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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteMiley Cyrus and Brittany Howard performed Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” on SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16, 2025. The song is often associated with Sinéad O’Connor because her 1990 recording made it famous—but O’Connor and Cyrus’s public dispute began in 2013 over Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” video, and the sources do not establish that the SNL50 performance was an apology or reconciliation.
What song did Miley Cyrus sing on SNL50?
Cyrus and Howard performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” as the special’s second musical guests, following an introduction by Aubrey Plaza. They traded verses, and Howard played a guitar solo, according to Pitchfork’s report. Variety’s coverage also identifies the performance at the anniversary special.
The title can be misleading: Cyrus and Howard performed Prince’s song, not a song written by O’Connor. Their rendition drew on a composition whose best-known recording is O’Connor’s.
Who wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and how did O’Connor’s version become its best-known recording?
Prince wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U.” His official discography says he recorded a version alone at his Eden Prairie warehouse studio in July 1984, with engineer Susan Rogers present. The song later appeared on the 1985 album by Prince’s side project, the Family. The discography describes O’Connor’s recording as the version that became a global number-one hit: Prince Official Discography’s “Nothing Compares 2 U — Legacy Releases.”
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O’Connor recorded the song for her 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. Variety describes that recording as the one that made the song famous. So the useful distinction is: Prince wrote and first recorded the composition; O’Connor’s interpretation made it widely known; Cyrus and Howard performed it live at SNL50.
Why did O’Connor and Cyrus have a public dispute?
The exchange began in 2013, when Cyrus said in a Rolling Stone interview that her “Wrecking Ball” video was designed to resemble elements of O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” video. O’Connor responded with an open letter criticizing the music industry’s treatment of young performers and warning Cyrus about its effects. The Guardian reported on the letter and exchange on October 3, 2013.
The documented record establishes a public disagreement, not a private resolution. It does not show that the 2025 performance was an apology, that O’Connor had responded to it, or that the two had reconciled before O’Connor died in 2023.
Why did O’Connor’s SNL history matter to the response?
O’Connor’s 1992 SNL appearance was not a performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” She sang Bob Marley’s “War.” At the end of the episode, she tore a photograph of Pope John Paul II and said, “Fight the real enemy.” Variety reports that O’Connor said the act protested sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and that SNL banned her afterward.
That episode is distinct from the 2025 performance, but it helps explain why a tribute framed around O’Connor on SNL prompted questions. Some coverage described viewers criticizing the song choice in light of the show’s history with her; iHeart reported on that reaction. It was not a unanimous audience verdict, and coverage of the performance does not establish the performers’ private intentions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the SNL50 performance does—and does not—establish
The performance placed Cyrus and Howard’s rendition of Prince’s composition alongside O’Connor’s legacy as the artist whose recording popularized it. The connection to O’Connor was especially resonant because of her history with SNL and the 2013 dispute with Cyrus. Those documented associations explain the attention; they do not, by themselves, prove that the performance was intended to settle the dispute or address O’Connor’s treatment by the show.
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