Review #457: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, Sinéad O’Connor
#457: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, Sinéad O’Connor
Sinéad died just a few months ago, shortly after the suicide of her son.
My main point of reference for Sinéad was when she ripped up a pic of the pope on SNL, an act that positively nuked her career. So I was surprised to learn that she was intensely spiritual, made many comments on the difference between God and organized religion. She was a self-identified Christian, though in 2018 she converted to Islam. But you can feel the Catholic influence all over — “Feel So Different” starts with the Serenity Prayer and sounds like a hymn, for Chrissake. There’s Catholic guilt — or rather, the refusal to feel Catholic guilt — on the guitar-heavy “Jump In The River.” And there’s Catholic imagery all over, even on confessional tunes like “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” which contains my favorite line: Maybe I was mean but I really don’t think so. I’ll have to steal that.
My other point of reference was her cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was originally released by Prince’s short-lived band The Family. I’ve heard both and Sinéad’s version is superior, more passionate and airy and desperate. Unfortunately, she had only negative things to say about Prince. She claimed that he unbelievably “said he didn’t like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to f*** off.”
Sinéad had a lot to say, and she wasn’t afraid to say it. Even on this record, she was stirring the pot with the politically charged “Black Boys on Mopeds,” a song that calls out the suspicious deaths of Colin Roach and Nicholas Bramble. (The album’s inner sleeve even has a picture of Roach’s parents.) She OPENS the song by calling out Margaret Thatcher for hypocrisy.
And she wasn’t afraid to be revealing or confessional. This album was recorded a few years after the death of her mother, who she claimed subjected her to horrific abuse. You can feel her complicated feelings about the loss all over this record. “You Cause As Much Sorrow” is maybe the most heart wrenching — You cause as much sorrow dead/As you did when you were alive. The a cappella title track “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” was apparently lifted straight from a dream about her mom. Even “I Am Stretched On Your Grave,” a translated 17th-century Gaelic poem, is tinged with real grief. But see also her mourning her miscarriages on “Three Babies” and a divorce on “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance.”
This album was nominated for four Grammies and won one, but she refused to accept any accolades. After her death, much was made of her mental health issues. But people who knew her also commented on her uncompromising principles. I think we should also remember that she was only 21 when she became globally famous. It must be so hard to keep track of your arrow when that happens. She just did the best she could.
Unfun Fact: Anthony Kiedis of RHCP claimed that “I Could Have Lied” was about a relationship he had with Sinéad. But she said, “I never had a relationship with him, ever. I hung out with him a few times and the row we had was because he suggested we might become involved. I don’t give a shit about the song he wrote.” I love that she was so unafraid to talk trash. RIP.
