin where they developed attention thanks to her vocals. She took on Fachtna O'Ceallaigh as her manager. He had headed U2’s label, Mother Records, before being fired for being too outspoken and critical of the band. O'Ceallaigh arranged for Sinéad to sign with Ensign Records as a solo artist.
Fachtna’s fractured relationship with U2 didn’t get in the way of Sinéad from working with the band’s guitarist, The Edge. He was putting together a soundtrack for the film, Captive. O’Connor co-wrote and sang on the song, “Heroine (Theme from Captive),” which also featured U2’s drummer, Larry Mullen Jr, and was mixed by famed producer, Steve Lillywhite. The tune had Edge’s characteristic scratchy, expansive riffs as the song built in momentum, and O’Connor’s quiet, tentative vocal was able to build into her soon to be identifiable collage of echoey backgrounds, powerful turns, and distinctive Irish lilt. Her performance played like a coming out, from quiet and hesitant to bold and assertive. The song was released as a single in 1986, putting Sinéad’s voice out into the world for the first time at the age of twenty.
O’Connor’s next contribution to a release was considerably low key. The Colourfield was a synth-pop act featuring ex-Specials (and sadly, as of late 2022, recently deceased) vocalist, Terry Hall. Promoting their second album, Deception, the LP’s second single was, “She,” a Monkees cover released in June 1987. The B-side of the 12” had two versions of a variation of the album cut, “Monkey in Winter,” one with Hall’s vocals and another with accompaniment from Sinéad. Her voice gave the track added drama and character and it was a shame it was buried deep on the B-side.
“Troy”; “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” \ The Lion and the Cobra \ Sinéad O’Connor (1987)
The LP had two different covers. This was the original, UK version.
O’Connor married producer John Reynolds in 1987 and was pregnant with their son while recording her first album. The Lion and the Cobra, released in November, was a tour de force and one of the most remarkable debut LPs of its era, no less so than coming from a solo female artist, which at the time was still a rare breed in modern rock. Filled with breathtaking shifts between subtle, atmospheric sounds and tense, powerful builds leading to explosive turns, the entire album was built around the versatile and mesmerizing vocals of the twenty-one-year-old singer.
This was the alternate version for North America. Did the labels think we needed to be presented with a more vulnerable version of Sinéad?
The music was a mix of edgy alt-rock, power pop, and electro-beats that captured the early ‘80s vibes mixed with the emerging guitar-rock renaissance. The LP was peppered with songs that defied easy categorization, and there wasn’t a one that didn’t enthrall and astonish the ear. Slow tracks allowed her vocal prowess to astonish, shifting between subtle moments to explosive crescendos, such as the lead track, “Jackie,” or “Jerusalem,” or the quietly powerful, dramatic, “Troy.” The album also rocked and danced, mixing pop and rock effectively in tracks like her breakthrough, “Mandinka,” or on “I Want Your (Hands on Me), which included hip hop elements, a still nascent genre. Fellow, Irish singer, Enya, contributed vocals to the lovely, “Never Get Old.”
I was a big fan of, The Lion and the Cobra, and it was easily one of my most played albums over the late ‘80s. Many others agreed, as the album reached the top forty in both the UK and US and the top five in Sinéad’s native Ireland. “Mandinka,” the album’s third single, helped her breakthrough, reaching the top twenty in the UK.
Ever the rebel, the young singer had been struggling with the expectations of the male dominated music industry, which in typical fashion sought to promote the attractive singer with hair, make-up, and clothing that would accentuate her femininity and, naturally, build an audience through the male gaze. O’Connor was having none of it, choosing to shave her head and walk around in army boots so it was clear she was no one’s play thing, whether in the industry offices, studios, or on stage. She felt it necessary to look unattractive as a form of protection, an instinct she’d gained in her youth after being assaulted and raped. The result was an intriguing contrast that only served to enhance Sinéad’s image. She looked like a skinhead but played music that was nuanced, and while punk in spirit with its strength and aggressive posture, went well past its typical 3-chord format. The juxtaposition of a young, attractive woman with a shaved head belting out sharp and intoxicating pop music was a wholly exceptional offering for the time.
“Kingdom of Rain” \ Mind Bomb \ The The (1989)
“The Emperor’s New Clothes”; “You Cause as Much Sorrow” \ I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got \ Sinéad O’Connor (1990)
In 1988, O’Connor had a song included on the soundtrack for the film, Married to the Mob. “Jump in the River,” with it’s edgy guitar and electro-beat, continued the feel of her debut LP. It was issued as a single but didn’t gain much attention, barely cracking the top 100 in the UK and reaching the top twenty in the US alternative chart.
O’Connor’s ability to colour songs with expansive backing vocals and harmonies, punctuate songs with distinctive yelps and cries, or lift songs with the strong and fluid delivery of melodies, understandably created demand for her contributions. It has been an interesting feature of Sinéad’s career that she’s performed on a significant list of songs and albums by other artists equalling the volume of her own output. It’s resulted in her being ever-present in the music world, even when she’s been less frequent with her own releases. In 1989, she provided vocals on the song, “Kingdom of Rain,” by the band, The The. Matt Johnson’s act was releasing its third LP, Mind Bomb, which featured a shift in sound to a more atmospheric vibe. He availed himself of the likes of The Smith’s guitarist, Johnny Marr, and O’Connor to help produce the album’s sultry vibe. “Kingdom of Rain” was the album’s fourth single and reached the top twenty in the US alternative chart. Also that year, Sinéad contributed vocals to the Voyage album by Irish folk singer, Christy Moore.
