2024 is the 30th anniversary of the Sinéad O’Connor Single, You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart. The track was written by Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer for the soundtrack to the 1993 film In the Name of the Father. The song was produced by English musician Tim Simenon (Bomb The Bass) and Gavin Friday 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. In the Name of the Father is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed four off-duty British soldiers and a civilian. O’Connor’s heart wrenching, powerful vocal was the perfect way to deliver the track’s devastating emotional message with lyrics written by Bono. In a 2023 interview with Steve Pafford, Gavin Friday talked about the recording of the track: “We showed Sinéad a rough edit of the film, after which I spent sometime with her going through the lyrics the next day in STS Studios in Dublin. And with the phenomenal talents of producer Tim Simenon we recorded Sinéad’s breathtaking vocals. All she asked for was the room to be candlelit, and within two takes she had made her magical mark on the song……. what Sinéad captured within that song spoke as loud as the bombs that opened the film and as deep as the pain The Troubles had wounded our nation” This exclusive release for Record Store Day 2024 is on clear vinyl and pulls together the versions of the track released in 1994 as well as the B-Side, The Father and His Wife The Spirit performed by Sinéad and Gavin Friday.
