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Read More I picked up Sinead O'Connor's Theology (2007) last Christmas, but with my lack of time, I finally got a chance to really listen to this album today (Sunday). In fact, the whole day was all O'Connor, all the time, as I played Guild Wars, Pikotama, and Zuma.
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Today is Mother's Day (May 13th).
When I think of mothers, I often think of Sinead O'Connor. This wasn't always the case. By the time she released Universal Mother in 1994; the theme seems to be about parenting. Every song on the album is about a mother and her love for her baby.
For instance: "Fire on Babylon" is about child abuse, "John I Love You" sounds like a song she wrote for her son (?), "My Darling Child" is obvious, "Am I a Human?" was written and sung by her son, "Red Football" is another child abuse song. "A Perfect Indian", "Scorn Not His Simplicity", "All Babies", "In This Heart", "Tiny Grief Song", are all pretty much about the beauty of children and their simple understanding of the world.
The two apologetic songs, is a cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies" and the beautiful "Thank You for Hearing Me".
The one song that I really love is "Famine". In many ways, the song does fit into the children-theme. In the song, the whole of Ireland is described as "a race like a child that got itself bashed in the face". It also seems to me that this was the first "rap" song that Sinead O'Connor had sung. It's so different than anything that she's done up to this point, and I love it.
On the topic of mothering and the record industry, O'Connor wrote on her blog:
A few months ago, I got a press release for an O'Connor touring the USA in May, I believe those dates are all canceled. If you read her views on having to spend time away from her children and not willing to play more than seven days out of the month, you can understand why the US dates were canceled.
Her ninth studio album, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? is out now (I previously heard a preview). If you still haven't bought it, might I suggest getting the vinyl version? It comes out Tuesday, May 15th via One Little Indian Records.
PS, the Deluxe Edition 2-disc version is only available in the UK on May 22nd, but it is too rich for my blood ($100 import).
When I think of mothers, I often think of Sinead O'Connor. This wasn't always the case. By the time she released Universal Mother in 1994; the theme seems to be about parenting. Every song on the album is about a mother and her love for her baby.
For instance: "Fire on Babylon" is about child abuse, "John I Love You" sounds like a song she wrote for her son (?), "My Darling Child" is obvious, "Am I a Human?" was written and sung by her son, "Red Football" is another child abuse song. "A Perfect Indian", "Scorn Not His Simplicity", "All Babies", "In This Heart", "Tiny Grief Song", are all pretty much about the beauty of children and their simple understanding of the world.
The two apologetic songs, is a cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies" and the beautiful "Thank You for Hearing Me".
The one song that I really love is "Famine". In many ways, the song does fit into the children-theme. In the song, the whole of Ireland is described as "a race like a child that got itself bashed in the face". It also seems to me that this was the first "rap" song that Sinead O'Connor had sung. It's so different than anything that she's done up to this point, and I love it.
On the topic of mothering and the record industry, O'Connor wrote on her blog:
Gonna go back into singing and shows but no more than 2 a week. And no more than 2 and a half days away from home in any week. Except if a far country then seven days out of a month.
There's always this thing in 'rock and pop' that like, you put out a record and you have to do ALL promo NOW, rather than slowly gently work the record over say 18 months. So all you get presented with is one option. The old model. Which is worse now because no one is buying records. So the only way anyone in the music industry is making money is by having artists tour. Hard when you 45 and you have two serious medical conditions and you're a single mother of 4 children, 3 of whom are still at home.
Wish someone would clamp down on illegal getting of records. People don't realise it drives us from our children and sends us on the road too much so that we end up mad, or alcoholics, or junkies, or dead, as Robbie Robertson pointed out. Our children don't have us as they should. Shouldn't be that people don't pay for records. Consequences are very painful. I blame record companies though because they ripped the audiences off for so many years. But people don't realise the artists were getting ripped off too.
A few months ago, I got a press release for an O'Connor touring the USA in May, I believe those dates are all canceled. If you read her views on having to spend time away from her children and not willing to play more than seven days out of the month, you can understand why the US dates were canceled.
Her ninth studio album, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? is out now (I previously heard a preview). If you still haven't bought it, might I suggest getting the vinyl version? It comes out Tuesday, May 15th via One Little Indian Records.
PS, the Deluxe Edition 2-disc version is only available in the UK on May 22nd, but it is too rich for my blood ($100 import).
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Dan Hylton wrote:
Monday, 14 May 2012 at 07:59 AM
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Thank you for this post - I've often thought of Universal Mother as one of the most underrated albums of the 90s. Beautifully written & performed ("Tiny Grief Song" was actually piped in at my wedding).
As an artist that often infuses his music with inspiration from love for & from his kids, I appreciate this record more as the years roll by - and reading her case against music piracy on the basis it is pulling artists away from their families is an interesting read.
As an artist that often infuses his music with inspiration from love for & from his kids, I appreciate this record more as the years roll by - and reading her case against music piracy on the basis it is pulling artists away from their families is an interesting read.
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