You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart

"You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart"
Single by Sinéad O'Connor
from the album In the Name of the Father: Original Soundtrack Album
Released	1994
Length	4:45
Label	Island Records
Songwriter(s)	Bono Gavin Friday Maurice Seezer
Producer(s)	Tim Simenon
Sinéad O'Connor singles chronology
"Don't Give Up" (1993) "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" (1994) "Thank You for Hearing Me" (1994)
Music video
"You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" on YouTube

"You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" is a 1994 song by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor and is written by Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer for the soundtrack to the 1993 film In the Name of the Father. It is produced by English musician, composer and record producer Tim Simenon and does not appear on any of O'Connor's studio albums, but was released on the In the Name of the Father: Original Soundtrack Album. In 1997, it was included on O'Connor's compilation album, So Far... The Best Of. It was a Top 5 hit in Ireland and Poland, and peaked at number 19 in Finland and number 42 in the UK. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 43.

Critical reception[]

Larry Flick from Billboard said "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, dance, and adventurous top 40 stations."^[1] Cashbox described it as a "riveting performance from O’Connor, someone who could definitely use a hit." He commented further, "Well, look no further than this raw, spine-tingling track, written by U2’s Bono and Gavin Friday Sinead opens all of the emotional floodgates for this one, hitting vocal peaks not heard since she covered Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Brittle keyboard flourishes, spacy rhythmic patterns and dramatic production (from Friday and Tim Simenon) make for a single that should, in a fair world, make serious noise at all rock, pop and college outlets. Of course, who said we live in a fair world?"^[2]

Eric R. Danton for The Hartford Courant noted its "moody melody".^[3] Liverpool Echo stated that it "has plenty of Irish influence", adding that with Jah Wobble and Simenon both involved "it also has a sharply contemporary feel which provides a good match for the traditional elements."^[4] Alan Jones from Music Week said the singer "adds an engaging vocal" on the "folk-tinged" song.^[5] 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's writing credit should add weight."^[6] John Kilgo from The Network Forty wrote that O'Connor "again pulls at the heartstrings" with "this intense song".^[7] Another editor, Wendi Cermak described it as a "dreamy ambient affair".^[8] Allan Detrich from Toledo Blade said it is the "best cut" of the In the Name of the Father: Original 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."^[9]

Chart performance[]

The song charted in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the US. In Finland, Ireland and Poland, it was a Top 10 hit, peaking at number 4 in Ireland as the best position. In the UK, it both entered and peaked at number 42 in its first week, on February 13, 1994. It stayed for two weeks on that position, before dropping to 55 the third week. The last entry on the UK Singles Chart was at number 80 on March 6. In Scotland, the song peaked at number 52 in its first week, before dropping to 84 and 88. In Belgium, it charted in Flanders, peaking at number 34 in its first entry, with the last position at number 42 on March 26, with a total of three weeks on the Ultratop chart. In the Netherlands, the song peaked at number 9 on the Dutch Single Tip only. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached its best position as number 43. 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. In the US, "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" climbed to number 24 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Music video[]

The music video of the song was directed by Irish director Jim Sheridan, who also directed In the Name of the Father. 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 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 free. At the end, she watches them as they fly off into the sky.^[10]

Track listing[]

Charts[]

References[]