A Nice Pair: Sinead O’Connor

It’s been a little bit since we’ve done A Nice Pair, but we’re back today pairing the late Sinead O’Connor’s memoir Rememberings with her second studio album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.

Sinéad O’Connor was famous for many things: her shaved head, her socio-political outspokenness and her beautiful voice. Her memoir digs deep beneath the surface and explores her traumatic childhood, her early forays into the Dublin music scene, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, and her spiritual journey of self-discovery. It also prioritizes the importance of mental health awareness.

We recommend pairing her autobiography with I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which features Sinead’s biggest hit, her rendition of Prince’s hit Nothing Compares 2 U. The album was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1991, including Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Music Video, Short Form for “Nothing Compares 2 U”, however, she refused to attend the awards ceremony or accept her eventual win for Best Alternative Music Performance after writing an open letter to the Recording Academy in which she criticized the music industry for promoting false and materialistic values rather than rewarding artistic merit.

Though Sinead died tragically in July of this year, her words live on forever in her beautiful words and music.