FIRST TIME REACTING TO | Sinéad O'Connor "Troy"

[@mals4125]

Just one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Mind blowing - still after 40 years

[@TaylorB4Life]

Agreed!

[@neilsimon467]

Hi Britt. You nailed it as usual. Sinead going with the shaved head was an angry reaction to something she was told after an early audition before she was signed. The guy said (paraphrasing) "Your voice is great, if you just work on your outfits, show off your beauty" . She was furious , went home shaved her head. Then cried all night thinking she had made a huge mistake , spoke to her sister and it all worked out fine of course. She was just so angry that someone would suggest her chances of success were down to looks!! Troy is a song I love and its about the difficult relationship with her mother, as a child her and her sister we often forced to sleep outside in the garden for days! That is where the first verse comes from. The title is a reference to what Sinead called the betrayal of her mum because of the abuse. They later reconciled, her mum passed away shortly before the recording of the Nothing Compares 2 U video.

[@spruce381]

Great reaction. Ta.

[@briana9918]

It was the guys from her first recording company who told her to grow her hair long, wear skirts, dresses, and heels to be more feminine and she shaved it. Her mum passed in 1984 or 1985. She recorded her album "The lion and the cobra" which included "Troy" in 1987. Nothing compares 2 U was filmed in 1990

[@littleghostfilms3012]

I'm convinced if nobody had ever heard of Sinead she would still have sung just to herself, walking around in the wild, singing to the trees and to the sky and the universe.

[@maryramirezgreene1455]

Very well said!

[@brittreacts]

Agreed!

[@briana9918]

This is so beautiful ❤❤

[@TheresFuckeryAfoot]

I love how your mind works

[@waynenubile5]

Sinead O'Connor's "Troy" is one of my top 5 favorite songs of all time. Thank you for the reaction.

[@matthewdooley7855]

One of those artists whose voice is unmistakable. A ton of emotion in everything she does.

[@TheSadpunk0]

The song is in part a reference to the poem "No Second Troy" by her fellow Irish poet W. B. Yeats, where he castigated his lover Maude Gonne after she married another man- comparing her to Helen of Troy who was considered responsible for the Trojan war and its burning demise when she left her husband, a Greek king, for a young Trojan prince. She is talking about a "love gone wrong" relationship, where she is complicit in seducing a young lover who was in a relationship with another, but that lover also wanted her and seduced her also

[@kittenklub1964]

I'm Irish - Sinéad was a master of 'keening' (it's a unique style of singing, often associated with mourning) ☘it stretches deep into our culture heritage.We are mourning our beautiful Daughter Sinéad💔She was a force of nature with unmatched talent, but she was also very fragile. *Please* react to her live acapella performance of 'I Am Stretched On Your Grave' - a 17th-century Irish poem that she transformed with just her voice and a 'beat box' sample; She was keening for our Country & it is pure perfection. The media and music industry cruelly shunned her for speaking THE TRUTH about the catholic abuse of innocent Irish children, including herself & she was eventually proven CORRECT - now an acknowledged fact globally. But the damage was already done to her and her career. I hope they're proud of their relentless victim shaming of a 23 year old girl who was brave enough to speak out. I hope that she's finally at peace with her beloved son, Shane💚 PS You're right about her hair - she is a natural beauty, but her record label wanted her to be more 'glam' - in true Sinéad fashion, she went straight to a barber shop and got her head shaved!

[@littleghostfilms3012]

She bowed to nobody. She was the cultural Joan of Arc for our times. Why is it that in a world of Alpha males, it's the women who are the bravest? Joan, Pussy Riot, Sinead, and a million others.

[@rowanmayfair9249]

I have to add that Delores was the queen of keening. Not to take anything from Sinéad because she was definitely a master. I'd almost say they were equal.

[@kittenklub1964]

@@rowanmayfair9249 100% - Dolores had a beautiful voice & keening came naturally to her☘️‘Zombie’ is one of my favourite songs; I’m from the North, so it holds a special place in my heart💚The video always makes me cry….I grew up in ‘The Troubles’ & She shone a light on the needless deaths of innocent people lost. Her death was utterly tragic…gone too soon. May both Dolores & Sinéad Rest In Peace🕊

[@chrisalldis3375]

Her version of Molly Malone is the best one!