Next, in March of 1990, was the release of her second LP, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. No one, the least of which O’Connor herself, was prepared for the level of success the album delivered. Leading with a single, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” that was a cover of a song by Prince and performed by The Family in 1985, the song’s simple elegance and emotionally powerful delivery made it a smash, reaching #1 in charts around the world including the US and UK. It brought Sinéad to a level of popularity and attention that she found alarming, and that did nothing to lessen her rebellious nature. I covered this in the write-up of it as a cover, and while it’s Sinéad’s signature song, I’ve excluded it from this playlist to focus on the rest of this excellent LP.
Her success was bolstered by the fact that, once again, the album was a collection of songs that neared perfection. It had less edgy rock moments than her debut, instead delivering a mix of more atmospheric, emotionally charged, and graceful songs that blended pop and rock. Frequent tempo changes made for an engaging and enthralling listen within the songs and throughout the entire album listening experience. Assisting her was an all-star cast, including Marco Pirroni from Adam Ant’s band, Andy Rourke of The Smiths, Jah Wobble from Pubic Image Ltd, Steve Wickham from The Waterboys, and Karl Wallinger of World Party and also an ex-Waterboy.
The hip hop feel made its presence again via the Celtic flavoured, “I Am Stretched on Your Grave,” while “The Emperor’s New Clothes” rode an undeniable groove, especially through a beat-driven outro that I wished would have gone on for days. The LP included the previous year’s single, “Jump in The River,” for another peppy track, offsetting the rest of the tracks that tended towards a down tempo vibe. It was the grace, strength, and power of the ballads that made the album truly remarkable. In addition to the smash hit of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” there was the Enya-flavoured, “Three Babies,” the opener, “Feel So Different,” “Last Day of Our Acquaintance,” which opened into an infectious groove over the last third, and the album’s a cappella closing title track. “Black Boys on Mopeds” delivered a powerful message twenty-five years before Black Lives Matter, with the lyrics, “England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses / It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds.” And finally, the magical journey of, “You Cause as Much Sorrow,” which blended mid-tempo pop with quiet, piano-accented moments.
The Irish singer’s caustic demeanour and outspokenness was bound to be a volatile mix with fame and celebrity. She had already caused a stir during promotion of her debut LP with supportive comments of the IRA, which she later walked back, and criticisms of fellow Irish sensations, U2, despite having worked with The Edge. Tabloids fixated on her relationship with black singer, Hugh Harris, and took issue with her frequent comments on politics both in song and interviews. The US first got wind of her nature when she refused to perform a show in New Jersey in protest of the state’s requirement that the US national anthem be played before shows. She was criticized by Frank Sinatra, which was parodied on Saturday Night Live in a January 1991 skit. More positive exposure came through her participation in Roger Water’s ambitious performance of The Wall at the Berlin Wall and through her contribution to the AIDS fundraising album of Cole Porter covers, Red Hot + Blue.
“My Special Child” \ non-album single \ Sinéad O’Connor (1991)
“Visions of You” \ Rising Above Bedlam \ Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart (1991)
1991 saw O’Connor continue to be a regular contributor to the charts. Her next release was the single, “My Special Child,” released in May. It was a quiet, haunting tune with an Irish Celtic feel and a song of regret towards her unborn daughter and a tribute to her son, Jake. It reflected on more personal struggles for Sinéad, as it was written after she’d had an abortion after breaking up with the baby’s father. It reached the top ten in Ireland but just missed the top forty in the UK.
September saw the release of Jah Wobble’s (John Wardle) album, Rising Above Bedlam, the first with his band, Invaders of the Heart. Recall that Wobble had performed on her prior LP, and she returned the favour by providing vocals on his song and single, “Visions of You.” Wobble had been a founder and bass player in John Lydon’s post Sex Pistols act, Public Image Ltd. Rising Above Bedlam was a sensation and was shortlisted for the 1992 Mercury Prize, and “Visions of You” reached the top forty in the UK and top ten on the US Modern Rock chart. Once again, O’Connor’s voice was used to enhance a track, as her voice echoed brilliantly over Jah Wobble’s bass-driven, hypnotic, acid house track. Wobble sang the verses and Sinéad carried the chorus and backing vocals, inserting her unique yelps and vocal effects to enhance the song’s pulsating rhythms.
In October, she contributed a cover of Elton John’s, “Sacrifice,” as part of a star-studded tribute album, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. The LP reached the top twenty in the US. In December, she released a single of her version of the Christmas classic, “Silent Night,” which she performed in a Christmas film by Malcolm McLaren tracing the history of London’s Oxford St, The Ghosts of Oxford Street.
“Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home” \ Am I Not Your Girl? \ Sinéad O’Connor (1992)
“Blood of Eden” \ Us \ Peter Gabriel (1992)
As O’Connor entered 1992, she seemed poised to continue her ride as a leading presence in the music world. Alternative music was thriving, and her blend of edgy sounds, pop sensibility, and irrefutable talent set her up to sustain her appeal across a broad cross-selection of listeners. However, most of the year saw her out of the spotlight until September, when things kicked into high gear with the release of her second album, Am I Not Your Girl? It was an album of covers of old songs that she’d grown up with and been influenced. The mix of jazz, sweeping strings, and show tunes were a considerable change in Sinéad’s style, challenging the preconceptions of her. The album’s cover, with her in a dress and heels but sitting in a typically male pose, captured the album’s contradictions between her and its content. Admittedly, I found the LP hard to warm up to, with the style of the songs not always a fit for her vocal style. Yet, her popularity buoyed its chart success, reaching the top forty in the US and the top ten in the UK. But, in an era in which she could have cemented her status as one of the world’s most successful female artists, she characteristically went her own, opposite way instead.
The first single was the song, “Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home,” which was originally written by Johnny Mullins in 1961 and popularized by country singer, Loretta Lynn, under the title, “Success.” Sinéad took the song’s hooky vocal melody and changed the honky-tonk style to a grand, sweeping, dramatic version filled with strings and horns. After typically pairing her voice with beats, guitar, and electronics, it was refreshing, but perhaps not surprising, to hear how great she sounded belting it out within a powerful, lush composition. It was the standout track on the album and returned Sinéad to the singles charts, reaching the top twenty in the UK but only the top twenty in the US alternative chart.
The second single was a version of, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” the signature song of the 1976 album and 1978 musical, Evita. It also pre-dated Madonna’s 1996 movie that revived the story and song in popular consciousness. While of course O’Connor capably handled the song, it was unable to allow her to employ her usual passion and effects that made her such an impactful singer. Listeners agreed, with the song failing to chart. Similarly, her versions of, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Black Coffee,” “Gloomy Sunday,” and others suffered the same fate. However, the upbeat, jazzy fun of tracks like, “Why Don’t You Do Right,” and “I Want to Be Loved by You” allowed her to present a different and engaging side of her talent.
A week after the release of the album, Peter Gabriel issued, Us, his follow-up LP to the 1986 chart topping album, So. Sinéad sang on two tracks, the album’s opener and fifth single, “Come Talk to Me,” and the third track and single, “Blood of Eden.” Her voice was the perfect complement to Gabriel’s atmospheric music. Once again, the album was an international chart topper, though neither of the singles with O’Connor charted highly following the initial hits, “Digging in the Dirt” and “Steam.”
October 1992 was a busy and auspicious month for Sinéad O’Connor. In addition to appearing on two releases, “Ship Ahoy” by Irish hip hop act, Marxman, and providing a cover of Bob Dylan’s, “I Believe in You,” for the Christmas series compilation, A Very Special Christmas, she also appeared on Saturday Night Live to promote her LP. Her history with SNL was somewhat fraught. She had been scheduled to appear in May 1990 in support of her second album, but withdrew in protest when the host was announced as misogynistic comedian, Andrew Dice Clay. She did appear in the following season’s September premiere. SNL cast member, Jan Hooks, also impersonated the Irish singer a couple times in 1991, usually riffing on the singer’s intensity.
One of the defining moments of Sinéad’s career, as was often the case, had nothing to do with her music
Her 1992 appearance was to see her perform two tracks from her new LP, “Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home” and “Scarlet Ribbons.” The day before the show’s taping, O’Connor decided to replace the second song with her a cappella version of Bob Marley’s, “War,” adjusting the lyrics from its focus on racism to a protest of child abuse in the Catholic church. In rehearsals, during the final lyric, “evil,” she held up a picture of a starving child. However, during the live taping, she instead raised a photo of Pope John Paul II (she later revealed in her memoirs the photo was a memento of her departed mother), tearing it up and flinging the pieces at the camera before saying, “fight the real enemy.” The SNL studio was left in an unusual and eerie silence following the performance (the director made the snap decision to not activate the applause sign), and the NBC switchboard lit up with complaints. True to form, Sinéad had created one of the most controversial and famous moments in the show’s long running history.
Over time, her protest would be validated as the full scope of abuse within the church was revealed, but at the time, the shocking action led to broad condemnation and backlash. She appeared in a tribute show at Madison Square Garden two weeks later to celebrate Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary. Planning to do her cover of, “I Believe in You,” she was confronted by a hostile, booing audience. Unable to start the song amidst the response, she instead shouted out the song, “War,” same as she had on SNL, before leaving the stage. In retrospect, the SNL appearance effectively ended O’Connor’s career in terms of commercial success. While her changes in musical direction played a part, the public never again showed much inclination to get behind her to the extent of her early ‘90s peak. Regardless, O’Connor has been unrepentant, saying she would do it again and that she is a protest singer and not a pop singer.
The year closed out with her appearance in an Irish indie film, Hush-a-Bye Baby. The film had debuted in 1990 via film festivals but didn’t see theatrical release in the UK until December 1992. It had also been released in several other countries across Europe throughout the year, but never achieved a North American release.
Instead of 1992 entrenching Sinéad as one of the leading, most talented female artists in the world, she instead saw her profile embattled amongst backlash and a tepid response to her new music style. As had been the case over her seven-year career, contradiction, confusion, and misunderstanding went hand in hand with her immeasurable talent.
