Thoughts from anyone who has watched it?

We're watching it as I type.

The estate has voted down her ability to use "Nothing Compares 2 U" in the documentary. The song is mentioned, even in a title card at the end, but is never heard. It's also noted that the estated denied her use of it.

The above linked article notes, on part, Prince’s half-sister Sharon Nelson offered two reasons for refusal, one financial and one personal. “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, adding, “I didn’t feel [O’Connor] deserved to use the song my brother wrote in her documentary so we declined. His version is the best.”

Petty as fuck.

I don't rightly know how they could deny her using her version of a song but I guess it's in the purview of the law. She's the performing artist.
But whatever. Only hardcore fans knew that song. The public didn't. Prince wasn't performing it on any regular basis until 1990, then suddenly he's all over it and releases his own version a couple of years later. Why? Because another artist had a #1 hit with it. He's right to do that of course, and capitalize on that inertia, but to deny O'Connor the song's use when she's so intrinsically part of its history is absurd.

O'Connor's reps said it was fine because the film can continue to focus on her words and music.

And The Family's version is the best version. Rosie's cool and all but their duet was just overdone and not as great as the original.

Dr. Funkenberry tweeted the article earlier and tagged Sharon in it. My reply above was basically the same.

________________

As to the documentary itself: it was really good. I'm not terribly familiar with her music aside from just a couple of songs, and the Prince cover. She seemed to make more of a splash with her activism and such. Back then, her voice irritated me. I can appreciate it more now and may delve into her first few albums.

You hear her voice and other folks, but there's never a sit down video of them shown. There are graphics telling who's talking. A good amount of performance footage including one at Madison Square Garden at a Bob Dylan tribute show where Kris Kristofferson introduced her. She got booed, but sang the song anyway (the same one she sang on SNL). It also shows Joe Pesci, and others threatening to physically attack her if they ever ran into her somewhere.

The hubbub around it reminded me a lot of The Dixie Chicks who took a stand against a war and Toby Keith went all macho-macho on them and incited millions to destroy albums, etc.

I tweeted earlier: The world owes Sinead O'Connor an apology. She was right all along, ahead of her time by a couple of decades, in exposing sexual child abuse in the Catholic church.

I will have to differ on my opinions about usage of the song. First and foremost I'm not a fan of her music and also some of the things she has said, as far as the religion aspect she was totally right, but I also feel all religions are brutal and we are now seeing finally what is going on in Iran coming and the woke liberals in america who always called talk about "covering women up" racist and islamphobia now they all of a sudden champion the cause, there are alot of apologies owed, we can go from the Dixie Chicks, to others all through time straight up to Chris Rock who is OWED an aoplogy from every fool on that oscar show and that stood and applauded Mr. Smith, but this is all a discussion for another day. As far as the SONG usage, it is known now that PRINCE was pissed that warner had the right to just let any song of his be covered and he never had a say in the matter, that was PRINCE he just did not like a song being taken and covered but he did sign that early deal and he didnt have the right to veto or approve anything so he was pissed from day one, it was a personal song to him more than any I think at the time, he was also not happy that the original was abandoned "The Family" project by that time was not going anywhere, no promotion from the label and then Prince got fed up and moved on. I will say the original is still the best but I will also say that Paul Peterson's solo version of this is even better since he is the vocalist, Chris Cornells is second best I feel. I dont care too much for Sineads version, not a fan of the production and vocal on it, that being said I dont really care for the version with Rosie and Prince either the way its done. BUT as far as the usage of the song now and calling it "Petty" I have to disagree, mainly because this decision we say is the estate, but its also his family, sister basically that has issue with what was said after her brothers death. I'm sorry but Sineads statements about him and his drug use and Arsenio Hall being some kind of drug pimp for him, were just uncalled for, even if they are correct which I highly doubt they were, but still you had years to say this, and to take this shot when the person is dead and cannot speak or when the attention is on him you come out with this nonsense. I also feel it took the focus of pain medication and the dangers of it, and made this into a talk about some crazy rock star on drugs. I think later on the book she wrote stating he was physically threatening her and all was another reason they chose to cut involvement with her, whether true or not we are never going to know and anything said on Prince now is speculation and the estate seems to take issue with those stating otherwise. On terms of the song, for me, I am about artists rights and we cant champion and praise that and in the same breathe not respect it, now this case is slightly different since there is a lot of bitter history between Prince and his label and what was covered and etc...so I doubt you would see something like this happen elsewhere, I think calling it petty is dismissive of the whole picture.

SolaceAHA said:

nosajd said:

It’s petty yes, but I honestly don’t blame them. She has made several comments about Prince that were not kind. She really hasn’t done herself any favors and she shouldn’t be surprised in the slightest that they rejected her request. I get the she has mental health issues, but she also never issues any apologies showing any sense of regret. Not that she need to, but if she wants to use her cover of a song, it’s best not to trash said songwriter.

