After becoming a worldwide number one single when covered by Irish singer Sinead O'Connor , Prince began playing the song live, and in 1993, he released a live version (sharing lead vocals with Rosie Gaines) as the eleventh track (one of two new tracks) on The Hits 1.
He had played it live consistently since 1990, and in 2002, released another live version as the twelfth track on the second disc of his first live album, One Nite Alone... Live!
Prince's own studio version had remained unreleased, until being released posthumously by The Prince Estate on April 29th 2018.
Initial tracking for Prince's original version took place on 18 July, 1984 at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie (the same day Let's Go Crazy was released as a single). St. Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin overdubbed vocals onto the track in late 1984 -early 1985, and Clare Fischer added orchestral overdubs during the same period.
Prince was inspired to write the song about Sandy Scipioni, his personal assistant in 1980, who had to leave suddenly after her father's death (Prince and Scipioni were not in a romantic relationship, however).
Nothing Compares 2 U
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away
Since you been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
I said nothing can take away these blues
'Cause nothing compares
No, nothing compares to you
Nothing, nothing
It's been so lonely without you here
I'm like a bird without a song
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Tell me, babe, where did I go wrong?
I could put my arms around every girl I see
But they'd only remind me of you (oh oh oh)
I went to the doctor, guess what he told me
Guess what he told me
He said "Boy you better try to have fun
No matter what you do"
But he's a fool
'Cause nothing compares
No, nothing compares to you
Nothing, nothing
All the flowers that you planted, sugar
In the backyard
All died when you went away
Oh oh oh
I know that living with me baby was some kind of hard
But I'm willing to give it one more try
'Cause nothing compares
No, nothing compares to you
I said Nothing compares
Oh no no, nothing compares to you, ooh ooh ooh, you
Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U" is a heart-wrenching ballad about the pain of losing a lover. The opening lines set the tone, as the singer confesses that it has been seven hours and thirteen days since his lover left him, and he has been wandering aimlessly since then. He goes out every night and sleeps all day, lost in the emptiness of his own heart. The pain of being alone is palpable in every repeated "Oh" that punctuates the lines.
Everything he does now feels empty and hollow. He can eat at fancy restaurants, see whom he pleases, and do what he wants but it doesn't matter; nothing takes away the endless sadness that fills him. Every woman he meets only serves to remind him of what he has lost. The singer tries to seek advice from a doctor, but even his words fall short. In the end, the singer concludes that nothing compares to the lover he has lost.
The lyrics are raw and emotional, hitting deep at the heart of anyone who has experienced heartbreak. It's a testament to Prince's talent as a songwriter that he can paint a vivid picture of the pain that comes with losing someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been seven hours and thirteen days
It has been 7 hours and 13 days since you left me
Since you took your love away
Since you took away your love
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I go out every night and sleep all day
I go out every night and sleep during the day
Since you took your love away
Since you took away your love
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Since you been gone I can do whatever I want
Since you have been gone, I can do anything I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can see whoever I want
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
I can eat in fancy restaurants
But nothing
But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues
Nothing can take away my sadness
'Cause nothing compares
Because nothing is the same
No, nothing compares to you
No one is like you
Nothing, nothing
It's been so lonely without you here
It has been so lonely without you here
Like a bird without a song
I feel incomplete without your love
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Nothing can stop me from crying
Tell me baby where did I go wrong?
Tell me, where did I make a mistake?
I could put my arms around every girl I see
I could hold any girl I see
But they'd only remind me of you
But they would only make me think of you
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I went to the doctor guess what he told me?
I went to the doctor, and you know what he told me?
Guess what he told me?
He said boy you better try to have fun
He said, 'You should try to have some fun'
No matter what you do
No matter what you do
But he's a fool
But he is a fool
'Cause nothing compares
Because nothing is the same
No, nothing compares to you
No one is like you
Nothing, nothing
All the flowers that you planted, mama
All the flowers that you planted, mama
In the back yard
In the backyard
All died when you went away
All of them died when you left
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I know that living with me baby was some kind of hard
I know that living with me was difficult, baby
But I'm willing to give it another try
But I want to try it again
'Cause nothing compares
Because nothing is the same
No, nothing compares to you
No one is like you
I said nothing compares
I said that nothing is the same
No, no, no nothing compares to you
No, no, no one is like you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nobodynevermind583
Goodness, how beautiful! What a lovely surprise!
Two years to the day after Prince’s shocking, tragic, & untimely passing, the timely release of this wonderful song is a poignant reminder of his unique, outstanding talent as a songwriter and musician.
The accompanying rehearsal footage is a testament to Prince’s prowess as a dancer and performer, as well as reflecting his impressive commitment & relentless work ethic.
As many fans have expressed already here, I find it very moving to watch this priceless rehearsal footage, whilst listening to Prince’s emotive original version of this classic song.
Appropriately for me on this 2nd anniversary of his passing, this is a song about love, loss, abandonment, and especially about missing that somebody so very special that one truly adores.
Lyrically I think it is one of Prince’s most accomplished compositions, conveying his broken-heartedness so very potently (‘Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling’).