“Be Still” \ Peace Together \ Various Artists (1993) (YouTube playlist only)
“You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” \ In the Name of the Father Soundtrack \ Sinéad O’Connor (1994)
“Fire On Babylon”; “All Babies” \ Universal Mother \ Sinéad O’Connor (1994)
Undaunted, Sinéad carried on, doing her usual collaborations while preparing her next album. First up in March 1993 was an unexpected duet with Willie Nelson, covering the Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song, “Don’t Give Up,” issued on Nelson’s album, Across the Borderline.
Next up in July was the album, Peace Together, a compilation of cover songs by various artists (mostly Irish) in support of the Peace Together organization, which promoted peace in Northern Ireland. The album started and ended with an original composition, “Be Still.” The closing version featured Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins on vocals, but the album’s opener was performed by an all-star line-up of Sinéad, Peter Gabriel, Feargal Sharkey, Nanci Griffith, Jah Wobble, Clive Langer, and the band, Hothouse Flowers. It was a fantastic track with O’Connor supplying her distinctive backing vocal to great effect.
Though the film came out in 1993, the soundtrack to In the Name of the Father wasn’t released until 1994. The film was about the Guildford pub bombings in 1974, in which four men were falsely convicted for an IRA bombing in England. The soundtrack’s closing track, “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart,” was written by Bono, his childhood friend, Gavin Friday (originally of the Irish post-punk band, The Virgin Prunes), and Maurice Seezer. It was a great song, mixing dramatic melody with booming beats, all underpinning Sinéad’s soaring lead vocal. It had an Irish flavour, befitting the movie, and its shift from a quiet opening to its beat-driven, piano laced back half was the perfect vehicle for Sinéad. It reminded us why she’d been a star and just how impressive her voice could be. Despite the song’s strength, and perhaps in lieu of O’Connor’s beleaguered reputation by ’94, the song fell just shy of the UK top forty, though did reach the top five in Ireland.
June 1994 saw O’Connor working with Peter Gabriel again, this time on a version of his stirring 1980 song about South African anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko. The single was done by Camaroonian musician, Manu Dibango, and he called on Gabriel, O’Connor, Geoffrey Oryema, Alex Brown, and the South African choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, to assist on the recording. Their take on “Biko” was a loose, jazzy affair in which Sinéad’s contribution was only for flavour to the backing harmonies. She also guested on three of Dibango’s songs on his LP that year, Wakafrika.
Issued in July was a tribute album in celebration of the 80th birthday of harmonica player, Larry Adler. A diverse range of artists performed with Adler on songs by George and Ira Gershwin, thus the LP was titled, The Glory of Gershwin. O’Connor performed, “My Man’s Gone Now,” which reminded of her songs from her last LP.
September saw the arrival of her fourth album, Universal Mother. It included help, again, from Marco PIrroni as well as her ex-husband, John Reynolds, who had continued to work on her albums since her debut. Reaching the top twenty in the UK and top forty in the US, and of course, the top ten in Ireland, it would be the last commercially successful album of her career. As usual for Sinéad, the LP drew on the tumult of her personal life. Reflecting on her recent relationship with Peter Gabriel, she wrote the album’s closing track and lead single, “Thank You for Hearing Me.” It’s electro-pop groove revealed the singer was returning to more accessible and friendly music styles that worked well with her voice. It reached the top twenty in the UK, also being the final time one of her songs reached that high in the charts.
The quiet, “A Perfect Indian,” was about actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who was acting in Last of the Mohicans when they had a short, abandoned relationship. The album also had two cover songs, “Scorn Not His Simplicity” by Irish singer, Phil Coulter, and “All Apologies” by Nirvana.
While most of the LP was slower ballads infused with Irish flavour, she also returned to hip hop influenced beats, even rapping on the tune, “Famine.” The album opened with a spoken word passage by Germaine Greer before exploding into the dub-style, pounding rhythms of “Fire on Babylon,” which was one of the best songs from O’Connor since anything on I Don’t Want What I Haven’t Got. “All Babies” fused that beat and pop spirit with her balladry to a lovely effect. The album didn’t have the lofty perfection of her first two releases, but it was good and showed she was still a force to be reckoned with, and always capable of providing music that revealed her impressive talent.
1994 closed of with her contribution to a Van Morrison tribute album, No Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison, covering “You Make Me Feel So Free.” The curious element to this compilation was that Van Morrison produced it, selecting the songs and artists that appeared on it (and putting his girlfriend, Michelle Rocca, on the cover). Sinéad slowed his 1979 jazz-blues track into an even bluesier, sultry tune that yet again showcased her talent through another musical style.
“Haunted” \ The Snake \ Shane McGowan & The Popes (1995)
“Ode to Billy Joe” \ The Help Album \ Sinéad O’Connor (1995)
“Empire” \ Clear \ Bomb the Bass (1996)
“I’m Not Your Baby” \ The End of Violence Soundtrack \ Bono, The Edge, & Sinéad O’Connor (1997)
“I Am Enough for Myself” \ Gospel Oak EP \ Sinéad O’Connor (1997)
I lost track of Sinéad O’Connor over the second half of the 1990s, as it seemed to me that she had simply disappeared from the popular view. So, it’s refreshing to see that she remained active over that time. Of course, that didn’t mean she’d changed her ways or was any less controversial. One of her first appearances in 1995 was on a British, late night talk show, After Dark, in which a discussion between a priest and a former Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) was interrupted by a phone call from Sinéad. She then showed up at the studio and was put into the panel discussion, in which she went toe-to-toe with the other guests to hold the Catholic church in Ireland to account for its history of child sex abuse. However, after that episode she mostly let her singing carry any publicity.
