The song Bono wrote for Sinéad O’Connor
The late Sinéad O’Connor was a tour de force. She had a rare ability to inject emotion into anything she lent her voice to, whether this was an impassioned speech or a song. Therefore, as a songwriter, O’Connor was a dream to write for, and in 1993, U2 frontman Bono had the opportunity to work with her.
Throughout his career, Bono has only given songs away to a select handful of artists, and they need to be special for him to consider not using the material for U2. In addition to O’Connor, the Irishman has also gifted tracks to Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and Tina Turner, making it one of the most exclusive clubs in music.
The track he wrote for O’Connor is titled ‘You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart’ and appeared on the soundtrack for the 1993 film In The Name of the Father, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The Jim Sheridan movie is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, who were wrongly accused of working for the IRA and killing innocent civilians in England.
In The Name of the Father was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Notably, Day-Lewis was shortlisted for ‘Best Actor In A Leading Role’ and Sheridan was up for ‘Best Director’.
While ‘You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart’ isn’t specifically related to the Guildford Four case, it’s a murder ballad Bono believed was appropriate to the story in the movie. Speaking to NME in 1994, he noted: “I’ve always felt that when you’re writing for movies, to be literal is a mistake. You’re better off trying to make a tangent.”
On the track, O’Connor delivers a level of emotion that only she could deliver and brings Bono’s words to life in a bone-chilling fashion. In his mind, ‘You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart’ needed to be sung from a woman’s perspective, and O’Connor could add something to the track that was out of his remit.
To celebrate his 60th birthday in 2020, Bono penned an open letter to O’Connor and detailed his deep appreciation of her talent, highlighting ‘You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart’. He began by writing: “I heard your voice first as a teenager, maybe you were 15 or 16. It was a demo of a song called TAKE MY HAND from Steve Wickham’s newly formed band In Tua Nua and I felt I had stumbled upon a new land with its own unique voice.”
“I was as impressed as everyone else with all the great singing and the songs along the way, but the next time I was moved like this was at a solo show here in Dublin where you sang ‘thief’ and you stole my heart all over again,” he continued.
Bono added: “The song was written quickly by me, Gavin Friday and the Man Seezer for the award winning IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER starring Daniel Day Lewis. Jim Sheridan said something like ‘even though it’s IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, it’s all about the mother. A man can’t sing this song. Mother Ireland needs a woman’s voice.'”
“It was recorded in STS studios Dublin with great sensitivity by Tim Simenon…you lit candles. Peace be upon you, Bono,” he concluded.
Listen to ‘You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart’ below.
