Sinéad O’Connor first placed a single on Billboard’s year-end Top 100 chart in 1990. Her recording of “Nothing Compares 2 U” finished No. 3 on Billboard’s year-end chart that year.
The song was written by Prince and originally recorded by his project The Family in 1985. O’Connor’s emotionally stark version appeared on her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, released in 1990. Its intimate video and powerful vocal performance helped turn it into an international breakthrough.
In the United States, “Nothing Compares 2 U” also reached No. 1 on the weekly Billboard Hot 100. A common mix-up is confusing its weekly peak with its year-end position: it topped the weekly chart, but ranked third among the entire year’s biggest singles. The success made O’Connor one of 1990’s defining music stars.