This is the latest great version of this song, P!nk singing Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U," backed by an orchestra, for BBC radio, in 2023.
Is "Nothing Compares 2 U" Prince's best song?
That could be argued forever. Prince is the guy who gave us "Purple Rain," "1999," "Let's Go Crazy," "Little Red Corvette", "When Doves Cry," "Raspberry Beret," "Kiss," "Cream," "Sign O' The Times," "Starfish and Coffee," played this guitar solo, put on the best Superbowl halftime show ever, and wrote dozens of other incredible songs. He was, without question, one of the great musical geniuses of the modern era. No arguments there. So has "Nothing Compares 2 U" become his best song? The song was written by Prince in 1984, and recorded as a demo, then released on The Family album in 1985.
Prince- Original version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Original studio demo verison- 1984
Prince & The Family- "Nothing Compares 2 U" Prince's album version, released in 1985 This song was originally released on The Family's only album in 1985.
Or is "Nothing Compares 2 U" Sinead O'Conner's song now? Her 1990, stripped down, soul wrenching cover and full face video is what really launched this song into the stratosphere. What about Chris Cornell's cover in 2016 with acoustic guitars, cello, and haunting vocals? Cynthia Erivo took it in another direction at the Kennedy Center Honors earlier this year.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" has been covered by P!nk, Brandi Carlile, Madonna, Annie Lennox, Chris Stapleton, actress/singer Kate Hudson, as well as instrumental versions by orchestras, pianists, a romantic saxophone player and a bass clarinet player, along with many more.
But it was this cover and video by Sinead O'Conner in 1990 took this song to a whole different place. Sinead and her crew reinvented this song. When it's a Prince song to begin with, that really says something.
I often learn things when writing blog posts, that's part of the fun. I get an idea for a post, and get drawn deep into one subject or another, falling down a rabbit hole that goes places I didn't expect. In the last 24 hours, I've learned that this epic song is not only 40 years old this year, but it has become a modern standard, with a whole lot more really good cover versions than I had any idea existed. There are 29 versions of "Nothing Compares 2 U" linked in this blog post. There are three versions by Prince and three by Sinead O' Conner linked, each a bit different from the others. Then there are 23 other versions. I discovered P!nk's cover with the orchestra yesterday, recorded in a BBC studio, embedded above. That blew me away. Then I just kept digging on YouTube, and finding more and more covers.
Prince and New Power Generation- Live at Paisley Park- 1999- Features Rosie Gaines on vocals and Kathy Jensen on saxophone.
Brandi Carlile- live cover in Milwaukee- October 17, 2012- Cell phone video, sub par audio recording, unfortunately.
Here's how this blog post came to be. As a homeless blogger, I spend most mornings in a certain McDonald's, with a sweet tea, and a sausage biscuit on a good day. I'm usually hanging out with 3 or 4 other homeless guys, decent guys from different backgrounds. We sit there, talking about one thing or another, from the weather to politics to surfing and current events. We have some really cool conversations at times.
Yesterday, one guy mentioned something about Chris Cornell being in Soundgarden, which I didn't know. Yeah, they had several cool songs, but I was never a huge fan, and I'm not someone who knows every musician in every band. I just like music.
About a year ago, I ran into Chris Cornell's incredible SiriusXM version of "Nothing Compares 2 U," and I love his version. Yesterday, I realized I probably met him, way back in 1989. One day while working at Unreel Productions, the Vision Skateboards video company, a band walked through our studio. That happened occasionally, Vision was trying to get bands to help promote Vision Street Wear clothes. Gene Loves Jezebel, Antrax, and INXS all toured Unreel back then, along with several lesser known musicians. Our office was the coolest part of Vision, with a 7 foot high Statue of Liberty on the landing of the steps, an ocean view from two offices, and the $500,000 video edit bay. So when Vision owner Brad Dorfman wanted to impress someone, he brought them to Unreel.
As I walked out after work that day, one of the guys from the band said something like, "Hey, we're Soundgarden, want some stickers?" This would have been in their early, SST Records days. I may have heard the name of the band at that point, but wasn't familiar with them. But I was a BMX guy, I never turned down free stickers. "I said, "Sure." They gave me maybe 20 of the rectangular, "Soundgarden Louder than Love" stickers. I put them in the glove compartment of my truck, and forgot about them. A couple years later, my friend Keith was digging the the glove box for something and found them. He freaked, "Holy shit, dude! You've got Soundgarden stickers. Can I have a couple?" "You can have them all," I said. Did I meet Chris Cornell that day in the Unreel parking lot? Probably. But, I can't say for sure. But I remembered the band's name after that, though I never was a became a big fan. Yesterday, when I realized I probably met him, I got the idea for this blog post, thinking there were at least three awesome versions of "Nothing Compares 2 U."
In 2016, after the untimely death of Prince, Chris Cornell did his amazing cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U," as did several other people, as a tribute to the purple musical genius. As you can see in the links below, several people covered this song in 2016 and 2017, but I, personally, think Chris Cornell's cover rises above the others. This led to a resurgence of interest in Prince, and in this particular song, still best known for Sinead O'Conner's breakout, 1990 version.
Then, in 2017, Chris Cornell tragically died by suicide. His death brought another wave of interest in this song, since he had just done an epic version of it. Though my list of links below may not be in perfect order, you can see that there was a surge in people who covered this song, in that era. This brought "Nothing Compares 2 U" into the awareness of a whole new generation of fans, and the covers of this song increased.
Then, last year, 2023, Sinead O' Conner passed away, also at a relatively young age, of pulmonary issues. Whether she liked it or not, this was the song that unexpectedly launched her into mainstream success and notoriety. As a singer, songwriter, activist, and all around strong woman, Sinead had a huge fan base. Her death led to yet another wave of interest in her work, and in this song in particular. Another wave of young people was introduced to this song, and more began to cover it, in a variety of ways. "Nothing Compares 2 U" has become a true standard of our times, as it turns 40 years old this year.
As if the song is not haunting enough, the three people with the strongest ties to it all died in their 50's. Prince was 57, Sinead O' Conner was 56, and Chris Cornell was 52. That's as tragic as the heart wrenching song itself.
This blog post is my little tribute to this incredible song, during its 40th anniversary. This is a tribute to its creator, Prince, and to Sinead and Chris. This is a tribute to all the musicians who have given this incredible song a go, adding their own soul and style to the song, and the music world as a whole. If you've read this far, check out any of the links that sound interesting, above and below. Maybe all these variations of this song may spark some inspiration in you to write your own song, or do whatever creative work you do. Or maybe this song will help you survive your own broken heart someday. I think music is one of the great things human beings have come up with, and we need musicians to keep creating as a key part of human society. Music is a form of magic that, sometimes, just keeps growing and expanding on its own, even long after the creator of it is gone.
Kelly Clarkson- live cover on her TV show- 2021 (shorter- edited down version)
Damien Rice- live cover in concert- July 26, 2023 This is a spontaneous cover, without ever having played the song live before, upon hearing of Sinead O'Conner's death while on stage.
Nothing Compares- trailer for Sinead O'Conner documentary that came out in 2022, and is available on one or more streaming platforms.
I'm proofreading this post right now. The finished version will be up in half an hour or so.
There are no paid links in this blog post.
