To mark the hundredth edition of Celebrity Jukebox, I'd prepared a special tribute to Glen Campbell, the man responsible for my all-time favourite song. I figured I'd run that ahead of Tony Bennett and whoever else might leave us in the meantime...
And then we lost Sinéad O'Connor.
The thing about Sinéad is, at just 56 years of age, she was an artist from my generation. She was only 21 when she released her debut album in 1987, as I turned 15. Then, just three years later, the Number One hit that would cement her global fame was still in the charts on the day of my 18th birthday. So through all the tragedy and controversy that would follow, I always felt like she was one of our gang, and I felt closer to her because of that. I didn't follow her career religiously, but there were touchpoints over the years, and her last album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss... well, I really hoped that would be the beginning of a renaissance. Sadly, it was not to be. Hard to believe it's 9 years since I first heard this...
I didn't know what to expect from the Celebrity Jukebox, but I should have known Sinéad's influence ran far and wide, starting in her home country...
My Ireland needs to go back to the source
The initial trickle, a spring and tickle out its flow
My Ireland needs to let go
My Ireland saw Sinéad ripping up the Pope
And isn't able to cope
Stephen James Smith - My Ireland
...over into Europe...
Afeitada como la Sinéad O'Connor
La vi dejar el pub envuelta en humo de moto.
(which translates as...)
Shaved like Sinéad O'Connor
I saw her leave the pub enveloped in motorbike smoke.
...and across the Atlantic...
Mary was a good ol' gal
She didn't deserve this shit
She wrote her lines out one at a time
And she didn't complain one bit
She saw Sinéad cover Loretta on Saturday Night Live
Like every good virgin does
But she spent most her time just sittin' round wondering
Where in the hell Jesus was
Elizabeth Cook - Mary, The Submissing Years
Lovely John Prine tribute there. And as to Sinéad covering Loretta...
Sinéad sang that song on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Later in the show, she tore up a picture of the Pope in protest at the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. This action alone guaranteed her immortality in all manner of songs, including plenty of rebellious rap tunes...
I plead guilty, your honor
Cause I dissed the Pope more times than Sinéad O'Connor
...and, of course, in this...
I rip shit like Sinéad O'Connor
I wear my vag as a badge of honour
Pussy Riot - Straight Outta Vagina
But even without the controversy, it's clear that Sinéad O'Connor deserved her place in the pantheon of rock goddesses...
Tori Amos, Liz Phair
Sinéad O'Connor, Suzanne Vega
Jill Sobule, Melissa Etheridge
Tracy Chapman, Ani Difranco
Michelle Shocked, everyone of them has
Something kind of special that I like
There's an awful lot of women
In whose honor I would like to raise my glass to in a toast
Some of them are still alive
And some I hear their voices like a ghost
...and among the legends of Irish music...
I went backstage, I couldn't even think
Christy Moore, Sinéad O'Connor, somebody give me a drink
Still, the best tribute I could find was this one...
Read a book by Sinead O'Connor
Stained the pages and stared out at the water
I took a note when she said that songs are ghosts
I guess if anybody knows she knows
Melanie MacLaren - Summer In Sweden
...a song which leads us nicely to my all time favourite Sinéad O'Connor performance. "She had the voice of an angel," is such a cliché... but when you hear this, it's pretty hard to dispute. Especially when she's duetting with an old devil like Shane...
A wonderful piece, Rol, although this is one Celebrity Jukebox that I wish you'd not had to write. Safe to say that I was unfamiliar with most of the lyrical references, I will definitely check out more of Stephen James Smith's work/performances. And thank you for closing with Haunted, Sinéad is transcendent on this song.
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