The second half of the 1990s saw her collaborate with an impressive array of artists in various styles while also releasing new music of her own. She also joined the Lollapalooza tour but dropped out when she became pregnant with her second child, this time with Irish journalist, John Waters. As with most of her relationships, it was short-lived and resulted in an extended custody battle with Waters for their daughter, Roisin.
Early in 1995 was the release of the LP, The Long Black Veil, by veteran Irish band, The Chieftans. It was full of heady collaborators such as Sting, Mick Jagger and The Stones, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder, Marianne Faithfull, and Tom Jones. Sinéad sang on two tracks, “The Foggy Dew,” and “He Moved Through the Fair.”
Her duet with ex-Pogues frontman, Shane McGowan, appeared in 1995 on an expanded release of his album with his band, The Popes, The Snake, which had been issued the previous year. The track was a cover of the 1986 Pogues song from the Sid and Nancy Soundtrack, “Haunted.” It was another in her growing line of duos with singers that differed greatly from her voice. The track, with its catchy melody, featured the jarring alternations of McGowan’s rough, snarling voice and O’Connor’s ethereal vocal. I’m not sure it worked but it made for an interesting listen. It did, however, get Sinéad back into the chart when the single cracked the UK top forty.
She did two other songs that year for compilation albums. There was, “Ode to Billie Joe,” a 1967 Bobbie Gentry song in which Sinéad converted the original, stripped-down blues, acoustic guitar song to a spacey, bluesy tune set over a light beat. It was another impressive vocal performance showing her versatility. The album was in support of the War Child charitable organization and was the first of many the organization would issue to raise funds over the years. She also sang an eighteenth-century Irish poem and folk song, “Mná na hÉireann” (Women of Ireland), for a compilation album and MTV special, Ain’t Nuthin’ But A She Thing. Her haunting rendition captured the sad, rebellious spirit of the poem. Finally, that year she guested on the song, “Mraya,” by Algerian singer, Abdel Alis Slimani. Their voices complemented each other wonderfully, added the Middle Eastern feel as another style for her voice to work with.
Her most prominent 1996 recording returned her to dub-styled beats on the song, “Empire,” by Bomb the Bass, which was the performing name of British DJ, Tim Simenon (who had done programming on her prior LP). It was a wonderful, hypnotic song that leveraged her airy vocal to lighten the heavy rhythms and balance the moody chants and toasting from Benjamin Zephaniah. While the album, Clear, reached #22 in the UK album chart, the song was not released as a single. Additionally, that year she guested on songs by Irish folk singer, Dónal Lunny, provided vocals for three songs on the Michael Collins Soundtrack by composer Elliot Goldenthal, and two songs on ex-Pink Floyd member, Richard Wright’s album, Broken China. For someone ostracized from popular consideration, she still had invites from a lot of corners of the musical universe.
She acted in a 1997 film, The Butcher Boy, an Irish black comedy by Neal Jordan in which she played a foul-mouthed Virgin Mary. O’Connor provided an acoustic ballad as the title track to the soundtrack, released in 1998. Another film in 1997 in which she provided music was to German director, Wim Wender’s, The End of Violence. U2 were regular contributors to Wender’s films, and this was no exception. Bono and the band wrote the song and brought O’Connor in to share on vocals. It was in the gritty, electro-pop style of the U2’s album that year, Pop. O’Connor and Bono harmonized in the mix of the song’s growling electronics, guitar, and beats. Though it wasn’t the band’s most popular era, this was another solid tune to add to their discography, enhanced with Sinéad’s sound.
It’s a bit curious that, after appearing on the cover of her first three albums, she did not appear on the next LP and this EP. Perhaps trying to shift the focus towards the music?
Her first new music since her prior LP three years earlier arrived with the EP, Gospel Oak, named after the London neighbourhood in which she was living. The four-song release featured lovely, Celtic folk songs mixed with some electro beats.” It reached the top 40 in the UK album chart, surpassing the peak of her prior LP. “This Is to Mother You” was issued as a single but didn’t chart, but it was the second track, “I Am Enough for Myself,” that better captured the feel of the EP.
1997 also saw the release in November of her first greatest hits album, So Far… The Best of Sinéad O’Connor. It included songs from her four LPs and several of her collaborations and helped remind people of how successful she’d been and how many great songs were in her repertoire. The album reached the top forty in the UK album chart. It also put out a new single, the folk-styled, “This Is a Rebel Song,” which was included only on the international release and not the North American version, which instead got the track on Gospel Oak.
In December, her year was closed out with an entry on a compilation in memory of Princess Diana, who had died at the end of August. While much of the double album was previously released material from artists, Sinéad’s song was, “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace,” which was a hymn played at the Princess’ funeral. It was suitably sombre and sung in hushed tones.
Numerous guest appearances scattered her work through 1998, contributing to songs by Ashtar Command (for The Avengers soundtrack), Irish musician Davy Spillane (who played on her Gospel Oak EP), and Ghostland, which was an Irish band formed by several of her back-up musicians.
