The late singer’s magnificent voice powered haunted hits about heartbreak, personal traumas, politics and sex, blending rock, folk and hip-hop beats
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The first single from Sinéad O’Connor’s debut album is intensely personal. Its lyrics weave together depictions of private traumas and the struggle between resilience and self-destruction, anchored by pointed references to Helen of Troy (“Being what I am/There is no other Troy/For me to burn”) via a WB Yeats poem. Panoramic orchestral washes and then prickly keyboards buoy O’Connor’s magnificent voice, leading to a dynamic and measured performance pierced with desire, regret, anger and ferocity, where sharp-edged strings storm forth at pivotal moments to amplify her intensity.
