Turns out, O'Connor was prescient about a lot of things, but people don't like to hear inconvenient truths. At the height of her fame in 1992, she ripped up a picture of the Pope in protest over child sex scandals during her performance on Saturday Night Live. She always kept her head shaved and championed women's rights. She sang about black lives matter decades before it became a mantra. She even got Frank Sinatra to threaten to "kick her in the ass" when she didn't want the National Anthem played before her performance. O'Connor said controversial things, got people talking, and challenged our most sacred institutions. You can't get more rock and roll than that!
O'Connor only managed one other chart appearance in the US before being ostracized into undeserved musical Purgatory. The follow-up to "Nothing Compares 2 U, " which spent 4 weeks at #1, was "The Emperor's New Clothes." It stalled at #60 in 1990. Both came from the best-selling album, "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which could have been mined for more hits with emotive tunes like "Three Babies" or "The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance." Prior to her commercial success, rocking songs like "Mandinka" and "I Want Your (Hands On Me)" should have been hits, too.
O'Connor followed "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" in 1992 with "Am I Not Your Girl?" A great title, but I misguided collection of vocal standards that - while sung to blazes - are not particularly radio-friendly. But that's never really been this artist's goal. Nonetheless, it was surprising to me that O'Connor did not experience a big comeback in 2000 with the excellent and accessible record, "Faith And Courage." "No Man's Woman" is an anthem that should have burned up the chart.
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