Sinéad has not always appeared with a shaved head. This look is from 1997.
Her participation in compilation albums also continued unabated, adding a cover of the Abba song, “Chiquitita,” to the fundraising LP in support of victims of the Real Republican Army bombing in Omagh, North Ireland. Her version slowed the song down and set it to a catchy beat with a hint of Celtic flavour. It was released as a single but didn’t chart. There was her version with The Chieftans of a traditional Irish folk song, “Skibbereen,” issued on the soundtrack, Long Journey Home, for the TV mini-series, The Irish in America: Long Journey Home. She also did a reasonably straight-up cover (though without the banjo) of the 1969 Harry Nilsson tune, “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City,” for the film, You’ve Got Mail. Finally, there was another song in support of the AIDS Red Hot organization, adding to the compilation, Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove, with another take from her on Gershwin with, “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
The final year of the millennium didn’t see any music from Sinéad directly, but she guested on several tracks by others. She paired with The Chieftans again, sang on two tracks for British band, James, and a song by Gabriel Yared for the soundtrack to The Talented Mr. Ripley. There was also a muted duet with Italian star, Zucchero, appearing on the track, “Va, Pensiero,” which was released on his greatest hits album and was issued as a single.
“Daddy I’m Fine”; “The Lamb’s Book of Life” \ Faith and Courage \ Sinéad O’Connor (2000)
Sinéad in 1999, starting to appear in clerical collar
While professionally O’Connor was busy and producing quality, if not popular, music, her personal life continued to make news. Her difficult custody battle with John Waters resulted in her daughter living with him. In 1999, she was ordained as a priest by the Irish Orthodox and Apostolic Church, an independent Catholic group. Asking to be referred to as Mother Bernadette Mary and starting to dress in a clerical collar and shirt, she indicated it was an attempt to reconcile her to the church. However, as her ordination was accompanied with a monetary donation that risked excommunication from the main church (though she’d already asked two popes at that point to excommunicate her), the entire affair was unlikely to improve her relationship with her faith and the church.
Though it wouldn’t become public until years later, Sinéad attempted suicide on her thirty-third birthday in December 1999. It was further evidence of her ongoing mental health challenges and led to her finally receiving a bipolar diagnosis in 2003. In 2000, she announced she was a lesbian, only to reverse herself shortly after. While Ceremony profiles aim to focus on the music rather than the artists’ personal issues, with Sinéad it’s hard to ignore these distractions because her character and behaviour have both infused her music and affected the trajectory of her career. Her non-musical activity has been part and parcel with her art. Her health and activities during this time also explained why there had only been the one short EP of original material since her last LP six years prior. Everything else had been cover songs or tracks written by, or with, others.
In June 2000, that changed with the release of her fifth album, the aptly named, Faith and Courage. Once again calling on a host of contributors, most notably Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, the album delivered a solid, if somewhat unremarkable, batch of songs mostly in the electro pop and rock vein. It reached the lower ranges of the US and UK charts well outside the top forty. Two singles were issued, the hip hop styled, “No Man’s Woman,” which failed to chart, and the smooth ballad, “Jealous,” which reached the top 100 in the UK singles chart. The album relied too heavily on harmonizing and affected vocals, though had enough moments of vocal purity to show her talent was still secure. “Daddy I’m Fine” offered a catchy pop-rock-hip hop mix, and as always the LP featured several stirring ballads. “The Lamb’s Book of Life” rode an intriguing mix of Celtic folk and reggae rhythms, hinting where she would arrive several years down the road.
The problem with Sinéad’s musical career at that point was it lacked cohesion and consistency. Her regular explorations in folk, hip hop, electronica, pop, and rock were impressive to those who appreciated her talent but didn’t deliver enough to build a sustained fan base from any of those genres. Her personal life directed attention away from her music. However, this new album, while good, was not going to engender the kind of interest her first two LPs had achieved, though it’s doubtful this was a concern to Sinéad. Now thirteen years into her career, her voice was ubiquitous but could not be relied upon to win you over alone, as outstanding as it was.
“Wake Up and Make Love with Me” \ Brand New Boots and Panties \ Sinéad O’Connor and The Blockheads (2001)
“Harbour” \ 18 \ Moby (2002)
“Tears from The Moon” \ Conjure One \ Conjure One (2002)
“Singing Bird” \ Sean- Nós Nua \ Sinéad O’Connor (2002) (YouTube Playlist only)
“1000 Mirrors” \ Enemy of the Enemy \ Asian Dub Foundation (2003)
“Special Cases” \ 100th Window \ Massive Attack (2003)
In addition to her album in 2000, O’Connor also had an original song on the Rugrats in Paris soundtrack, “When You Love.” There was also the release of another ‘best of’ compilation, though this time it failed to chart. She also guested on a multitude of releases – as many as twenty-one – for various other artists between 2000 and 2005, continuing to place her voice in an impressive array of genres and song styles.
In 2001, she did an Ian Dury cover, “Wake Up and Make Love with Me,” with his old band, The Blockheads. It was part of a tribute re-recording of The Blockheads 1977 debut LP, slightly re-titled as Brand New Boots and Panties. It was fun to hear her play off the 1970s, pub rock vibes of the tune.
