Rememberings by Sinéad O’Connor review - The Highs And Lows

Music Review | 23rd July, 2024 Sinead O Connor Rememberings

When it comes to female artist they dont come more unique than Irish singer, songwriter, and activist Sinead O'Connor. The singer with the voice of an angel and the morals of a punk-rocker achieved international chart success with the release of her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra in 1987 followed by a string of hits including the classic Nothing Compares 2 U (1990).

While the singer had a reputation for being outspoken there was also stages in the artist career when she was secretive and private, giving the impression that there was more to say. Sineads memoir carries on in the same manner.

Rememberings, is a snap-shot into the singers mind. Across 286 pages Sinead gives a slight glimpse of the person she was more so than the world famous artist.

While Sinead talks about the music being played in her home as a child/teen and the influence of punk-rock, Rememberings only skims the surface in regards to details behind the creative process of her music. Nothing Compares gets minimal attention, except for Sinead recounting a scary experience when she was a guest of the purple-prince.

Instead the majority of Rememberings seems to focus on the relationships Sinead had with various people throughout her life and career including family, music business and the Rastafarians she spent time with as a young artist before achieving fame.

The topic of mental health dominates Remembering. The press labeled O'Connor as either mad or crazy at every opportunity, as did Sinead herself in numerous TV interviews. Each page of Remembering seems to give a hint behind the artists troubles with her mother being a recurring theme throughout.

Sinead's relationship with her mother had been well published during Sineads lifetime. Rememberings suggests that Sinead had a love hate relationship with the woman. Wounded by the treatment she received at the hands of someone who was supposed to be a protector, the singer struggled to forgive her mother for the trauma caused throughout Sineads childhood.

Overall Rememberings is an interesting insight into the mind of a singer who at the time of writing was struggling mentally. While the memoir skims the surface of the creative side of Sinead, and most of the key events in her career, the book is an interesting read.

Published in 2021 Rememberings would be Sineads final memoir. On 26th July 2023, O'Connor was found unresponsive at her flat in Herne Hill, South London at the age of 56.

Photo Credit: The Beat.ie

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