[@daniel.d2150]

Still mourning,and this gets me every time! God bless from Scotland!

[@greendragonpublishing]

Sinead O'Connor's performance of 'The Foggy Dew' with The Chieftains is incredibly powerful, too.

[@gwen3316]

Hey Britt, this song is actually about the abuse she received from her mother in her childhood, when her mother threw her out of the house and she had to sleep in the garden, when her mother switched off the light ( when did the light die?) she knew she was not going back and had to sleep outside. It's about abusive relationships.

[@cgallagher4501]

@cgallagher4501 0 seconds ago Im not sure where you got that idea - the whole image of the poem "No Second Troy" and her song based on it is about an unrequited love

[@gwen3316]

@@cgallagher4501 A quick search on google will enlighten you, she explained it herself in the "Nothing compares" documentary.

[@stefynik]

@@cgallagher4501Sinead did talk about it

[@benniboop752]

You’re both correct and in her documentary “Nothing compares” which includes excerpts from her personal perspective & the abuse from mother & displays how that emoted her perseverance to fight authoritarianism views for inclusion & promote against or be independent of “industry norms” using her platform. She literally was the 1st to speak against abuse of Catholic Church & their position of power.. that’s a f’ing HERO!

[@superstardeejay2468]

Individual verses are taken from different view points between her and her mother, once you understand that it makes it a much easier song to follow.

[@victoriagrove5344]

Sinead is one of my favorite singers. She is the most honest performer I know. Believe her! Her childhood was filled with indescribable brutality by her mother. This projected her into the direction that used her artistry. She wrote the songs for her first album at age 15+ There is so much to know about this incredible woman. RIP dear Sinead 😢😢

[@hectorsmommy1717]

She was also ahead of her time when she ripped up the photo of the Pope. She had first hand experience with the abuses by the Catholic Church and one of the first well known people to speak out about it. At the age of 14 she was sent to one of the Magdalene Laundries and spent 18 months there.

[@mattjohn4731]

Yeah she moves me so much! I also love Shane McGowan, but not to this intense degree❤️💪🕊️ Side note, my most intense American woman vocalist is Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth). But she's experimental and not of Sinead's vocal caliber 🎤♥️

[@mattjohn4731]

Also PJ (Polly) Harvey is a MF'er of a vocalist! 🎤♥️

[@An_Cat_Dubh]

This is one of the songs in which O'Connor was using a vocal technique know as "keening", which was a kind of wailing lament. When I first heard her do it, I'm sure it was the first time I had ever heard such a thing in a 'Pop' song (or whatever you want to call this). Keening*, btw, was outlawed by the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland for a long period. *The dictionary describes keening as: "Keening is a traditional form of vocal lament for the dead in the Gaelic Celtic tradition"

[@briana9918]

Makes sense her mum had passed by the time of this performance

[@circleofleaves2676]

Troy is about Sinead's relationship with her abusive mother. The "you should've left a light on" bit refers to the time when her mother locked Sinead out of the house for 2 weeks when she was only 8 years old. She would look up at the last light in the house going out, day after day.

[@konstantinosconstantine]

I'm not sure if true. The whole song's lyrics indicate a love story that went really wrong; "does she love you like I do?"

[@circleofleaves2676]

@@konstantinosconstantine Sinead herself explained that Troy is about her abusive mother and the environment that fostered these cycles.

[@konstantinosconstantine]

@@circleofleaves2676 wow! I didn't know and would never have imagined

[@Kgross241]

The song is about her mother. Her mother put her in the garden (yard) at night and she would watch her mother's bedroom light til it was turned off. She had to spend nights in the shed in the garden aka yard. Stolen from our very eyes means that they went to live with her dad but one of the siblings stayed. This is a conversation back and forth with the mom and the sibling that stayed and herself about her abusive mom

[@cgallagher4501]

Im not sure where you got that idea - the whole image of the poem "No Second Troy" and her song based on it is about an unrequited love

[@prestonwatts7179]

@kgross241 is correct. Sinead explained this and it was captured in a documentary. I believe it’s still running on Showtime. Sinead deserved so much more than what we gave back to her sadly. Her story breaks my heart.