Yes this is where it all comes from. PRINCE always disliked the part of his contract that allowed anyone to take a song and cover it, he felt he deserved to say yes or no to those things, since it was not in the contract they could let anyone do it then. Things she said following his death, were unfounded and when lawsuits were threatened by Arsenion Hall she took it back, whether she did that because of court costs, lets be real, you can get a lawyer to fight something for no money if you honestly have some case. Understand her mental health struggles but we cant excuse behavior and work backwards from that. Prince dying from a fenatyl overdose, she have become a dialogue into opiods etc...not a Arsenio Hall is a drug pimp for Prince story and that is what it became. So to me its petty not petty but she should have expected it.

LoveGalore said:

Regardless of her character, that song was popular solely because of her and her performance. To deny her the right to use it because she said some bad words is petty.

One can either make the choice to rise above it and show dignity and grace; or one sink themselves into a virulence pit only to use her words against her as a weapon and/or justification for an ongoing smear campaign based solely in antagonistic fervor. But one can’t have it both ways. It’s either some level of pettiness to deny it or some form of righteousness to allow it. It's not solely binary.

And since we're talking about petty:

Was Prince petty with The Family aka fDeluxe?
Was Prince petty with The Time aka The Original Se7en?

Those moments were Prince being petty. (I'm frankly surprised he let Vanity and Apollonia use their stage names once they left.) We’re bad words shared previous to those decisions? It's a blind allegiance to just side with Prince or his estate at every drop. The obtuse filter should be relegated to more juvenile minds wearing purple-tinted glasses.

The bottom line is this: he and his estate have a long red carpeted history of doing stupid, petty shit. Sharon had no real reason to voice her opinion other than to be shady and childish.

TrivialPursuit said:

Regardless of her character, that song was popular solely because of her and her performance. To deny her the right to use it because she said some bad words is petty.

One can either make the choice to rise above it and show dignity and grace; or one sink themselves into a virulence pit only to use her words against her as a weapon and/or justification for an ongoing smear campaign based solely in antagonistic fervor. But one can’t have it both ways. It’s either some level of pettiness to deny it or some form of righteousness to allow it. It's not solely binary.

And since we're talking about petty:

Was Prince petty with The Family aka fDeluxe?
Was Prince petty with The Time aka The Original Se7en?

Those moments were Prince being petty. (I'm frankly surprised he let Vanity and Apollonia use their stage names once they left.) We’re bad words shared previous to those decisions? It's a blind allegiance to just side with Prince or his estate at every drop. The obtuse filter should be relegated to more juvenile minds wearing purple-tinted glasses.

The bottom line is this: he and his estate have a long red carpeted history of doing stupid, petty shit. Sharon had no real reason to voice her opinion other than to be shady and childish.

It's a bit different though. I get it Prince has had history of this, firing people, etc... But using a name of a band is a bit different. I don't think if the Bangles were doing a DOC and wanted to use Manic Monday the estate would care, there has been a history of dislike between Prince and Sinead or at least very different opinions. I do recall one time her saying "Is he really a man, dressing like that" but its all he said she said, I think the accusations she made after his death like a tabloid waited to cash in, sorry I am not shocked this is where it went, petty or not, if I was a relative she would never be able to use that song which is her calling card to an extent, again. As for Band names, thats in the deal you sign, also the guy created it, wrote the stuff and in most cases probably was the sole player. It is very similar to say Freestyle group Expose, tons of hits, problem is they didnt write any of them, play on them, produce them but they are the face and voice of them. Years ago they wanted to tour again with the name and were not allowed, now it sounds cruel but I understand that in a contract you have to figure out things mutually, Expose did and now tour but a lot of what they make goes to those who wrote the stuff and played the stuff.

TrivialPursuit said:

nosajd said:

Fenwick said:

Fenwick said:

nosajd said:

I don’t give a f if she made it famous or not. Did she write the fn song? No she didn’t. Did she badmouth the songwriter after his death? Indeed she did. Did she express any remorse for anything she said? No she didn’t. She is not the songwriter, period. She does not have the rights, end of story. You can moan about it all you want. The fact is she got what she gave. Karma is a fn bitch sometimes.

In my long history of the org you’re actually one of the nicest, most down to earth dudes around. So I’m not gonna get into a back and forth with you. I totally disagree with you simply because we have the receipts from previous examples of prince pettiness. They are appalling and undeniable. It would be one thing if he was a model of consistency and generosity. Yet he was anything but…. Heck. F deluxe and original seven alone are proof that even playing as nice as possible gets you no quarter in the prince camp. So to say karma is a bitch when even being as loyal as humanly possible gets you f’d over is a strange hill to die on In any event. I mean you no disrespect personally [Edited 10/2/22 18:54pm]

But again its a false equivalent. Late last year was the Morris Day thing and him saying "they wont let me use my name" which was a lie, he could easily go and tour as Morris Day and the Time, he just couldn't go out as The Time, he was trying to take something trademarked. Does it suck, yeah, but its business, look at what is going on with the band Journey right now with trademarks and lawsuits and no one is even dead. Fdeluxe, well I have seen Paul Peterson including here in NYC the day COVID shut down the world and everyone lost their minds on how to deal with health. He spoke about quitting the Family and all that he didnt really have issue since it was Prince's project and thats what anyone in one of those projects should have known, he wrote it all played on it all, and in some cases was the only one playing on it. Now for Sinead as I said before IF this was the Bangles and Manic Monday the estate would have no issue, the issue is beyond petty, its that you made a statement upon his death that was true false and who knows but it was not the time, it seemed it was made not by someone who had mental health issues, but by someone who knows she could get a story sold. As far as making the song famous, I could care less, I still like Paul Petersons vocal with the Family and Chris Cornells too me those are good versions, I dont even care for Prince's with Rosie.

