Sinéad O'Connor

Solo Artist

Photo: Bryan Ledgard · CC BY 2.0
Active 1984-2023
Died 2023
Origin Glenageary, Ireland
Albums 10
Tracks 128
Most frequent collaborator John Reynolds · 36 tracks
Genres Alternative RockFolkPop Rock
Collaborator
59%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 75 of 128 tracks

Did Sinéad O'Connor write her own songs?

Most of them. She is credited on 75 of the 128 tracks across her ten studio albums, and 37 of those carry her name alone. The exceptions are deliberate: three albums are collections of other writers' songs, and they account for 38 of the 53 tracks she did not write.

By the Numbers

10
Studio Albums
128
Tracks Credited
59%
Self-Written
39
Years Active
92
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 75 / 128 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 128 tracks: how many Sinéad O'Connor wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Sinéad O'Connor has a writing credit59%
29%
30%
41%
Sole author37tracks29%
Co-written38tracks30%
Outside writers53tracks41%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Sinéad O'Connor's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 128 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)59%
Composer (music)59%
Producer63%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Sinéad O'Connor's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 59%
100%
80%
8%
71%
77%
0%
0%
73%
90%
100%
1987The Lion and the Cobra
1990I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
1992Am I Not Your Girl?
1994Universal Mother
2000Faith and Courage
2002Sean-Nós Nua
2005Throw Down Your Arms
2007Theology
2012How About I Be Me (and You Be You)?
2014I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss
Early · 61% written
Mid · 43% written
Late · 95% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1980s
The Lion and the Cobra
51%
1990s
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Am I Not Your Girl? +1 more
43%
2000s
Faith and Courage, Sean-Nós Nua +2 more
95%
2010s
How About I Be Me (and You Be You)?, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Sinéad O'Connor sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Sinéad O'Connor
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%
Selena13%
Backstreet Boys25%
Hilary Duff42%
Jesse McCartney67%
Sting84%
Goo Goo Dolls94%
59%Sinéad O'Connor
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Nothing Compares 2 U
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Written by Prince
Outside writers
The Emperor's New Clothes
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Written by Sinéad O'Connor, Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor
Wrote it

Discography 10 albums

All ten studio albums. The live records, the 2003 rarities set She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty, and the compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Sinéad O'Connor128 tracks
JR36John Reynolds, 36 tracks AS17Adrian Sherwood, 17 tracks DL13Dónal Lunny, 13 tracks AB13Alan Branch, 13 tracks 12Phil Ramone, 12 tracks SA12Sly and Robbie, 12 tracks SC12Steve Cooney, 12 tracks GB12Graham Bolger, 12 tracks RT12Ron Tomlinson, 12 tracks NH10Nellee Hooper, 10 tracks KM9Kevin Mooney, 9 tracks PC8Phil Coulter, 8 tracks GK5Graham Kearns, 5 tracks MP4Marco Pirroni, 4 tracks TS4Tim Simenon, 4 tracks LA4Little Axe, 4 tracks DS4Dave Stewart, 4 tracks on Eurythmics's page WR4Winston Rodney, 4 tracks CC3Chris Constantinou, 3 tracks MC2Mike Clowes, 2 tracks PF2Paul Francis Webster, 2 tracks AL2Andrew Lloyd Webber, 2 tracks TR2Tim Rice, 2 tracks SC2Scott Cutler, 2 tracks AP2Anne Preven, 2 tracks LP2Lee Perry, 2 tracks PT2Peter Tosh, 2 tracks JA2Justin Adams, 2 tracks AO2Aisling O'Neill, 2 tracks AM1Ali McMordie, 1 track SW1Steve Wickham, 1 track RD1Rob Dean, 1 track SH1Spike Holifield, 1 track LW1Leslie Winer, 1 track PK1Philip King, 1 track P1Prince, 1 track KJ1Kansas Joe McCoy, 1 track LH1Lorenz Hart, 1 track RR1Richard Rodgers, 1 track SF1Sammy Fain, 1 track SB1Sonny Burke, 1 track JM1Johnny Mullins, 1 track BK1Bert Kalmar, 1 track HR1Harry Ruby, 1 track HS1Herbert Stothart, 1 track LJ1László Jávor, 1 track SL1Sam L. Lewis, 1 track RS1Rezső Seress, 1 track EH1Edward Heyman, 1 track VY1Victor Young, 1 track VD1Vinicius de Moraes, 1 track NG1Norman Gimbel, 1 track AC1Antônio Carlos Jobim, 1 track ED1Evelyn Danzig, 1 track JS1Jack Segal, 1 track GG1Germaine Greer, 1 track JR1Jake Reynolds, 1 track KC1Kurt Cobain, 1 track on Nirvana's page C1Clayton, 1 track L1Lennon, 1 track M1McCartney, 1 track WJ1Wyclef Jean, 1 track JW1Jerry Wonda, 1 track BM1Blandinna Melky Jean, 1 track JC1Jimmy Cozier, 1 track J'1Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, 1 track TB1The Bluebells, 1 track RH1Robert Hodgens, 1 track KB1Kevin Briggs, 1 track K"1Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, 1 track BE1Brian Eno, 1 track PF1Phillip Fullwood, 1 track DB1Dalton Brownie, 1 track RS1Robbie Shakespeare, 1 track C"1Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, 1 track LM1Linford Manning, 1 track S"1Steven "Lenky" Marsden, 1 track CS1Cecil Spence, 1 track DG1Donovan Germain, 1 track GB1Glen Browne, 1 track HT1Handel Tucker, 1 track BB1Buju Banton, 1 track AC1Allan Cole, 1 track CB1Carlton Barrett, 1 track CM1Curtis Mayfield, 1 track BD1Brent Dowe, 1 track TM1Trevor McNaughton, 1 track GS1Geoffrey Smith, 1 track JG1John Grant, 1 track KM1Kemar McGregor, 1 track DB1Don Baker, 1 track GH1Graham Henderson, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. JR John Reynolds · AS Adrian Sherwood · DL Dónal Lunny · AB Alan Branch · SA Sly and Robbie