[@irishguy200007]

She wanted to live with her dad.

[@Kgross241]

​@@cgallagher4501huh I got the idea from her own words

[@Kgross241]

​@@irishguy200007 per her book Rememberings she said, " at the time my mother lost us, I didn't want to leave her. She made such a grief when our father drove off with us, and she kept crying whenever we met her on the odd Saturday, so I really felt sorry for her. At my father's house, I lay under my brother John's bed how long exactly like a wolf from one end of the day to the other until we got sent back."

[@IsabelleRSG]

Wonderful song, wonderful voice, wonderful singer... One of my favorite songs by her, thanks for picking this one for a reaction!

[@trevorclark5138]

She turned up in London with songs she had written at a music studio at 17 and they wanted to turn her into a pop star, her reaction go to the first barber and told them to shave all her hair off a magnificent rebel with a great message all through her life

[@robbiecarroll5491]

The record company in America signed her, and tried to turn her into a pop singer. So on the day of the shoot for the album she went to a barber and shaved it, in protest trying to control her ❤️

[@jamesjackson8540]

Great reaction! Sinead was so unique. She sang every song from the depths of the soul. Troy was burned from the inside out when the citizens allowed the Trojan Horse through the gates. The Greeks poured out of the horse and torched the city. I think that's the key to the song. Would love to see you react to "The Last Days of Our Acquaintance," either the 90 Rotterdam performance or the 95 Pinkpop. Or both. Its stunning how the song is interpreted in radically different ways in each performance.

[@brittreacts]

I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@jacpollocktv]

Sinead wrote and composed Troy for her debut album at the age of 20.........20 YEARS!

[@kylewoolsey6635]

Every so often, I play her debut lp - The Lion and the Cobra. I loved it in 1987, and still do. This live performance is even more breathtaking - showing she didn't need the orchestration to squeeze any more emotion from the lyrics - it was so raw, you knew it was personal. You're right about the imperfections, and the wailing, its real. She was fierce in her attacks the industry and the Pope - which some say was the death of her career, but she kept going. Her Universal Mother was a good record, and Fire on Babylon was another great single, IMO. If you are looking for another song to react to, go there.

[@mattjohn4731]

Yes those people don't understand protest. She was the best kind of artist. Then folks act like they dig Marley, and George Carlin. And MLK. I call BS all over their ass. Her SNL performance was so brave, immaculate, mic drop 💪🎤♥️

[@RJ-oy7cq]

First and foremost SINEAD is a true ARTIST and true to her emotional truth.

[@areskei7536]

Sinéad is referencing Yeats´ poem «No second Troy», which ends «Why, what could she have done, being what she is?/ Was there another Troy for her to burn?» She turns it on it´s head, of course.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Close, it's a vocal thing called keening, associated with traditional Irish and related cultures, and it does have a lot of voice breaks, and it's basically about grieving and lament.

[@tdshow4287]

Holy raw! I've never seen this. I can't wait to see it again. Great work Brit, spectacular job Sinead. Loved it.

[@brittreacts]

Thank you so much!!

[@lesal.1373]

Sinead's most well known song video is Nothing Compares 2 U, written by Prince. She has shorn hair in that as well. Can't remember if you reacted to it yet??? She does a starkly, emotional rendition. Prince's ex-manager was being sued by him and he made a bit of a catty move by pushing the song to Sinead, knowing how Prince felt about others covering his songs. She k1lls it tho!

[@Christopher-Baltimore]

The “downfall” of her career was one of the greatest acts of love and defiance ever made in the history of humanity, and she did it live on SNL.

[@catherinedudley-fr3re]

I believe that Troy is the song about the abuse. She endured as a child, at the hand of her mother. And her mother had died, so this song was her grappling with a lot of that pain. I know that she was left outside and lived in her garden for weeks at a time. She came from quite a troubled home. Don’t quote me on this, but I saw her documentary. Nothing compares, and I believe this is the song about that. I just got her book on audible. “remembering “I’ll be reading it soon. She’s such a beautiful, strong, and fascinating woman. I have enjoyed learning more about her. I highly suggest watching her live performance of the song Mandinka from the Grammys. She sent a statement, with that as well, she was upset that public enemy was not nominated, so she had their logo drawn on the side of her head during the performance. She was a true act activist.