For many years I had been under the impression that his love for Susannah had inspired Prince to write this amazing song, but apparently Susan Rogers seems to think that it was written about his housekeeper (Sandy Scipioni) back in the early eighties that had left his employ due to a bereavement.
Listening now to this beautiful song about loss & yearning, all I can say is she must have been one heckuva housekeeper! :)
Having heard Prince sing it so powerfully and emotively on many occasions live, it is absolutely amazing now to reflect that he was still singing so passionately about this woman so many years later.
I haven’t heard any of this recording of NC2U before, so it’s completely new to me. I thought that Chris Cornell recorded a pretty good version as a tribute to Prince, but to my ears this original recording totally eclipses that, the Family’s rendition and Sinead’s hit version too.
How many dislikes of this already though?! Sheesh, I didn’t realize Sinead had so many YouTube accounts! :)
This rendition probably has a more rock orientated arrangement than I expected, though this, coupled with Prince's expressive vocals, still masterly renders the song hugely emotional and soulful.
Right from the start the keyboard part surprised me. To me it sounds strangely frail and vulnerable, almost like it is an old failing Casio. For some strange reason it kinda made me think initially of John Lennon (say like 'Imagine/I am the Walrus').
This recording precedes Prince’s fine ‘Around the World in a Day’ album, which coincidentally is an album, which I had incorrectly thought was influenced by the Beatles. I have since fairly recently read a quote from Prince, which seems to dispel any such notion. It’s interesting to me how wildly I can misinterpret Prince’s work and influences, even after all these years being obsessively immersed in his music.
The initial burst of guitar came as another surprise to me. It’s nice to have Clare Fischer’s string arrangements complimenting the song (albeit buried not very prominently in the mix), and I think Eric does his usual fine job, embellishing with his sax solo, before the superb ‘all the flowers that you planted mama in the backyard’ bridge.
To me this rehearsal footage is genuinely stunning and a joy to savor, as Prince demonstrates his natural gift for dynamic dancing, with spins, splits, & some pretty nifty footwork…all in 3 inch heels no less! 3:57 Awesome! :)
And we even get to see Prince rocking a fur coat just like my momma used to wear when I was a lil’ kid! Awww, sweet! :)
I gotta give props to Wendy and Mark for managing to keep up with those steps whilst playing in the clip, which is no mean feat. Prince worked the band so hard, that Bobby’Z not even allowed to sit down on the job, whilst drumming! :)
I like the moments where he seems to tease Wendy with the mike, and it’s great & life-affirming for me to see him having fun, doing what he loved (playing fantastic music & dancing).
There are a few really cute smiles from him too for us to enjoy. If this is any indication of the jewels in Prince’s vault, we fans still have a lot to look forward to.
Nothing compares 2 Prince…something those of us who love him to bits certainly don’t need reminding. Two years ago today we lost Prince, leaving many of us feeling bereft, ‘like a bird without a song’. Thankfully we still have the cherished gift of his fantastic, funky music to love on.
Like so many folks around the world I miss him terribly. I hope & pray that he is now at Home with the Lord in ‘a better place’, God-willing.
At this solemn time of year for diehard fans, it is thoughtful and generous of his Estate & Warners to release this exquisite song and precious video footage. Thank-you so much for sharing this absolute gem with us!
@PurpleMusicPrincePianoCovers
Folks I will say it again, you have it reversed, Prince is not covering this song, Prince wrote Nothing Compares 2 U in 1984, Sinead did her cover version in 1990. Here are some other songs you may not be aware of that Prince wrote, and either gave away, or that were covered by other artists. The list is huge, these are just a few. Manic Monday covered by the Bangles, this song was originally recorded as a duet with Apollonia, and some of the music/backup vocals by Brenda Bennet are still in place on The Bangles released version. I Feel For You covered by Chaka Khan, written by Prince in 1979 and released on his 2nd album of that same year. He gave a song called With This Tear to Celine Dion. The Glamorous Life and Love Bizarre on Sheila E's albums (and 95% of the other songs on those albums), is all Prince. Same for The Time with Jungle Love and The Bird. He gave a song called U to Paula Abdul for her Spellbound album. Sugar Walls was a song of his that he gave to Sheena Easton. For the song Stand Back, Stevie asked him to come to the studio to listen to the song, and that is where in 25 minutes, Prince laid out the entire keyboard track for the song, that is him playing on the track. Could go on forever, Prince was everywhere in music, most of which he never took credit for or cared to brag about. Peace
@PurpleSilk
3121 MSound THANK YOU!!!
@renneedwards9826
RIGHT OUUUUUN! 😳👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾✊🏾
@pamelaglass3137
3121 MSound ...let them know
@AnonYmous-wu4kz
Thats like saying david bowie covered nirvana. Its obvious which has been around longer. Sinead isnt bad but shes clearly the cover.
@AnonYmous-wu4kz
Prince sounds like such a humble talented man
@Deree11YouNoo
Can we talk about how amazing Prince was at dancing in HEELS? So swift 😳😍🔥
@esperanzalopez8253
Deree Smith gala otros española
@Michelle_9_27
Deree Smith I agree! Stilettos at that!
@yoyo-zz4lg
Deree Smith I can't even walk in them! He does the splits too. I hate that his voice has been silenced