By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept

News Junction

Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • World News
    World NewsShow More
    The government wants you to get paid not to use Google search
    The government wants you to get paid not to use Google search
    April 22, 2025
    How effective and safe are measles vaccines?
    How effective and safe are measles vaccines?
    April 22, 2025
    Vietnam clamps down on fraud on US exports, document shows
    Vietnam clamps down on fraud on US exports, document shows
    April 22, 2025
    Catholic Church head cause of death revealed; Anthony Albanese suspends campaign; Trump to attend funeral
    Catholic Church head cause of death revealed; Anthony Albanese suspends campaign; Trump to attend funeral
    April 22, 2025
    Pope Francis phoned Gaza’s only Catholic church ‘every day’ – as priest reveals details of last call | World News
    Pope Francis phoned Gaza’s only Catholic church ‘every day’ – as priest reveals details of last call | World News
    April 22, 2025
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Ukraine blows up bridges to consolidate its positions in Russia
    Ukraine blows up bridges to consolidate its positions in Russia
    August 18, 2024
    Commentary: AI phones from Google and Apple will erode trust in everything
    Commentary: AI phones from Google and Apple will erode trust in everything
    August 18, 2024
    The most famous Indian Dishes – Insights Success
    The most famous Indian Dishes – Insights Success
    August 18, 2024
    Life on the road as a female long rides cyclist
    Life on the road as a female long rides cyclist
    August 18, 2024
    UK inflation rises to 2.2%
    UK inflation rises to 2.2%
    August 18, 2024
  • Cryptocurrency
    CryptocurrencyShow More
    BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, LEO, LINK, AVAX
    BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, LEO, LINK, AVAX
    April 22, 2025
    Bitcoin traders warn BTC price rally may stall at K
    Bitcoin traders warn BTC price rally may stall at $90K
    April 22, 2025
    US judge transfers Binance lawsuit to Florida, citing first-to-file rule
    US judge transfers Binance lawsuit to Florida, citing first-to-file rule
    April 22, 2025
    Paul Atkins, nominated by Trump, has been sworn in as SEC chair
    Paul Atkins, nominated by Trump, has been sworn in as SEC chair
    April 22, 2025
    Husky Inu Set For Price Jump As Crypto Market Rallies
    Husky Inu Set For Price Jump As Crypto Market Rallies
    April 22, 2025
  • Technology
    TechnologyShow More
    How to Improve Your Spotify Recommendations
    How to Improve Your Spotify Recommendations
    August 18, 2024
    X says it’s closing operations in Brazil
    X says it’s closing operations in Brazil
    August 18, 2024
    Supermoon set to rise: Top tips for amateur photographers | Science & Tech News
    Supermoon set to rise: Top tips for amateur photographers | Science & Tech News
    August 18, 2024
    Scientists Want to See Videos of Your Cat for a New Study
    Scientists Want to See Videos of Your Cat for a New Study
    August 18, 2024
    OpenAI’s new voice mode let me talk with my phone, not to it
    OpenAI’s new voice mode let me talk with my phone, not to it
    August 18, 2024
  • Entertainment
  • Sports News
  • People
  • Trend
Reading: Sinead O’Connor and the story of her second Prince cover – after vow ‘never to sing another’ | Ents & Arts News
Share
Font ResizerAa

News Junction

  • World News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Trend
  • Entertainment
Search
  • Recent Headlines in Entertainment, World News, and Cryptocurrency – NewsJunction
  • World News
  • Business
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Sports News
  • People
  • Trend
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
News Junction > Blog > Entertainment > Sinead O’Connor and the story of her second Prince cover – after vow ‘never to sing another’ | Ents & Arts News
Sinead O’Connor and the story of her second Prince cover – after vow ‘never to sing another’ | Ents & Arts News
Entertainment

Sinead O’Connor and the story of her second Prince cover – after vow ‘never to sing another’ | Ents & Arts News

Published July 30, 2023
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

Sinead O’Connor had a complicated relationship with the single that skyrocketed her to international fame.

Nothing Compares 2 U was, famously, written by Prince for The Family, but it will always be O’Connor‘s song. Like Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You and Amy Winehouse’s Valerie, it’s a cover that transcended the original.

Released in 1990, O’Connor’s stunning vocal performance, coupled with the video that made it one of the all-time greats, meant her version topped charts around the world.

Image:
Prince in 1985. Pic: AP/Liu Heung Shing

“I love it, it’s great!” Prince reportedly said publicly of the song. “I look for cosmic meaning in everything. I think we just took that song as far as we could, then someone else was supposed to come along and pick it up.”

But O’Connor would recall in interviews that privately, the star was not happy.

Years later, after meeting Fun Lovin’ Criminals drummer and Prince fan Frank Benbini at a charity gig in Dublin, he asked her if she would record a different song for an album of Prince covers, Purple Reggae.

Released in 2014 by Radio Riddler, Benbini’s reggae side project, the album also featured collaborations with Suggs, Beverley Knight and Campbell.

But O’Connor initially declined, saying she had told herself she would never sing another Prince song.

