Ireland is in shock with the devastating news that we have lost one of our finest artists following the death of Sinéad O'Connor.
The 56-year-old was a music icon in the truest sense, and although that one tune - Nothing Compares 2 U - may have brought her to global prominence, it was far from her only remarkable song.
Here are ten of her most essential tracks.
Black Boys on Mopeds
Most artists - particularly in today's social media-dominated musical climate - are terrified to step out of line or offer any kind of dissenting view. From very early on sin her career, Sinéad was fearless: this resigned, defiant song, from I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, was ahead of its time in a multitude of ways with lines like "These are dangerous days / To say what you feel is to dig your own grave" while lambasting the UK’s political class and calling out police brutality ("England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses / It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds").
Mandinka
The second single from her 1987 debut The Lion and the Cobra remains a gorgeously agitated pop-rock song that still sounds box-fresh, 36 years on. She was just 20 when this album was recorded, yet her command of her voice was incredible, even at that point. An unruly, joyful whirlwind of a song.
No Man's Woman
A track from her 2000 album Faith & Courage, here was a Sinéad who had been through a difficult period and come out the other side with a raised fist; gutsy and unapologetically advocating for herself with lines like "I only want to be my own woman / I haven't traveled this far to become / No man's woman."
You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart
One of the most haunting songs Sinéad ever recorded never made it onto a studio album, but instead was included on the soundtrack to Jim Sheridan's film In the Name of the Father. Her ability to channel grief and pathos through her voice was incredible; written by Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer, this magnificently spectral tune will stop you in your tracks.
I Am Stretched on Your Grave
As she proved with Nothing Compares 2 U, a song didn’t need to be written by Sinéad in order for her to make it her own. This stunning arrangement of the 17th century Irish poem - set to music by Scullion’s Philip King and arranged by Sinéad and her collaborator/producer John Reynolds - fused a multitude of sounds and styles, from trad to sean-nos and even elements of early trip-hop. Startling.
We People Who Are Darker Than Blue
One of Sinéad's most appealing characteristics was that even as she was fighting her own personal battles, she was never afraid to lend her voice to the marginalised. Her take on the legendary Curtis Mayfield’s political 1970 track, included on her 2007 album Theology, had an aching resonance that suggested she understood exactly what it was like to be oppressed.
Haunted
Sinéad collaborated with a wide range of artists drawn from multiple genres throughout her career, from Seun Kuti to Willie Nelson. Her duet with the indomitable Shane MacGowan brought two legends together in 1995, however, when The Pogues' 1985 track was re-recorded to feature her voice. Needless to say, her contribution elevated the song beyond measure.
The Emperor's New Clothes
Another track drawn from I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (there's a reason that album regularly ranks highly in 'Best Irish Albums of All Time’ polls), this was one of the most autobiographical songs she had recorded at that point, addressing both an erstwhile lover and the public in general ("He thinks I just became famous and that's what messed me up, but he's wrong / How could I possibly know what I want when I was only 21?". With the expectation of the world on her shoulders, she still managed to come up with fiercely, determinedly original songs like this.
Three Babies
A quick reminder that Sinéad was still only 24 when her second album was released, yet she was writing songs with such emotional clarity, depth and poignancy that felt like they had been filtered through a long, experienced life. A heartbreaking, gorgeously poignant ballad informed by several miscarriages she suffered, its lump-in-throat lyrics remain difficult to listen to.
Nothing Compares 2 U
As well known (and arguably misrepresentative of her career) as this song is, it would be remiss not to include it on a list of essential Sinéad O'Connor tracks. Although it became her trademark song and she must have sung it thousands of times throughout her career (indeed, there was a period where she wilfully avoided singing it live), it was never delivered with anything other than full-bodied passion - best seen in this clip from The Late Late Show three years ago. Magnificent. Rest in peace, Sinéad.
