Global InformationThe Lion and the Cobra information
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| The Lion and the Cobra | ||||
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| Studio album by Sinéad O'Connor | ||||
| Released | 5 October 1987[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1986–1987 | |||
| Studio | Oasis Studios (Camden, London) | |||
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| Length | 42:21 | |||
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| Sinéad O'Connor chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 North American cover art | ||||
| Singles from The Lion and the Cobra | ||||
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The Lion and the Cobra is the debut album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on 5 October 1987 by Ensign and Chrysalis Records.
O'Connor recorded the album while in the later stages of pregnancy with her first child. The title of the album is from Psalm 91:13 "you will tread upon the lion and cobra", and the track "Never Get Old" opens with an Irish language recital of Psalm 91 by singer Enya.
The photograph of O'Connor on the album cover was taken by Haysi Fantayzee member Kate Garner. The covers of the United States and Canada issues differed from the European release, as it was decided a more subdued pose would present a "softer" image of the star.
The first single, "Troy", peaked at number five in the Netherlands and number 12 in Belgium. It was not a hit in Britain when it was released there in 1987.
The second single, "Mandinka," was a mainstream pop hit in the UK, peaking at number 17 in the singles chart in February 1988, and at number six in her native Ireland.
"I Want Your (Hands on Me)" was featured in the 1988 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. It was used in a prominent character's death sequence, as well as the film's end credits. As the third single from the album in the UK (after "Troy" and "Mandinka"), it peaked at number 77 in May 1988. The single remix includes a rap by MC Lyte, not included on the album version. There are two mixes featuring the rap: the "Dance mix" and the "Street Mix".
The album charted worldwide, reaching number 27 in the United Kingdom and number 36 on the US Billboard 200.
"I'm really proud of them," O’Connor remarked of the album's songs, and her reluctance to perform them, in 2005. "For a little girl to have written some of those songs… I wrote my songs as therapy, if you like. I don't go back to it. I don't want to go there emotionally. I haven't paid all this money for therapy for fucking nothing."[4]
- ^ "BPI".
- ^ Christgau, Robert (22 May 1990). "Folkie Madonna". The Village Voice. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (10 September 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
...the album injected the experimental pop sounds of Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, and Enya...with a jolt of incandescent, youthful rage.
- ^ Doyle, Tom (October 2005). "The Mojo interview". Mojo. No. 143. p. 42.