Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

"It's been seven hours and fifteen days." Sinead

☆☆☆☆☆ Iconic

Nothing Compares 2 U music video (1990) is a soulful, introspective vocal masterpiece.

Directed by John Maybury.

John directed Sinead in mostly close-ups during most of the video and gave  O'Connor the time to connect and become emotionally raw with the lyrics written and composed by Prince. Prince had written the song for his group, The Family.

Nothing is more beautiful and difficult in art than simplicity. Sinead pulls off an epic moment with just two simple tears. The moment is in the final scene of the video clip. Musicians who perform live make great actors, because they know not only how to connect their vocal instruments to the words, but more importantly how to illicit empathy from their audience.

In the scene below from the music video watch how Sinead builds up to the emotional moment in the song. O'Conner chokes at one moment from the emotions memories that are flooding her mind and body.

Trivia - Sinead has said that the two tears she sheds in the music video; "I didn't intend for that moment to happen. When it did, I thought; I should let this happen." O'Connor later revealed that the lyrics that caused it; "All the flowers that you planted, Mother/ in the back yard/ all died when you went away, " because her late mother abused Sinead as a child.

Original Music Video