Sinead O'Connor was denied permission to use "Nothing Compares 2 U" in her upcoming documentary by Prince's estate.
The crew behind the upcoming Irish singer documentary "Nothing Compares" requested permission from Prince's estate to utilize the song Nothing Compares 2 U.
Prince composed "Nothing Compares 2 U" for his 1985 album and O'Connor memorably covered it in 1989. When the Nothing Compares filmmakers requested permission to use the song in their documentary, Prince's estate declined the request.
Kathryn Ferguson, the film's director, told Billboard that they were denied after expressing desire to use the song. In the end, they were pleased with that segment of the film since it kept the emphasis on Sinead's lyrics and songwriting.
Sharon Nelson, half-sister of Prince and co-heir to his estate, revealed why they rejected Ferguson use of the song. "Nothing compares to Prince's live version with Rosie Gaines that is featured on the Hits 1 album and we are re-releasing that album on vinyl on November 4th," she said. "I didn't feel (Sinead) deserved to use the song my brother wrote in her documentary so we declined. His version is the best." Prince died in 2016.
The new Sinead O'Connor documentary opens with footage of a 24-year-old O'Connor facing a hostile audience from the Madison Square Garden stage in 1992, days after she tore up a photo of the pope on Saturday Night Live. 30 years later, the sequence sets a heartbreaking, empathic tone for a reexamination of the artist's formative years, enormous financial success, and intense backlash.
And this is precisely what Kathryn Ferguson intended. While "Nothing Compares" is the most recent addition to the burgeoning collection of music documentaries, it is also a glaring examination of cancel culture, narrated primarily by O'Connor herself, whose voice can be heard throughout but is only seen on screen in the present in the final minutes of the film.
Recently, O'Connor published "
Rememberings," a book about her upbringing, musical career, and experiences with physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. The book was launched in late December, just after the singer announced she was attending a one-year trauma and addiction treatment program.
O'Connor, who has openly struggled with mental health issues for the past two decades, stated that she was labeled "crazy" early in her career for boycotting the Grammy Awards when she was nominated for record of the year for "Nothing Compares 2 U" in 1990 and for refusing to allow the national anthem to be played before her concerts. She is, as always, unapologetic about these decisions.
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