As mentioned many times on this Blog, I can sing and play Number One Hits from every year in UK chart history. This piece from April 2019 documents the songs that I had played in a pub in Hammersmith through to October that year. In the five years since then I have played scores of times, in dozens of different venues. This piece from July 2023 explains why I have been “on a mission to see live music, and play live music, as much as possible” in the last year.

There is one song that I play at least once a month, and whenever I am performing at a venue for the first time: “Nothing Compares 2U”, written by Prince, and a huge worldwide hit for Sinead O’Connor.

I learnt to play it early in 2022, shortly after Sinead O’Connor’s 17 year old son Shane died. He had gone missing and his body was found a day or two later. I was greatly saddened by the story. My son was also 17 at the time and I am grateful not to have been through anything like this.

Whenever I introduced the song I would allude to a boy named Shane, who went missing and was found shortly afterwards. I would say that I was playing the song for his mother, with all good wishes, hoping that she was doing OK. And then I would name the song, and the singer, and offer my performance to Shane O’Connor, may he rest in peace, and Sinead, with all good wishes.

I played “Nothing Compares 2U” the first time I played at the Dublin Castle, on 24 July last year. Two days later (a year ago today) I was heading to perform at a café in Fulham and heard the news that Sinead O’Connor had just died. That night I dedicated the song to her son, and to her as usual, and to Prince Nelson, who wrote it, but this time in the hope that they may all rest in peace. I have done so at least once a month ever since then. And plan to do so for as long as there is breath in my lungs.