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

O'Connor is credited on 75 of the 128 tracks across ten albums and is the only name on 37. The gap is not a decline: three whole albums are deliberate collections of other people's work, jazz standards on Am I Not Your Girl?, Irish traditional songs on Sean-Nós Nua and reggae on Throw Down Your Arms, which is 38 tracks she never claimed. Take those away and she wrote almost everything else. "Nothing Compares 2 U", the song that made her famous, is Prince's.

Quick Facts

  • Her share75 of the 128 album tracks carry her name
  • Alone 37 times37 of those have no other writer on them
  • Three covers albums38 tracks across three albums are other writers' songs
  • The famous one"Nothing Compares 2 U" was written by Prince
  • Best sellerI Do Not Want What I Haven't Got sold over seven million copies
  • Refused the awardShe won a Grammy in 1991 and declined to accept it

Creative Fingerprint

A writer who kept choosing to sing other people's songs, three albums at a time.

The Story

She wrote 75 of the 128 album tracks and 37 of those alone. Three of her ten albums are almost entirely other people's songs, and the hit everyone knows was written by Prince.

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance (1991), which she refused to accept
Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist (1991)

Frequently Asked Questions Sinéad O'Connor

Did Sinéad O'Connor write her own songs?
Most of them. She is credited on 75 of the 128 tracks across her ten studio albums, and 37 of those carry her name alone. The exceptions are deliberate: three albums are collections of other writers' songs, and they account for 38 of the 53 tracks she did not write.
Who wrote "Nothing Compares 2 U"?
Prince, in 1985, for his side project The Family. O'Connor's 1990 recording reached number 1 on the Hot 100 and is the biggest song of her career.
Which albums are covers albums?
Three. Am I Not Your Girl? in 1992 is jazz and pop standards, Sean-Nós Nua in 2002 is Irish traditional songs, and Throw Down Your Arms in 2005 is reggae by Burning Spear, Lee Perry, Peter Tosh and others.
What is her most self-written album?
I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss in 2014, where she has a credit on all twelve tracks. The Lion and the Cobra in 1987 is the same, nine out of nine.
How many albums did she release?
Ten studio albums between 1987 and 2014. The live records, the 2003 rarities set and the compilations sit outside this catalogue.
Did she win a Grammy?
She won Best Alternative Music Performance in 1991 for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, and refused to attend or accept it. She also won the Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist that year and did not attend.
Who did she write with?
John Reynolds most often, her former husband and producer, on albums from 1987 to 2014. Ron Tomlinson shares eight tracks on Theology and Graham Kearns five on I'm Not Bossy.
How well did she sell?
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got sold over seven million copies worldwide. No career total is published.
Why is Theology 22 tracks long?
It is a double album of the same songs twice, an acoustic Dublin session and a fuller London one recorded separately.
When did she die?
26 July 2023, in London, aged 56.

Sources

Wikipedia: Sinéad O'Connor Wikipedia: Sinéad O'Connor discography