Album Essentials: Sinead O'Connor "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" (1990)
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
In 1987, a young Irish singer wandered into the worldwide music scene via an album called 'The Lion and The Cobra,' The 21-year-old Sinead O'Connor was out to set herself apart from the faceless pop stars of the era. With a little help from Rob Dean of the band Japan, Andy Rourke of the Smiths, and former Adam and the Ants members Kevin Mooney and Marco Pirroni, she crafted a unique version of pop music with her dynamic vocals front and center. The album received good reviews and cracked the US Top 40 based chiefly on college radio play. With album number two taking shape, she had fine-tuned her songwriting skills.
Songs like 'The Emperor's New Clothes' and 'Jump in the River' were released as singles, but it would be a cover song that sent the album into the stratosphere. O'Connor's utterly unique take on the Prince song' Nothing Compares To You.' Written by Prince, the song originally appeared on the only album by Price protégé's The Family. It was never released as a single from the album, and Price didn't include it on any of his records. So, O'Connor's song choice perfectly fit her, and she truly made it her own, letting her voice shine. It was also the video that caught the attention of the public. A simple video that, for the bulk of its five-minute duration, features a close-up of O'Connor's face, a far cry from the fancy dancing and travelogue videos in vogue at the time.
The single would hit the top of the charts worldwide, including 4 weeks atop the US charts. That song alone pushed the album to platinum status across the globe as well. One listen, and it is obvious why. No studio tricks or gimmicks, just a chilling, laid-bare performance. Despite the success, O'Connor let her rebellious nature take her front and center by refusing to appear at the Grammy Awards and the British BPI Awards that year due to some personal issue based on the false happiness that awards and such things condition people with. This would be her path off and on for the rest of her life, accentuating that rebellious nature, something that, more than a few times, got her into hot water, which she causally shook off and continued
'I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got' introduced her to the mainstream and brought her a river of accolades, but that success seemed to be a double-edged sword that she carried through eight more albums until her death in 2023. The album remains not only her biggest-selling work but also her most defining. It made many people happy, something she seemingly failed to achieve in her short life.