[@circleofleaves2676]

Yes it is about her abusive mother, specifically about the time when her mother locked her out of the house for 2 whole weeks when Sinead was only 8 years old.

[@paulwagner688]

You MUST MUST MUST react to her "The Foggy Dew" live with the Chieftains.

[@brittreacts]

I’ll check it out!

[@douglanning4393]

Sinead sang Thief of your heart - written by Bono and Gavin Friday. It was not the film "in the name of the father". Check out the song or indeed the film with Daniel Day Lewis. Song is amazing. She was an incredible singer. Watching your reactions from Ireland. They're great. Mind yourself

[@lunadyana3330]

When Sinead tweeted a link to Hi Ren she wrote this: “Holy motherfuckin SHIT! Someone just showed me this at the weekend. This Archangel from like, twelfth heaven or somewhere, has only gone and made the entire history of songwriting and performing look like a three year old’s birthday party at Burger King.”

[@A.Kanters]

Part of the playlist of my youth. You nailed it, enjoyed your reaction.

[@matthewrandom4523]

I still LOVE this song so so much!!!! Like almost 40 years ago!

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Have heard of Sinéad O'Connor, but never heard her sing before.

[@laurabrevitz3944]

Keep going. You won't regret.

[@erlindaolsson]

It's not too late to start listning to her.❤

[@orla556]

Highly recommend the video of this- the strings of the studio track add so much to the build up of the emotions

[@h.lynnmurphy1528]

One of the greatest vocalist of all time!!! RIP

[@ScottFraserPhotography]

She was the True Voice of Gen X - raw, authentic and brutally honest.

[@HelenKubon]

Loved your reaction and analysis. Think you were pretty spot on and made me see it differently. Used to jam to this cassette in my car in the 80's/90's, Love her and so sad that she has left us. She was a force.

[@ianspargo4512]

It’s about her mother and the abuse she inflicted on sinead and her sisters and brothers and it was also girls were frowned soon many years ago and her mother cut their hair short to make them look like boys!!!! It was a love hate relationship

[@pilibodonnchu3196]

Dia dhuit as Éireann 🇮🇪☘️🇮🇪 Sinéad was a gift to the world . The pain in the voice is called Keening that is heard a lot in Irish song . Keening from the Irish word Caoineadh which means cry or crying.

[@FredtheFrisian]

Personally I liked the album version better, because of the orchestration, which was awesome. This debut album was truly great (just like those of Kate Bush and Alanis Morisette). I also liked Jerusalem and Drink before the war very much.

[@marylreddick]

Love this song

[@FionaIngrid]

One of my fav ever songs!

[@ThomasShmotMcEwen3]

I got this Album in 1988 The Lion and the Cobra. So glad you checked this out

[@richardb.6765]

Sinead shaved her head because she wanted her music to be the focus rather than her looks. Seek out her cover of Elton John's "Sacrifice" if you want to be totally devastated by pain and beauty.

[@gregadams-bp4zk]

She was an amazing vocalist and a wonderful person that was taken far too early from this world that was so true to herself and was persecuted for her stance in her beliefs and for speaking her mind 🥹

[@johnv61]

“Nothing Compares” official music video is a MUST!

[@philflynn9161]

Sinéad is wonderful ❤ Great reaction!

[@33se70]

Her first 2 albums are gold ❤❤❤❤😢

[@tdave1234]

I never really listened to Sinead until recently. According to Amazon Music, she was my #1 listened to artist in 2023. She has clicked with older me in a big way.

[@geoffreyjackson3309]

This song is actually about Sinead’s mother with whom she had a very toxic relationship. The mother was abusive both physically and mentally who died in a car accident when Sinead was 18. The reference to Troy is the ancient city that was involved in the Trojan war. The album version is even more haunting in my mind and I always thought of the strength and courage Sinead had in trying to recover from the troubled upbringing.

