Review Tuesday: Shuhada' Sadaqat, aka Sinéad O'Connor, 1966 - 2023

 

 

On occasion, rather than writing a regular formal review I will discuss something NOT new. With the passing of Sinéad O'Connor last week, I wanted the highs and lows of this controversial singer. 

 

During the 1980s New Wave / Modern  / Alternative Rock was making a huge impact on pop culture, thanks largely to MTV. Acts like The Smiths, The Cure and U2 found themselves attached to artists who were born in the age of video. One of these artists was Sinéad O'Connor. She was a product of the musical genius of Prince. He discovered her, wrote and produced songs for her that would make her name recognizable to everyone. 

 

I was in my teens when Sinéad hit it big. She was all over TV and radio. Her delightful singing voice coupled with some, sometimes, titillating lyrics made her an instant star. The fact that she was still very attractive despite shaving her head and wearing nothing sexy or revealing made her an icon for many. 

She had a series of hit tracks and albums. The media and fans simply adored her. That is, until her infamous appearance on Saturday Night Live during which she ripped up a photo of the Pope saying we should fight the real enemy. That was the beginning of her spiral into obscurity.

 

People try to separate the artist from the art but sometimes an artist co be so hostile and toxic towards her own fandom that the masses leave. After a series of unhinged rants, no one wanted to hear from Sinéad O'Connor anymore. Her name vanished from everything, no one mentioned her. 

 

Fast forward to 2018 after the death of Dolores O'Riordan, singer of The Cranberries at the age of 46. I remember speaking with a friend who was also a fan and suggested, Why shouldn't The Cranberries team up with Sinéad O'Connor? The two singers had similar ranges, similar genres, and an impressive catalog of songs combined. No kidding, it seemed like only a couple weeks after I said this Sinéad came out of the woodworks for some new controversial comments, renewing the fan anger accumulated over the decades of her career. Once again, she vanished, and no one cared. 

 

We wouldn't hear about her again until last week with the announcement of her death last week at the age of 56. At this point her cause of death hasn't been disclosed, but these days it can be anyone's guess. I felt a bit of sadness from all this. This was a potentially bright career that was dashed because she used her celebrity to bash the Church, men, big pharma, the patriarchy, mysogeny, and a variety of other causes. I am sorry her legacy has been ruined over her opinions, which in their day were unpopular, but seem to the the norm now. I am not happy that she's gone, and unhappy that her legacy will be soiled forever. Regardless, I still love to listen to The Lion and The Cobra from 1987.