10 Sinéad O'Connor Songs We Love The Most

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Our Top 10 Sinéad O’Connor Songs list looks back at the music fans loved most from one of Ireland’s most distinctive and outspoken artists. Sinéad O’Connor kept a high profile from her rise to fame in the late 1980s through a career defined as much by fearless expression as by her extraordinary voice. Emerging from an Ireland shaped by patriarchy, unemployment, and the power of the Catholic Church, O’Connor quickly became one of the most talked-about artists of her generation. From tearing up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992 to later public disputes with other pop stars, she was never afraid to speak her mind. That same clarity, anger, tenderness, and conviction runs through her music.

O’Connor died in London on July 26, 2023, at age 56. She left behind ten released studio albums and a body of work that continues to attract new listeners. A final album recorded with producer David Holmes, No Veteran Dies Alone, remained unreleased in 2026, with no release date announced. Here are ten Sinéad O’Connor songs that continue to stand out from a remarkable career.

# 10 – Three Babies

Coming in at number 10 is a song inspired by deeply personal loss. “Three Babies,” from O’Connor’s second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, addresses the miscarriages she experienced and carries the subject with remarkable restraint. The song is a ballad about grief, motherhood, memory, and the emotional weight of losses that are often difficult to discuss openly.

# 9 – You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart

Nothing feels better than putting a great vocalist in the studio with lyrics written by major talents. “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” was written by Bono, Gavin Friday, and Maurice Seezer for the soundtrack to the 1993 film In the Name of the Father. It was later included on O’Connor’s 1997 compilation album So Far… The Best of Sinéad O’Connor. The single reached the top five in Ireland and Poland, number 19 in Finland, and number 42 in the UK. Its moody melody and Irish character add a powerful sense of drama to O’Connor’s performance.

# 8 – Thank You for Hearing Me

Sinéad O’Connor was a master of emotional expression, and “Thank You for Hearing Me” is one of the clearest examples. Released on her 1994 album Universal Mother, the song builds a hypnotic atmosphere around repeated expressions of gratitude, love, hurt, strength, and survival. Its simplicity is exactly what makes it so effective.

# 7 – Troy

Making it onto our list of Sinéad O’Connor’s top ten songs is “Troy,” a towering ballad from her 1987 debut studio album The Lion and the Cobra. The song blends images of Dublin, romantic betrayal, rage, memory, and rebirth. O’Connor later spoke openly about the abuse she said she endured from her mother, who died in a car accident in 1985 when O’Connor was 18, and the themes of betrayal and trauma that run through “Troy” have often been connected to that history. The song’s title uses the burning of Troy as a metaphor for emotional destruction and survival.

# 6 – My Special Child

Hidden beneath the soft voice and slow tempo is “My Special Child,” another deeply personal Sinéad O’Connor song. O’Connor explained that she wrote it about an abortion she had after a planned pregnancy and the breakdown of the relationship with the child’s father. She spoke openly about the grief she felt afterward while remaining a strong supporter of a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. The song was released as a standalone single in 1991 and remains one of her most intimate recordings.

# 5 – The Emperor’s New Clothes

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” was released on O’Connor’s landmark 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. In this song, O’Connor works through the frustrations of public judgment, relationships, motherhood, and refusing to live according to other people’s expectations. Musically, it moves with a driving alternative-rock pulse that made it one of the album’s strongest singles. The song reached number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States.

# 4 – I Want Your (Hands on Me)

A song from Sinéad O’Connor’s 1987 album The Lion and the Cobra, “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” is one of her most immediate early tracks. The song was released as a single in 1988, and a remix featuring MC Lyte pushed its rhythmic elements even further toward hip-hop. The song’s outstanding bridge, insistent percussion, and O’Connor’s commanding performance make it a standout. It also appeared in the Miami Vice episode “Borrasca.”

# 3 – No Man’s Woman

Released as the lead single from her 2000 fifth studio album Faith and Courage, “No Man’s Woman” is driven by lyrics about independence, spirituality, and refusing to be defined through a relationship with a man. Around the song’s release, O’Connor also spoke publicly and candidly about her sexuality, but the record’s lasting strength comes from its broader declaration of autonomy. The bridge utilizes remarkable Beatles-like chord changes and melodic lines.

# 2 – Mandinka

“Mandinka” is a catchy, explosive tune from Sinéad O’Connor’s debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. Released as the album’s second single, it reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and the top ten in Ireland. O’Connor explained in a 1988 interview that the song was inspired by the Mandinka people as portrayed in Alex Haley’s novel Roots. The record became one of the first songs to establish her outside Ireland and remains one of the most recognizable performances from her early career.

Following O’Connor’s death in July 2023, “Mandinka” returned to the UK Singles Downloads Chart, another reminder of the song’s enduring appeal.

# 1 – Nothing Compares 2 U

“Nothing Compares 2 U” is the song most closely associated with Sinéad O’Connor. Prince wrote the composition, and his band the Family first released it on their self-titled 1985 album. O’Connor transformed the song with her 1990 recording for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, co-produced with Nellee Hooper.

Her version became a worldwide number-one hit, topping the charts in Ireland, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and numerous other countries. In the US, it spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. John Maybury’s unforgettable music video, built largely around close-ups of O’Connor’s face, became one of the defining music videos of the era.

The song’s emotional power has never faded. Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, “Nothing Compares 2 U” returned to charts and playlists around the world as listeners revisited the recording that had made her an international star. It remains not only Sinéad O’Connor’s signature song but one of the great vocal performances in popular music.