[@cgallagher4501]

@cgallagher4501 0 seconds ago Im not sure where you got that idea - the whole image of the poem "No Second Troy" and her song based on it is about an unrequited love

[@geoffreyjackson3309]

@@cgallagher4501 from the 2022 documentary where she talks about it.

[@cgallagher4501]

@@geoffreyjackson3309 All art has multiple sources but the lyrics are spoken to an abusive/unrequited love who has moved on/stayed with another - just as Yeats's No Second Troy was: "Is she good for you? Does she hold you like I do?" "And I wouldn't have pulled you tighter No, I wouldn't have pulled you close I wouldn't have screamed, "No, I can't let you go!" From an Irish perspective the roots in Yeats's No Second Troy are clearer No Second Troy BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS Why should I blame her that she filled my days With misery, or that she would of late Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways, Or hurled the little streets upon the great, Had they but courage equal to desire? What could have made her peaceful with a mind That nobleness made simple as a fire, With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind That is not natural in an age like this, Being high and solitary and most stern? Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?

[@geoffreyjackson3309]

@@cgallagher4501 and I believe both are true. All I know is that she talked about her relationship with her mother when describing the meaning behind this song. Obviously I don’t know her personally and I have no idea what her thoughts were when she penned the song, but I have seen interviews where she talks about the u required love she felt from her mother. But one of the beautiful things about music is that it can mean different things to different people and even different things at different times for the same people. Both a toxic parental relationship and a toxic romantic relationship can be true simultaneously. Either way, the key moment in the song is the “I will rise, I will return. The Phoenix from the flame.” That is the line that has carried me through the past 35 years of my life, regardless of the source of the trauma.

[@cgallagher4501]

@@geoffreyjackson3309 100% agree Geoffrey - and we can agree that the song is just astonishing. Cant believe its nearly 40 years since I first heard it - hairs standing up then and now when I listen to her voice. Be well - and if youve never tried them have a listen to The Fat Lady Sings - Drunkard Logic. Music is a great gift for surviving trauma 👍

[@RaiderWing]

Both stories have some truth to them, regarding what the song is about. While the poem by Yeats is referenced by some of the lyrics, and had a part in it, it’s also very much about her mother, who drove those feelings about the poem. Her mother was the person referred to in the poem, for her at least. Just like when people tell someone, “this song is about you.” She said the feelings for the song came from her mother’s missing love and subsequent abuse of her. Where she did make her sleep outside, with the doors locked as a child, and she could see her through the window with the light on. So her mother symbolizing some of the poem, is probably the best description of what inspired the song to be written. But 100% the song is about her mother’s inability to love Sinead. Even though she believed her mother did love her but was rarely ever able to show that love, that came in the form of abuse instead. That came straight from Sinead on more than one occasion. So all you people who’ve told some ex, that song was about him, that’s from your own interpretation of the song. Lol. It’s actually about a child being desperate for love from her own mother.

[@colin2utube]

Loved your reaction to this astonishing song ! Troy was a city famously destroyed when their enemy left them a giant wooden horse, apparently as a symbolic monument that was dragged into the city walls, but it contained a small group of warriors who came out at night, opened the city gates, and allowed the hidden enemy army to enter. Its symbolic of the destructive infiltration into her heart.

[@seansersmylie]

Check out Sinéad singing in Irish! Oro se do bheatha bhaile.

[@scottsaunders5087]

Seeing younger generations starting to explore Sinead and in particular this song makes me sooo happy 😊

[@cathymckee1255]

Raising Waters is the daughter of Sinead O'Connor sang Nothing compares 2 you ❤

[@terencemcalinden5956]

Thank you for this..... Sinead was indeed "other worldly' .... a beautiful soul, with a social conscious ahead of her time. Sinead RIP

[@briana9918]

Totally right she shaved her hair because she wanted to. It was a song about her severely abusive mother. I feel Troy is totally referring to the Ancient Greece story of the battle of Troy. I feel it represents the hidden rage that comes up from her mum once and again and it was directed against Sinéad and her siblings through severe abuse. But i might be wrong. Sinéad's lyrics were very coded at times until late in life

[@konstantinosconstantine]

Troy is a very unique story from ancient Greek mythology... Sinead was an extremely educated lady! ❤

[@rowanmayfair9249]

I love you!!!! This is my fave.

