Prince’s estate refused to allow Sinead O’Connor the use of “Nothing Compares 2 U” in her new documentary.
While making the Irish singer’s upcoming documentary “Nothing Compares,” the team behind the film asked Prince’s estate for permission to use the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” in it.
Prince originally wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U” for his 1985 album with The Family, and O’Connor famously recorded a cover of it in 1989.
When “Nothing Compares” filmmakers asked Prince’s estate whether they could use the song in their documentary, the estate denied the request.
“Initially, we had intended to use the song, but we received a refusal,” director Kathryn Ferguson told Billboard. “In the end, we were very happy with that section of the film. It meant the focus remained on Sinead’s words, and on her own songwriting.”
Prince’s half-sister – co-heir to the estate – Sharon Nelson explained why they denied Ferguson use of the song.
“Nothing compares to Prince’s live version with Rosie Gaines that is featured on the Hits 1 album and we are re-releasing that album on vinyl on November 4th,” she said. “I didn’t feel (Sinead) deserved to use the song my brother wrote in her documentary, so we declined. His version is the best.”
Prince died in 2016. The video for Sinead’s version of the song has almost a half-a-billion views on YouTube alone.
