RockLists.com
Cover of I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got by Sinéad O'Connor
Cover: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got

Song · Sinéad O'Connor

“Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O'Connor

From the album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)

“Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O'Connor appears on 69 radio countdowns from 23 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1990 on the album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. Its best result is #1 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #1 alternative song of 1990, #197 alternative song of all time and #297 of the '90s.

69countdowns
23stations
#1best position
1#1 finishes
5top 10 finishes
1990–2026years charted

Watch

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Official Music Video) [HD]

Video from YouTube (SineadOConnorVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Nothing Compares 2 U" was a Prince song first, written in 1985 for his project the Family, but Sinéad O'Connor's 1990 version is the one that stuck, and it became her signature. She recorded it for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, her album of that year, and the song is about a lover left behind, aching over someone who is gone.

O'Connor sings it with nothing to hide behind. Her voice does all the work, fragile one moment, cracking open the next, and every syllable sounds as if it cost her something. Prince wrote a lovely tune; she made it devastating.

KROQ's listeners made it their top song of 1990. Prince went on to play it often in his own shows, with live takes turning up on several of his releases, and a solo version of his came out in 2018.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1990 1 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990 107
1990 11 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990 91
1990 7 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1990 105
1990 5 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990 90
1990 3 Studio Brussel Flanders, Belgium Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1990 30

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1990 15 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1990 48 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1990) 100
1990 69 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990) 100
1991 97 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 133 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 45 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1991) 100
1992 51 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 64 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1992) 100
1993 62 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1993) 100
1994 139 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 57 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1994) 100
1995 301 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 84 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1995) 100
1996 140 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 60 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1996) 100
1997 45 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1997) 100
1998 50 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1998) 100
1999 163 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 380 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 156 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 61 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 844 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 159 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 135 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 117 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1999) 150
2000 159 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 159 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 144 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 1240 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 199 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 159 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 159 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 159 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 94 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2004 661 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 160 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 229 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2005 855 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 175 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 298 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 463 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 169 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 462 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 469 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 223 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2010 464 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 473 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 143 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2013 489 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 504 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2018 360 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 262 KEXP KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time 627
2020 375 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 65 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2022 82 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 299 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 18 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 82 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2023) 100
2023 11 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 381 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 12 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 5 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850
2025 39 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2026 109 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

Also listed as: Nothing Compares @ U; Nothing Compares To You; Nothing Compares to You.

Charting alongside it in 1990

Best songs of 1990 →
  1. 2The Only One I KnowThe Charlatans
  2. 3Blue Sky MineMidnight Oil
  3. 4Enjoy the SilenceDepeche Mode
  4. 5Here's Where The Story EndsThe Sundays
  5. 6The Emperor's New ClothesSinéad O'Connor
  6. 7CandyIggy Pop

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.