[@brittreacts]

Love you 🖤🖤

[@Stoteles1]

thank you💖

[@joshuaparlette9428]

Irish soul. The primitive Gaelic soul screaming.

[@itisimatadvc]

Troy was the ancient city razed by the Greeks. Her lyrics are inspired by the famous Irish poet William Butler Yeats. Who you should also look up because he is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the English language (despite being Irish).

[@fabenyc]

I love watching someone so young get all the same feels that Sinead gave me back in the day!!

[@junkyardheaven]

You're right in that Troy is metaphoric - but directed at her mother, not a man (as many others have said). Obviously inspired from Yeats' poem, indicates that the relationship with her mother already is destoyed (no other Troy for you/me to burn). Thus "flames burned away - still spitting fire - still a liar"... Absolutely brilliant song! "Well, I used to care, that was a long time ago It used to bother me, it does not bother me anymore Oh, you're so strong and you believe You can hold me close until you wanna leave I don't mind, we can do whatever you please Oh, that's alright we can do whatever you please" --- Steve Wynn --- (was also an excellent songwriter)

[@arsbadmojo]

Yes, very raw. Check out "I am Stretched On Your Grave" for something very cool but very different.

[@xtalv]

She says it's about her mom

[@Yowza78]

"When shewhisperss, it's like a dagger to the heart." Guess what, she actually has a song called "Like a Dagger to the Heart." And guess who wrote it? Aunty Dolly!

[@danielstartek9729]

Best song on The Lion and the Cobra!

[@GRANTTRIBECreates]

whoooooooosh over the head !

[@Ohiogardengirl]

You need to listen to her sing Nothing Compares To You, soul wrenching, I think her best

[@erwinerwinson5941]

If you like Sinéad, you'll definitely like Skin with her band Skunk Anansie (and she's bald too)!

[@michaelgrabner8977]

The ancient City Troy got burned down to the ground and basically wiped out by the ancient Greeks due to - according to "the myth" - a love affair between the Troy King´s son "Paris" and Mycenian King Agamemnon´s wife "Helena" who followed Paris to Troy (becoming "Helena of Troy") and abandent her husband Agamemnon who then went for revenge (="Trojan horse incident") But the term "troy" is also used for a "very fine/light ounce" used to measure/to weight precious metals or stones like "gold, silver and jewels "...so it´s actually used in the song as a "double meaning metaphor" for a "very fragile but precious (=troy ounce refer) relationship which got destroyed (=city of Troy refer)" You really should hear the album version (song video) which has a symphonic string ochestra background sound (well it´s actual a syntesizer mimicing a "symphonic orchestra sound" but who cares) ..it adds so much more emotional tension to the vibe of the song which a single accoustic guitar is simply not capable to deliver. Don´t get me wrong that live version is beautiful but the album version is an emotional power house.

[@glenngastonjonsson7954]

Troy is a town burned down by greeks in ancient times, using the "Troyan horse". The song is a thing of beauty.

[@girlshapedbox]

This song is about her mother and a traumatic incident from her childhood, I believe.

[@noahcasa7917]

Do Sinead live version nothing compares to you next ❤️

[@glenngastonjonsson7954]

Loved your reaction. It's equally sensible and sensitive. I think you would appreciate "All kinds of everything" by Sinead and Terry Hall. May they both rest in peace.

[@itisimatadvc]

She shaved her head because she wasn't vain, not did she care about how she was perceived. She deliberately avoided becoming a "pin up" despite the fact that she could have been had she wanted, she was certainly very beautiful. She wanted to be recognised for her musical abilities rather than her appearance. She was the real deal, no question about it.

