"You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" 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 ...
, written by
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
,
Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday (born Fionán Martin Hanvey, 8 October 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes.
Early life
Friday was born in Dublin and attende ...
and
Maurice Seezer
Maurice Seezer (real name Maurice Roycroft, and previously known as ''The Man Seezer'') is an Irish songwriter, musician, and film music composer. Born in 1960, he grew up in the Dublin suburb of Coolock, in a musical family.
Film scores written o ...
for the soundtrack to the 1993 film ''
In the Name of the Father
IN, In or in may refer to:
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* India (country code IN)
* Indiana, United States (postal code IN)
* Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN)
* In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Businesses and organizations
* Independ ...
'', starring
Daniel Day-Lewis
Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...
and
Emma Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...
. The song is produced by English musician
Tim Simenon and does not appear on any of O'Connor's studio albums, but in 1997, it was included on her first compilation album, ''
So Far... The Best Of''. It was critically acclaimed and a top 5 hit in both Ireland and Poland, while peaking at number 19 in Finland and number 42 in the UK. 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 number 43. The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
was directed by
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish playwright and filmmaker.
Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed two critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' and ''In the Name of the Father'', and later directed the film ...
and nominated for an award at the
1994 MTV Music Awards.
Critical reception
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 ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' felt "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" is "her most powerful performance" since "
Nothing Compares To You", noting that it "overflows with primal emotion", "complemented by icy-cool keyboards and a snakey drum pattern that would normally flood
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, and adventurous
top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
stations." Troy J. Augusto from ''
Cashbox'' named it Pick of the Week, describing it as a "riveting performance" from O’Connor. He wrote that on this "raw, spine-tingling" track, "Sinead opens all of the emotional floodgates for this one, hitting vocal peaks not heard since she covered
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Brittle keyboard flourishes, spacy rhythmic patterns and dramatic production (from
Friday
Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...
and
Tim Simenon) make for a single that should, in a fair world, make serious noise at all rock,
pop and
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
outlets. Of course, who said we live in a fair world?"
Kent Zimmerman from the ''
Gavin Report
The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...
'' constated, "As
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
did on the ''
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
'' Soundtrack, O'Connor steals the show". Caroline Sullivan from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said it "is the troubled Irish singer at her most stunning. Her well-publicised antics have distracted attention from the fact that she can sing, and beautifully. Here, she puts her angst to good use on a tense,
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
-fiddle-accented piece of pop. It's her best track since "Nothing Compares 2 U"." Eric R. Danton for ''
The Hartford Courant
The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...
'' remarked its "moody melody". Chris Willman from ''
L.A. Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' felt it finds the singer "in her prettily tense mode", singing "a third insinuating
big-beat ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
by the pair."
A reviewer from ''
Liverpool Echo
The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...
'' noted that it "has plenty of Irish influence", stating that with
Jah Wobble
John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...
and Simenon both involved, "it also has a sharply contemporary feel which provides a good match for the traditional elements." Alan Jones from ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' said the singer "adds an engaging vocal" on the "
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
-tinged" song. He also added, "In with a whisper and out with a scream, this atmospheric track
..features a fine vocal and some sterling support from assorted fiddles, spoons, accordions and other instruments that emphasise its Celtic influences.
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
's writing credit should add weight." John Kilgo from ''The Network Forty'' wrote that O'Connor "again pulls at the heartstrings" with "this intense song". Another editor, Wendi Cermak, described it as a "dreamy
ambient
Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to:
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds
* Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere
* ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby
* ...
affair". Allan Detrich from ''
Toledo Blade
''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835.
Overview
The first issue o ...
'' named it the "best cut" of the soundtrack album. He added that "her voice combined with rolling violins make the listener visualize green, rolling hills and rebels running through the streets of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
."
Chart performance
The song charted throughout Europe, in Australia, New Zealand, and the US. In Finland and Ireland, it was a top-10 hit, peaking at number four in Ireland. In the UK, it both entered and peaked at number 42 in its first week, on 13 February 1994. It stayed for two weeks on that position, before dropping to 55 the third week. The last entry on 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 ...
was at number 80 on 6 March. In Scotland, the song peaked at number 52 in its first week, before dropping to 84 and 88. In Belgium, it charted in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, peaking at number 34 in its first entry, with the last position at number 42 on 26 March, with a total of three weeks on the
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...
chart. In the Netherlands, the song peaked at number nine on the
Dutch Single Tip
Dutch Charts, GfK Dutch Charts, MegaCharts is a chart company responsible for producing a number of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Single Top 100 and the Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Dutch Charts are also part of GfK ...
only. 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 best position as number 43 on 5 March. In New Zealand, it peaked within the top 30, at number 24 in April with a total of two weeks on the chart, while in Australia, it reached number 43, with three weeks within the
ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. In the US, "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" climbed to number 24 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Alternative Songs chart.
Music video
The accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
of the song was directed by Irish director
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish playwright and filmmaker.
Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed two critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' and ''In the Name of the Father'', and later directed the film ...
, who also directed ''
In the Name of the Father
IN, In or in may refer to:
Places
* India (country code IN)
* Indiana, United States (postal code IN)
* Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN)
* In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Businesses and organizations
* Independ ...
''. It was nominated in the category for Best Video from a Film at the
1994 MTV Music Awards.
In the video, O'Connor is imprisoned. She is brought into a cell with a grid. A light bulb hangs from the ceiling. As she sits and sings, an elderly man looks to her through the window, but disappears into the open air shortly afterwards. A black
raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
comes and visits her outside the window. Occasionally small clips from the movie ''In the Name of the Father'' appear throughout the video. In other scenes, O'Connor is interrogated at a table surrounded by serious men pushing her to sign a paper. They then put a dead raven in front of her and she signs the paper. Back in the cell, sitting alone, the doors suddenly opens up and O'Connor walks out to freedom. It is the invisible man who has opened up to her. Walking through a forest, she sets a couple of white
pigeons
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
free. At the end, she watches them as they fly off into the sky.
Track listing
* UK, CD single (1994)
# "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" (7-inch edit) – 4:45
# "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" (12-inch Stained mix) – 6:26
# "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" (album instrumental version) – 5:49
# "The Father and His Wife the Spirit" – 2:27
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1993 songs
1994 singles
Island Records singles
Sinéad O'Connor songs
Songs written for films
Songs written by Bono