Miley Cyrus, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, and The Roots delivered an emotional and soulful tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor during SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday. Introduced by Aubrey Plaza in her first public appearance since the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, the trio performed a stirring rendition of O’Connor’s iconic hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Originally penned by Prince, the song became a global anthem after O’Connor’s haunting 1990 version topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. The performance, which took place on the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, was a heartfelt homage to the Irish singer, who famously appeared on the show only once.
O’Connor’s 1992 SNL appearance remains unforgettable, not for the performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” but for her protest against the Catholic Church. Instead of performing a song, O’Connor sang Bob Marley’s “War” a cappella, then tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, declaring, “Fight the real enemy.”
The SNL50 special, which celebrated the best of the show’s history, also featured performances from Bad Bunny and Paul McCartney, with Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon kicking off the evening with a heartfelt rendition of “Homeward Bound.” The event was further enlivened by Steve Martin’s monologue, which saw appearances from comedy legends Martin Short and John Mulaney.
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