Fenwick said:

LoveGalore said:

Did we forget that Prince treated her rather badly when she was in Minneapolis? I didn't just dream that, did I?

TrivialPursuit said:

TrivialPursuit said:

The estate should quit being petty assholes and maybe focus on rolling out some new music. And I mean new, not just reissues of the same previous releases

There was always conflict with her. Prince was not happy that the song was given out, he was also not happy about the sample of When Doves Cry being given out but his deal stated they could do this without him being even told and they did not need approval of it. But there was always a back and forth that I recall with Sinead, she did say during that time of the song being out about the way he dressed, "Is he even a man" or just basically questioning how can he say he is a man and dressing like that. But at this point he's dead, she has very little in the way of "Belief" from people when she speaks so this topic will always go in circles of do this, they are petty, he sucked, she has mental issues.

nosajd said:

It’s petty yes, but I honestly don’t blame them. She has made several comments about Prince that were not kind. She really hasn’t done herself any favors and she shouldn’t be surprised in the slightest that they rejected her request. I get the she has mental health issues, but she also never issues any apologies showing any sense of regret. Not that she need to, but if she wants to use her cover of a song, it’s best not to trash said songwriter.

Maybe she exaggerated some parts of the story but her claiming that prince got pissed that she was cussing on television, while representing a song of his seems pretty believable to me. Let's not pretend Prince was some type of saint. As for the song, I actually share trivial's opinion on this. Prince's reaction to her success seems petty and opportunistic on top of it. He tossed the song firt to The Family and then to the side. He didn't care about it until Sinead climbed up the charts with her version. Suddenly the song meant something to him. And this might probably an unpopular opinion but I actually don't like his version.

As for "not bashing the songwriter" alright. And what if all she said was true ( which it clearly isn't ) but what if? Should she just shut up and take it cause she happened to have a hit with a song he wrote? What type of backwards mentality is this? It's like telling the women of the "me too" movement to suck up the abuse they suffered in order to not get blacklisted.

RJOrion said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Did we forget that Prince treated her rather badly when she was in Minneapolis? I didn't just dream that, did I?

He treated her badly because he knew she would bad mouth him after he died...he saw The Future

Except that she told the story way before he died. Sure, she changed some details and I don't believe everything she said, but you can't deny that some parts absolutely sound like prince behavior to me.

ThatWhiteDude said:

As for "not bashing the songwriter" alright. And what if all she said was true ( which it clearly isn't ) but what if? Should she just shut up and take it cause she happened to have a hit with a song he wrote? What type of backwards mentality is this? It's like telling the women of the "me too" movement to suck up the abuse they suffered in order to not get blacklisted.

Nailed that part. That also echos the Constance Wu interview that aired today.

Sinead is a broken person, and she has lashed out at many people. Have we not considered that because she's suffered abuse from the hands of men in her younger life, that with Prince bullying her she was truly triggered into defensive behavior? That doesn't make Prince a monster by any stretch. It does sorta make him an asshole or slight hypocrite that he would treat any female that way when equally praising them on the front end. He even told Tavis he could "go there" in being mean or nasty to someone if he felt like it.

As someone who has just in recent months acknowledged their own anxiety and trauma, I can tell you until you do acknowledge it, it's fucking crippling as hell. And then you have to fight through people doubting you as you do start to voice your trauma and acknowledge your anxiety. So, in some ways I can understand Sinead's actions in general. In relation to Prince, he's really just another person in a long line of men she's not been able to trust for various reasons. And he certainly gave her a couple of reasons.

Nothing excuses or reasons either of their behaviors. However, there are moments where we can see they both - as Roland Deschain once said - forgot the face of their fathers.

I'll end with a couple of quotes:

“Grief changes shape, but it never ends. People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, ‘It’s gone, and I’m better.’ They’re wrong.” - K.R.

"Since we are forgiven, it's foolish not to forgive." - Anton Chekhov

Watched it last night, interesting in some parts but too long. A few observations:

1- didn't know her life story and the rural parts of Catholic Ireland are so messed up. Most of her backstory seems believable and gave new perspective to old tunes of hers.

2- completely forgot about her hip hop remixes back in the day! Forgot about the MC Lyte joint and the "stretched on your grave" remix.

3- sorry, but not mad at the estate for not giving permission, even if it comes across as petty.

I am huge fan of Sinead. This girl is super talented and is one hell of a singer and songwriter. The shit that went down with her was so wrong on so many levels...and of course as mentioned she was right all along.

That said...I am actually on the side of the estate on this one. Its up to them as its Prince's song.

Is it petty? Yeah, but she said some wrong shit about him after he died...so I get why they don't want her to use it.