Last year, I wrote about saying goodbye to some of the musical icons of my childhood.
Today, we say goodbye to Sinéad O’Connor.
I, along with many others, probably first heard her singing this –
It was, and still is, a great introduction to her.
(but if that’s the only song you’ve heard, listen to a few more!)
When I wrote about the icons we lost last year, it was with sadness and nostalgia – they were all considerably older than me, and seemed to me to have been around forever.
This is different. I knew, at the time, that she was quite young in the above song. Somehow I never consciously put that together with her being only a couple of years older than me.
It’s a sobering thought.
She was fierce. And fragile.
Famous. And sometimes seen as infamous (although, I think, unfairly vilified).
Often seemed to speak without thinking. But more often speaking (and singing) of things about which she thought deeply.
Flawed. Passionate. Authentic.
Thank you, Sinéad –
for baring your soul,
and for raising your beautiful voice.
1000 Fields of Roses 