“I discovered that she had a massive love for reggae music – which those that have followed her career will know,” Benbini tells Sky News. “We just hit it off. Obviously everybody knows Sinead really for Nothing Compares 2 U and at the time we were doing a tribute to Prince, while Prince was still alive.”

They were recording songs from the album Purple Rain, including the single, I Would Die 4 U. “That was the song I always thought Sinead would sound amazing on,” he says. “I spoke to her about it and she said: ‘I always vowed never to do another Prince song.’ But I said I’d send it anyway.”

‘She was misunderstood, nothing like how she was perceived’

Sinead O'Connor

O’Connor agreed and the pair swapped numbers and stayed in touch. When she eventually heard his demo, she agreed to record the version together at a studio in Dublin.

The singer was “absolutely amazing”, says Benbini. “She was obviously a troubled soul over the years and I think at times very much misunderstood. Especially by some of the press, I think some were mean to her, just simply because they didn’t understand her. But she was such a strong woman – she came from performing on the streets of Dublin busking, so she had tremendously thick skin.

“I’d heard stories about her – and I’ve worked with some famous artists in the studio, so I’m thinking, what’s this going to be like? But she was super humble and really funny. She was nothing like she’d been perceived to be over the years… there was an air of shyness about her but also an air of, she knew what she wanted, knew who she was. She didn’t have any airs or graces, she was very much down to earth, which is quite rare in rock’n’roll.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player


Sinead O'Connor twitter video

1:28

‘One of the most complex pop stars’

In fact, O’Connor only asked for one thing. “A cheese sandwich. That’s all she wanted, all day. ‘I don’t want any butter on it, Frank. No butter.’ So just brown bread and cheddar cheese? That’s it? ‘Yeah.’ No problem!”

O’Connor had something that many others could learn from, he says. “A lot of new artists should take a little pinch of Sinead – and that is, you know, to always be yourself.”

Read more:
An unapologetic singer’s rise to stardom
‘Beyond compare’: Tributes paid to O’Connor

He says there was never any discussion about O’Connor singing the Prince cover that made her famous.

“I’m an uber Prince fan,” Benbini says. “But, you know, she told me one or two stories… how Prince summoned her to his house in LA at the time and he wasn’t very happy because she was doing some press on an American chat show, and she swore. He said, ‘if you’re representing my song, don’t use filthy language’.” He laughs. “She told him to do one.”

Benbini continues: “For the longest time, I think a lot of people didn’t even realise Nothing Compares 2 U was a Prince song. They just thought it was a Sinead song, because it was such a beautiful approach. The delivery is just ghostly beautiful.

“She said she’d vowed she’d never cover another Prince song. But I think coming from the world of reggae… that was really what got her to do I Would Die 4 U. It was the second time she ever did a Prince song, which I’m super proud of and it’s such a beautiful version.”

YouTube

This content is provided by YouTube, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable YouTube cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.


Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to YouTube cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow YouTube cookies for this session only.
Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once

‘She’s so much more than Nothing Compares 2 U’

Despite being disappointed by her meeting with Prince, O’Connor was not bitter, telling Benbini she still had great respect for his work. “‘Don’t get me wrong, he’s the most incredible writer’, she said. She loved his songwriting, his words.”

Paying tribute, Benbini says he hopes a positive to be taken from O’Connor’s death can be people discovering, or rediscovering, her music.

“I’ve listened to [our version of] I Would Die 4 U, since finding out the news, over and over,” he says. “I’ve not listened to it for years and it’s really beautiful.

“The one thing you can take from this is that there’s a whole legacy of work she’s done – and she’s so much more than just Nothing Compares 2 U – she’s got a wealth of music. I hope people go digging now and find all the beautiful things she managed to get on record. People should celebrate her work. It’s a great way of honouring someone.”

#Sinead #OConnor #story #Prince #cover #vow #sing #Ents #Arts #News

TAGGED:artscoverEntsNewsOConnorPrinceSinéadsingStoryvow
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
Share
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article WATCH | Researchers from Switzerland are using drones to monitor the health of the rainforest WATCH | Researchers from Switzerland are using drones to monitor the health of the rainforest
Next Article Artifact’s App Forces an AI Snoop Dogg to Read the News to You Artifact’s App Forces an AI Snoop Dogg to Read the News to You

You Might Also Like

The day after in Dhaka | Protests News
World News

The day after in Dhaka | Protests News

August 7, 2024
Everything We Know About Michael Jackson’s Youngest Son, Bigi
Entertainment

Everything We Know About Michael Jackson’s Youngest Son, Bigi

September 2, 2023
No Patriots for Ukraine – Poland — RT World News
World News

No Patriots for Ukraine – Poland — RT World News

June 14, 2024
Inside Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor’s Private Romance
Entertainment

Inside Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor’s Private Romance

June 24, 2024

About Us

NEWS JUNCTION (NewsJunction.xyz) Your trusted destination for global news. Stay informed with our timely and accurate reporting on diverse topics, including politics, technology, science, entertainment, sports, and more. Count on us for unbiased and reliable updates at your fingertips.

Quick Link

  • About
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Top Categories

  • World News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Sports News
  • Trend
  • People

Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

    © 2023 News Junction.
    • Blog
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    Welcome Back!

    Sign in to your account

    Username or Email Address
    Password

    Lost your password?