"Thank You for Hearing Me" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...

, released in 1994 by

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and Ensign as the first single from her fourth album, ''

Universal Mother ''Universal Mother'' is the fourth album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on September 13, 1994. "That album was the first attempt to try to expose what was really underneath a lot of the anger of the other records," she explained. " ...

'' (1994). Co-written by her with John Reynolds and based on her recent breakup with English art pop singer

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, they also co-produced the song with English musician, composer and record producer Tim Simenon. It received positive reviews from music critics and was a sizeable hit in Europe. In Iceland, the song peaked at number five, and was a top 10 hit also in Poland, while it peaked at number 13 in the UK and number 14 in Scotland. The song's music video was directed by Richard Heslop.

Critical reception

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from ''

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'' complimented "Thank You for Hearing Me" as the "crowning glory" of ''

'', which with its "bone-simple melody and deep, hypnotic pulse, expresses a gratitude so heartfelt and self-effacing it seems more like a prayer than a song."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

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'' declared it as an "ethereal hip-hop track", adding that "it should intrigue those who prefer their pop with vigilant melodies and a smart passion." Steve Baltin from ''

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'' named it one of "her best moments" of the album, and a "stunning conclusion". In a separate single review, he described it as "passionate, emotive, firey, beautiful. This single is a wonderful reminder of why audiences fell in love with O'Connor before all the controversy. It conveys emotion with the sincerity only she can give, using a rising crescendo before slipping into a hushed whisper near the end." Michael R. Smith from The Daily Vault wrote that the singer herself "is left with a surprising feeling of appreciation, especially for those who had stood by her through it all, and she shows her gratitude with the inspiring closer". In his weekly UK chart commentary,

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

felt that it "achieves almost

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

-like proportions with Sinead singing like the angel you always suspected she was. Exactly how commercial it will be remains to be seen, she has made spine-tingling records that have flopped in the past, but for the moment it is good to welcome her back to the heights." Dave Jennings from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' said, "It goes without saying that the voice is wonderful, and the track also boasts a rather excellent bassline." Pan-European magazine ''

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'' commented, "Gloria in excelsis deo, Sinead is singing a prayer on a dance rhythm." Alan Jones from ''

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'' gave it four out of five, writing that "this is an odd track; it's very simple, extremely repetitive and almost hymnal in it quiet gentleness, apart from a sinewy bassline." He concluded with that "its success as a single is assured".

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from ''

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'' praised it as "the glorious finale" of the album, saying the song is "even more groovy, music-wise as she lists a lot of good things to thank an un-named suitor for, before slipping in ''thank you for breaking my heart'' whilst a celestial backing track rolls into the horizon." Joy Press from ''

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'' deemed it "a post-suicide-attempt song that hums with lush gratitude for life's little favors." David Yonke from ''

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'' remarked that the singer "offers an olive branch to those who have given her a chance."

Chart performance

The song charted in both Europe and Australia. In Iceland, it was a top 5 hit, peaking at number five in February 1995. In Poland, it peaked at number ten, while in the UK, it reached number 13 in November 1994. It entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 18, and the last entry was at number 72 on 1 January 1995. In Scotland, the single peaked at number 14 in its first week on the Scottish Top 100. The last position was at number 92 on 22 January. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, it reached its highest position as number 51 in December 1994. In Australia, it only reached number 114.

Music video

The music video for "Thank You for Hearing Me" was directed by British film director Richard Heslop. It was later made available on

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in 2012 and had generated more than 1.6 million views as of July 2023.

Track listing

* Europe, CD maxi (1994) #"Thank You for Hearing Me" – 6:30 #" Fire on Babylon" (Remix) – 13:27

Charts

External links

Official video, YouTube

References

{{Authority control 1994 singles 1994 songs Chrysalis Records singles Music videos directed by Richard Heslop Sinéad O'Connor songs Songs about heartache Song recordings produced by Bomb the Bass Song recordings produced by John Reynolds Songs written by Sinéad O'Connor Songs written by John Reynolds (musician)