O’Connor remained a favourite guest among dub and electronica artists thanks to her perfect voice for mixing with the beats and rhythms. In 2002, she featured on four such releases, which are included on this playlist to display the variations and quality of how she could enhance that musical form. She received the greatest attention via her guest spot on Moby’s album, 18, the follow-up to his breakout album, Play. Though her vocals on the subdued, “Harbour,” weren’t as exciting as we would hope from such a collaboration, she still matched the song’s darkly smooth vibe. The album reached #1 in the UK and #4 in the US, as well as topping charts around the world, and though “Harbour” wasn’t one of the LP’s six singles, the LP’s success gave Sinéad the widest reintroduction she’d had to international audiences in quite some time.
Another guest entry was on the track, “Tears from the Moon,” by the Canadian artist, Rhys Fulber, who performed under the name, Conjure One. Fulber had been part of the bands Front Line Assembly and Delerium and was part of a stable of such bands for the Vancouver based label, Nettwerk (founded by Mark Jowett of the band, MOEV). Fulber put Sinéad’s voice against his usual mix of catchy beats and dreamy, melodic synths.
The third electronica track she performed on was “1000 Mirrors” by Asian Dub Foundation. The song was the second single from their fourth album, Enemy of the Enemy, released early in 2003. Her voice was forceful, dramatic, and soaring to fit the eclectic sounds and dub bass and beats characteristic of the band.
Finally, in a seeming match made in heaven, O’Conner sang on several tracks on Massive Attack’s 100th Window LP, also released in 2003. It just made sense for her voice to be mixed with the moody electronics of the British pioneers of the ‘90s trip hop sound, and the results were excellent. As with Moby, Sinéad’s voice was once again heard at the top of the charts as the LP reached the top ten around the world, including #1 in the UK. “Special Cases” was the first single and it reached the top twenty in the UK.
Amidst her many guest appearances, O’Connor also got back to her own music, releasing her sixth LP in 2002, Sean-Nós Nua (“new old-style”). It was thirteen tracks of traditional Irish music, and while she had been guesting and covering many such tracks over the past ten years, it was still her first dedicated release of that music. Steve Wickham from The Waterboys provided fiddle on most of the songs. Not surprisingly, the album, as yet another shift in style for her, didn’t do well commercially. But as we know, that was never a concern for the independently minded singer.
In 2003, she issued a compilation album with the lengthy title, She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty. Commensurate to the title was a double album length of rare tracks, recent collaborations, traditional Irish songs, new covers, and a live performance in Dublin in 2002.
“Y Mas Gan”; “Downpressor Man” \ Throw Down Your Arms \ Sinéad O’Connor (2005) (YouTube playlist only)
When Sinéad issued her seventh album in 2005, it should have been no surprise that it was in a completely new musical genre for her. Travelling to Kingston, Jamaica, the album was recorded with famed reggae producers and the famous rhythm section, Sly and Robbie. The LP was twelve songs, all culled from the rich Jamaican traditions of ska, rocksteady, and reggae. She covered the likes of Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and The Abyssinians. They were recorded with an impressive collection of Jamaican session musicians, many of which played on the original recordings.
I don’t know what fans of reggae felt about it, but I thought the results were fantastic. Rich in steady, skanking rhythms, horn accents, and the quality foundations of the selected songs, it was pleasantly surprising to hear how easily Sinéad’s powerful vocals worked with those combinations. Whether the walking pace of a tune like, “He Prayed,” the deep, mid-paced skanks of, “Downpressor Man” or “Vampire,” the brassy edge of “Y Mas Gan,” or the stark, quiet tones of “Jah Nuh Dead,” the Irish vocalist showed her range and adeptness with this different musical form. No single track stood out, but all were a steady, quality, easy listen from start to finish – something that hadn’t been easily said about a Sinéad LP since I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. Despite my appreciation for the LP, apparently it was not a feeling shared by others as it was the poorest charting release of her career.
“Something Beautiful” \ Theology \ Sinéad O'Connor (2007)YouTube playlist only)
“Illegal Attacks” \ The World Is Yours \ Ian Brown (2007) (YouTube playlist only)
The renewed period of productivity continued for O’Connor as she released her next LP, Theology, in June 2007. It was a double album offering two versions of the same set of tracks, with the first disc being acoustic and the second full-band, rock versions. It was an interesting offering. “Something Beautiful” was the album’s lead track and a good example of how the project worked. The acoustic version was haunting, stark, and beautiful while the band version, while still down tempo, powered up with light drums, a violin, slightly edgy guitars, and a more forceful performance from Sinéad. While, once again, she wasn’t attacking the charts, her music showed she continued to be a consistent and engaging artist.
After the LP she closed the year with guest appearances in a song by composer Armand Amar for the French film, La Premier Cri, and on a song by ex-Stone Roses singer, Ian Brown. Their track, “Illegal Attacks,” was a protest song against UK involvement and support of military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her voice worked nicely with Brown’s in harmonizing over the jazzy beats and orchestrally driven rhythms.
