This is Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan, a podcast where we take apart the song covers we love and take a deep dive into the stories behind them.
Nothing Compares 2 U was written by Prince in 1984 for his band, the Family. One version was recorded in 1984, but wasn’t actually released until only recently...in 2018. Instead, the song debuted on the Family’s 1985 self-titled album, released under the Paisley Park Records label. Neither version had much of a splash.
Fast forward 5 years when, in 1990, a 24 year old Irish singer-songwriter by the name of Sinéad O'Connor released her version, and it became a breakout hit, thanks in part to the song’s music video, made up almost entirely of a closeup shot of the singer’s face.
So, which one is the better version? Stephanie talks to her good friend Jeremy Root...about the songs... how they compare to one another, and by the end, they’ll reveal their top pick.
