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On This Day in 1990, Sinéad O’Connor Hit No. 1 With a Prince Cover 26 Years to the Day Before His Death

Prince’s lyrics alone may not have conveyed Sinéad O’Connor’s usual intensity, but her interpretation is what made the song endure.

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On April 21, 1990, Sinéad O’Connor’s cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Years later, Prince died at age 57 of an accidental fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016. However coincidental these instances might be, the date has created yet another link in the chain of “Nothing Compares 2 U”.

Now, 10 years since Prince’s passing and 36 years since O’Connor’s US hit, this version of the song still endures. O’Connor’s rendition was pure, unfiltered emotion, from her vocals to the visuals. The dual tears she didn’t plan on, but embraced in the music video, cemented this song in pop culture history.

Sinéad O’Connor’s Prince Cover Didn’t Please Every Critic, But It Did More to Connect Listeners Emotionally

“Nothing Compares 2 U” originally appeared on Prince’s funk band’s only album, The Family, in 1985. It wasn’t released as a single and........

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