Previously unheard Sinéad O’Connor song plays during the finale of ‘The Woman In The Wall’
An unreleased Sinéad O’Connor track titled ‘The Magdalene Song’ played during the finale of the BBC series The Woman In The Wall on September 24th.
The well-received series stars Ruth Wilson and focuses on the frightening impact of the homes run by the Catholic church in Ireland that housed unmarried pregnant females. The barbaric institutions were run by nuns and are now known as the Magdalene laundries.
In O’Connor’s track, she sings from the perspective of a mother who had lost their child which fits in with the story of the finale. The late Irish singer was briefly sent to a home run by nuns when she was 15 after being caught shoplifting and was a prominent critic of the Catholic church.
The track was recorded with producer David Holmes, who was working on an album with O’Connor before her death. He explained to The Guardian how the singer approved of the use of ‘The Magdalene Song’ even before they’d started filming the series after he’d told her about the script and Wilson’s involvement with The Woman In The Wall.
“The first half of the track is completely heartbreaking, and the second half is pure defiance,” Holmes told the publication of the song. “I stripped the song away to just Sinéad’s voice and then let the full power come in for the second half. It’s incredible how the meaning of the song came together with this story It was just meant to be. There’s a certain magic when you bring music to an emotive story.”
He continued: “In the lyrics Sinéad was trying to say, I think, that though she’d been through great turmoil, it would not stop her being who she wanted to be. She never really spoke about the meaning of her songs. She used to joke that she would often tell people that her songs were about something completely different to what they were about. But this one – well, it’s called The Magdalene Song.”
It remains unknown whether the rest of the album she worked on with Holmes will be released as it’s down to O’Connor’s family to decide. The LP is titled No Veteran Dies Alone.
Last month, her family released a new statement thanking the singer’s fans for their “outpouring of love” after her death.
The statement read: “The children of Sinéad together with Sinéad’s extended family wish to thank the countless kind people who sympathised and offered condolences on Sinéad’s recent passing. Their helpful support for the family is much appreciated. Our thanks to the media personnel in general at home and abroad who celebrated Sinéad in song and story while showing respect for the privacy requested by the family. We ask that this privacy continue to be respected.”
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