Nothing Compares 2 U: How Sinéad O’Connor Made Prince’s Song Hers

By Dan Cohen · Published 2026-06-27

Nothing Compares 2 U is one of the great examples of a song finding its true singer years after it was written. Prince wrote it in the 1980s for one of his side projects, where it passed almost unnoticed — a fine song waiting for the right voice. That voice turned out to belong to Sinéad O’Connor, whose 1990 recording became a global number one and the version the world now thinks of as definitive.

The face that carried it

What sealed it was the video: a stark, mostly unbroken close-up of O’Connor’s face against a black background, singing directly into the camera. As it builds, she sheds real tears — a moment she later said came from thinking of her own mother. There is almost nothing to look at except a person feeling something completely, and that nakedness is exactly why it’s unforgettable.

Ownership without writing a word

O’Connor didn’t write it, yet she so completely inhabited it that it became hers in the public memory — proof that interpretation can be its own act of authorship. A song can have two makers: the one who builds it and the one who finally means it.

What it measures like

On our measurements it’s restrained and aching — mostly gentle and spacious, letting a single voice carry the weight before it swells. The power is in what’s held back. Full profile on its song page.

Nothing Compares 2 U was written by Prince and originally recorded by his side project The Family; Sinéad O’Connor’s definitive version was released in 1990. Her account of the video’s tears reflects her widely reported statements. No lyrics are reproduced.