The song received favorable reviews from most music critics.
Problems playing this file? See media help. He also recorded a solo version for his concert film Rave Un2 the Year 2000, as well as for his 2002 live album One Nite Alone. He performed duets with Rosie Gaines in concert and subsequently had a live performance released on compilation albums: 1993's The Hits/The B-Sides, and the 2006 Ultimate Prince. Prince took no interest in performing it in concerts however, in the years after O'Connor turned it into a hit in 1990, he began performing the song live. The song became an international hit for O'Connor. Sinead O'Connor recorded the song for her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, released in 1990, where she and producer Nellee Hooper gave it a completely new arrangement. Prince had earlier recorded the song in 1984, which went unreleased until 2018 as a posthumous single released digitally in April of that year. The song appeared more-or-less as filler music on their album and was not released as a single and received little recognition. It contained songs written by Prince with "Nothing Compares 2 U" being one of those songs.
In 1985, the funk band The Family released their only album, The Family. His original 1984 studio recording of the song was eventually released in 2018 as a single and later on the 2019 posthumous compilation Originals. This live version of the song was included on his compilation album The Hits/The B-Sides. Prince released his own rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U", with Rosie Gaines on guest vocals in 1993. This version is written and composed in the key of F major. In December 1990, Billboard named "Nothing Compares 2 U" as the "#1 World Single" of 1990 at its first Billboard Music Awards. O'Connor co-produced the record with Nellee Hooper, and its music video, directed by John Maybury, received heavy rotation on MTV. It was released as the album's second single in early 1990 and became a worldwide hit. In 1989, Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor recorded a version of the song for her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990). The song's lyrics explore feelings of longing from the point of view of an abandoned lover. " Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written and composed by Prince for his side project, The Family the song featured on their eponymous 1985 debut album.