“Jackie, Is It My Birthday” \ Married to the Eiffel Tower \ The Wolfmen (2009)
“The Wolf is Getting Married” \ How ‘Bout I Be Me (And You Be You)? \ Sinéad O'Connor (2012) (YouTube playlist only)
“Dense Water Deeper Down” \ I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss \ Sinéad O'Connor (2014)
It was five years before O’Connor got to issuing her next LP. In the interim she continued to guest on others’ work. She also contributed songs to a variety of soundtracks, charity albums, and compilations, such as the 2010 album, Music of Ireland: Welcome Home, where she provided a wonderful version of Tim Buckley’s, “Song to the Siren,” which was covered in the Covers Volume 7 playlist. Another example was the 2009 song, “Jackie, Is It My Birthday,” by The Wolfmen, the band of ex-Adam Ant musicians, guitarist Marco Pirroni and bassist Chris Constantinou. Once again, O’Connor’s voice floated in her distinctive tone over the tune, providing an excellent foil to its discordant and rocking sounds.
Her next LP was 2012’s, How ‘Bout I Be Me (And You Be You)?, apparently putting her feelings out in no uncertain terms. It was a solid, if unremarkable album, though her voice always served to make her music eminently listenable. The album’s single, “The Wolf Is Getting Married” (one of three co-written with Pirroni and Constantinou) was a catchy, rocking track. It was accompanied by an intriguing video (see it in the YouTube playlist) in which a woman in a chair slowly had her gauzy coverings unravelled in many directions by unseen forces pulling at the threads. Though the song was about the benefits of gaining a partner, the imagery of the video couldn’t help but be seen as an allegory to Sinéad’s personal life. Indeed, as she prepared to tour to promote the album, she had a breakdown and had to postpone the tour, eventually completing it in 2013 under the title, ‘The Crazy Baldhead Tour.’
Sinéad’s mental health issues continued to a source of media attention more than her music. In 2007, on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she shared her history of suicide attempts and the bipolar diagnosis. It was her first public discussion regarding her erratic behaviour that had been so much a part of her public persona. Later in 2014, she said other doctors had refuted the bipolar diagnosis and that other conditions were assigned.
Her tenth, and to date, last album released was in 2014, I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss, again seeming to make rather declarative statements about her place in the world, though it was really a title in support of the ‘Ban Bossy’ campaign, an initiative by LeanIn.org to refute the stereotype that assertive woman are ‘bossy.’ The album was not very strong, as her music started to fade into a generic form, a surprising result after all the experimentation of her earlier career. Of note, her lyrics shifted to a literal, often melancholy tone, as she sought love, comfort, respect, and autonomy in a society in which she’d always felt at odds as a woman, mother, artist, and person of faith.
After a hysterectomy in 2015, O’Connor’s mental health issues and suicide risk made publicity again, revealed through social media posts and, ultimately, an extensive 2017 interview with American TV show host and psychologist, Dr. Phil. Her religious conflicts also resumed both internally and externally, first asking the Pope to excommunicate her and then converting to Islam in 2018. In January 2022, her son, Shane, committed suicide, sending her into another public suicide spiral.
Understandably, her health led to a measurable reduction in her musical output. She has only issued a couple covers for compilations, a couple of original songs, including a 2020 single, and a couple of guest appearances since her last LP in 2014.
However, there have been promising signs her career may get back on track. There was a minor, positive social media moment for her when a video of her live performance of, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” on an Irish TV show went viral in 2019. For many, seeing her perform in a hijab was surprising, but refreshingly the broad response was instead focused on her performance. Reactions were generally joyful that she was performing well and seemingly in a capable and happy state of mind. It was the first time she’d made news due to her music in quite a long time. A minor tour of the US west coast in 2020, fortunately completed just before the pandemic broke wide, also gave hope for a career back on track. However, the announcement of a 2022 tour and album (reportedly to be titled, No Veteran Dies Alone) unfortunately gave way to her grief and depression after the death of her son.
UPDATE (July 2023): On July 26, 2023, news broke that Sinéad had been found deceased in her London home at the age of 56. Cause of death was not publicized but police declared it was “not being treated as suspicious.” In one respect her early demise had a sense of inevitability about it, but at such an age could not be seen as anything other than sad and tragic. She has now joined the list of immense music talents lost too early, and while we may mourn the loss of her passion, energy, and that indelible voice, we can also hope she has, in the words of Irish President, Michael Higgins, found “the peace she sought in so many different ways.”
Sinéad O’Connor’s career was remarkable for many reasons, but mostly due to her incredible talent. If she had been just another routine singer, the notoriety and attention she provoked would not have been possible. Built around two stellar albums, her career swerved both in terms of musical styles and consistency, though never poor. Through an impressive list of collaborations, she lent her voice to an amazing legacy of music. As an independent, outspoken, and conflicted individual, Sinéad was a fascinating case study of women in the world of rock and popular music, revealing how the challenges of publicity, artistry, and sustaining good mental health come to bear on a career. We have seen the personalities of public people, both past and present, come under increased scrutiny with personal, often private, behaviour affecting the evaluation of professional output. Sinéad once again was a pioneer in forcing people to decide when and if to separate the artist and the art. Whether it was her shaved head, political views, ripping up the picture of the pope, becoming a priest, converting to Islam, or publicly sharing her depression, it was near impossible to judge O’Connor as a singer and artist versus her as someone who has evoked outrage, sympathy, confusion, love and hatred. She was a one-of-a-kind artist, and surely was all facets of her personality that gave us almost forty years of excellent music to enjoy, and is been something worthy of respect, admiration, and celebration.
