没什么能比得上你 (1990)

"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a 1985 song written by American musician Prince for his project, The Family, featured on its 1985 debut album. It was popularized when Irish singer and songwriter Sinéad O'Connor covered it for her 1990 studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, the song having lyrics which express an abandoned lover's feelings of longing.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" became O'Connor's signature song, and though it sparked some controversy between O'Connor and Prince, they came to amicable terms in the years before his death in 2016. Prince went on to perform the song regularly during his live performances, with live performances being included on The Hits/The B-Sides, Rave Un2 the Year 2000, and One Nite Alone... Live!. A solo version by Prince was later released in 2018.

History

"Nothing Compares 2 U" was written by the American musician Prince, who recorded a demo in 1984. In 1985, Prince's funk band the Family released its sole studio album, The Family, including "Nothing Compares 2 U". It was not released as a single and received little recognition. Prince's demo was released in 2018.

In 1993, Prince released a live version of "Nothing Compares 2 U", with Rosie Gaines on guest vocals, on his compilation album The Hits/The B-Sides. His 1984 demo was released as a single in 2018 and included on the 2019 compilation Originals.

Prince's 1984 demo, remixed by Tony Maserati, was released as a single in 2018, and later on the posthumous compilation Originals, by Warner Bros. Records in conjunction with his estate. It was accompanied by a music video, consisting of edited rehearsal footage shot in mid-1984. The single reached number 21 on the US Hot R&B Songs chart and number eight on the US R&B Digital Song Sales chart in 2018. This version also reached number seven on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in 1993. Following Prince's death in 2016, this version reached number 43 on the US Digital Songs Sales chart and number 31 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart.

Personnel

The Family version

Adapted from Duane Tudahl.

Musicians

• Prince – Yamaha DX7
• Eric Leeds – saxophone
• Susannah Melvoin – backing vocals
• St. Paul Peterson – lead vocals

Production

Susan Rogers – recording engineer

The Hits/The B-Sides version

Adapted from Benoît Clerc.

Musicians

• Prince – lead vocals, electric guitar, piano
• Tommy Barbarella – synthesizers
• Michael B. – drums
• Rosie Gaines – lead vocals, synthesizers
• Kathy Jensen – baritone saxophone
• Levi Seacer Jr. – electric guitar
• Sonny T. – bass guitar

Production

Prince – producer

Originals version

Adapted from Benoît Clerc.

Musicians

• Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers, drums
• Eric Leeds – saxophone
• Susannah Melvoin – backing vocals
• Orchestra

Production

• Prince – producer
• Susan Rogers – recording engineer
• Clare Fischer – strings arrangement

Sinéad O'Connor version

Sinéad O'Connor covered "Nothing Compares 2 U" for her 1990 studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, and was produced by O'Connor and Nellee Hooper.

O'Connor's rendition was released as a single in early 1990 by Chrysalis Records and became a worldwide hit. Its accompanying music video, directed by John Maybury, received heavy rotation on MTV. In December 1990, Billboard magazine named "Nothing Compares 2 U" the "#1 World Single" of 1990 at its first Billboard Music Awards. It was the second-best-selling single of 1990 in the UK and the third-best-selling song for 1990 in the US.

Recording

Sinéad O'Connor recorded "Nothing Compares 2 U" with a new arrangement by her and the producer Nellee Hooper. O'Connor's version is in the key of F major.

Pre-production for the song was done at Hooper's house. Hooper enlisted Gota Yashiki, with whom he'd previously worked on Soul II Soul's debut studio album, to do arranging and programming of instrument and drum tracks for the song. Yashiki utilized an Atari ST computer running C-Lab Notator sequencing software and an Akai S1100 sampler. After recording sessions moved to Britannia Row Studios, live drum parts were overdubbed and the cello part, provided by the Akai sampler, was finalized.

O'Connor's vocals were recorded in a single take, then double-tracked with another subsequent take, using an AKG C414B-ULS large-diaphragm condenser microphone. Per the singer's demands, absolutely no compression was to be used on her vocals.

Critical reception

O'Connor's version received mostly positive reviews. Jodi Cleesattle from American Eagle felt that "there is pain in Sinéad O'Connor's voice, and there probably always will be". She remarked that "loneliness and longing" are highlighted on the song, adding that O'Connor's voice "fits the song perfectly. Her vocals soar and leap unexpectedly but gracefully, making, the ballad, the loveliest of love songs." Bill Coleman from Billboard magazine named it a "brilliant interpretation of the melancholic lament." Ernest Hardy from Cashbox called it a "genuine tear-jerker".