Nothing Compares 2 U

Lore & Background

Prince wrote "Nothing Compares 2 U" and recorded a demo in 1984. In 1985, his funk band the Family released its sole studio album, The Family, including the song. It was not released as a single and received little recognition. O'Connor's cover became her signature song and sparked some controversy between O'Connor and Prince, but they came to amicable terms before his death in 2016. Prince performed the song regularly in live shows, with live versions appearing on The Hits/The B-Sides, Rave Un2 the Year 2000, and One Nite Alone... Live!. A solo version by Prince was released in 2018.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights dimmed to a deep violet. Prince stood at the edge of the stage, his sequencer humming a low, patient pulse. The crowd had just roared through a string of funk numbers, and now the energy shifted—thousands of hands raised, waiting. He tapped the mic once. A single, clean piano chord rang out, and the tempo dropped. He sang the opening line softly, almost to himself, eyes closed, fingers still resting on the keys. The groove underneath was there, steady and bright, but his voice carried the weight of someone saying goodbye to a room that no longer existed. Halfway through, he opened his eyes, smiled at the sea of faces, and let the sequencer swell back in, turning the ache into something you could dance through. The crowd swayed. No one shouted. For two and a half minutes, ten thousand people were just listening.

Reader's Guide

The song was written by Prince. The Family version features Prince on Yamaha DX7, Eric Leeds on saxophone, Susannah Melvoin on backing vocals, and St. Paul Peterson on lead vocals, with Susan Rogers as recording engineer. The Hits/The B-Sides version includes Prince on lead vocals, electric guitar, and piano, with Rosie Gaines on lead vocals and synthesizers, among others. The Originals version features Prince on lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers, and drums, with Eric Leeds, Susannah Melvoin, and an orchestra; production by Prince, recording by Susan Rogers, strings arrangement by Clare Fischer. O'Connor's version was produced by O'Connor and Nellee Hooper, recorded in one take with no compression on vocals.

Did You Know?

• O'Connor's version topped charts in Ireland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• The music video for O'Connor's version, directed by John Maybury, consists mostly of a close-up of her face; her tears were real, triggered by thoughts of her mother who died in a car accident in 1985.
• Prince's 1984 demo was released as a single in 2018 and reached number 21 on the US Hot R&B Songs chart.