Interest in Sinead O'Connor's music surges in aftermath of her death
Streams of O'Connor's music have jumped more than 2000 percent since her death last week
It’s a universally accepted, if also inherently tragic, aspect of human nature that we often don’t really appreciate people until they’re gone. And if you’d like a particularly heart-rending explication of that idea, you don’t have to look much further than Sinead O’Connor’s classic cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”—which is exactly what a ton of people have apparently done this week, in the wake of the Irish singer and activist’s death.
This is per Billboard, which reports that streams of O’Connor’s music have jumped by 2,885 percent in the immediate aftermath of her death on July 26. Many of these, unsurprisingly, have been for “Nothing Compares,” the 1990 single off her second album that had the unlikely (and not entirely wanted) effect of transforming O’Connor into a major pop star in the eyes of the music-loving public. The song was apparently streamed 3.2 million times over the last week, while also selling more than 10,000 downloads. The song previously got a boost back in 2016 after the death of Prince, because, again, people.
Other songs from O’Connor’s catalogue to see a bump this week included 1987's “Mandinka,” off of her debut album, and “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” the follow-up single to “Nothing Compares.” Both songs are now appearing on the Billboard charts, as the world takes a moment to reconnect with O’Connor’s music.
Of course, any focus on things like “songs streamed” or “chart position” threaten to eclipse the actual focus of O’Connor’s work in much the same way audiences and critics did for much of her life; we can’t help but think of Morrissey’s recent condemnation of “The cruel playpen of fame.” But it’s undeniable that O’Connor devoted major portions of her life to making beautiful music; appreciating those songs can, at least, be a part of the long reappraisal of her life and career that begin in the years before her death, most notably with the 2022 documentary Nothing Compares; in a perfect world, it might also get audiences interested in the brand of compassion and activism she championed.