[@christophersmith7041]

Sinead first shaved her head in 1988, in order to send a message to music executives who wanted her to be more feminine. But the singer decided to keep the style for the remainder of her career, in an interview sinead discussed why the decision was important to her and candidly discussed the abuse she suffered from her mother, sinead also mentioned there was another devastating reason to shave her head,it was to dangerous to be pretty because I was molested and raped, she mentioned if l want to be successful it’s because I’m a good musician not a sex symbol,Sinead coursed controversy when she appeared on the Saturday Night Live show in USA ,as a protest against the Catholic Church she tore up a picture of the Pope,she also converted to Buddhist ! Sinead a controversial character, she died aged 56 and thousands of followers and fans lined the streets at her funeral in Ireland 🇮🇪, great reaction thanks 🙏 Sinead will be surely missed!

[@chrisalldis3375]

True, it had nothing to do with the Catholic Church that was a separate issue, love the Keening in this song, im glad she ended her feud with Dolores O'Riordan.

[@epongeverte]

Troy was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt during its four thousand years of occupation. As a result, the site is divided into nine archaeological layers, each corresponding to a city built on the ruins of the previous. It is best known as the setting for the Trojan War [Trojan Horse fame].

[@Iamjoeparkinson]

The Burning of Troy ended the Trojan war which lasted around ten years. The Trojan war was between the Greeks and Trojans. The Greeks used the Trojan Horse (a wooden horse where warriors hid when the Trojans brought them in the city) to infiltrate the city.

[@StephenDouthart-f8r]

The song references Irish poet WB Yeats' poem No Second Troy

[@johncook2913]

Two more great songs from her debut album,The Lion and the Cobra - have a listen to 'Jackie' and 'Never Get Old'

[@Yowza78]

Yes, "Troy" becomes symbolic. The Trojan War, where Troy was burned to the ground. The Trojan Horse, the ultimate symbol of betrayal. Helen of Troy, whose kidnapping started the war. The Phoenix from the Flame ... A mythical bird who is born from the ashes of its predecessor. (The Phoenix is sometimes used as the symbol of Atlanta, which rose from the ashes of Sherman's burning during the Civil War.)

[@charlesmclaughlin3578]

I prefer the studio versions as a start…

[@johnboydTx]

💚☘️R.I.P. Sinead 😢 🥃a parting glass and will gather Wild Mountain Thyme......🙏

[@kimzwolinski9919]

I think you got it 😊

[@wtcamer]

If a girl was singing to me like that I'd be like.... This girl is crazy. /RUN

[@Yowza78]

That wailing sound she makes is called "keening." It's an Irish thing.

[@brittreacts]

Oh wow!!

[@sorensmith9873]

She was not one to pull back on anything she believed, no matter what the cost...best example was her one appearance on SNL where she tore up a picture of the pope on live tv. Career took a big hit and for the most part she withdrew from public eye but did put out a few albums up until 2014.

[@kevin414]

As great as this live version is for raw power, you have to listen to the album version with the added strings. And yes, Troy refers to the Roman city. As in the Trojan Horse.

[@Markyajv]

R. I. P. Sinead. A rebel constantly. She was kind of blackballed when after performing on SNL she held up a photo of the pope and said "Fight the real enemy" then proceeded to tear the photo. (it wasn't until years later that the sexual abuse situation within the Catholic Church came to light.. But those accused were just moved to different parishes and no one was being held accountable. Our country is ass backwards.

[@hectorsmommy1717]

She knew firsthand about the abuses. At the age of 14 she was sent to one of the notorious Magdalene Laundries and spent 18 months there.

[@tommcleish6277]

Check out her song The Wolf is getting Married...powerful

[@ThistleAndSea]

That's it exactly, Britt. She went her own way. Kris Kristofferson wrote a great song about her called Sister Sinéad, one artist respecting another. You should check that out sometime. I think you will appreciate it. Thank you for sharing this one. 🙂

[@johnmurray6501]

Troy, in History, was destroyed by the stealing of a Woman from another country by Achilles. The Phoenix rises from the ashes, they are metaphors.For a while now she sings traditional Irish music. Love your channel, 😊.

[@gav9385]

I think when she sings "does she love you?" she's talking to her father who did not live with her at the time.

[@RFWieder]

She was blackballed because she had the courage and the integrity to call out the Catholic Church for it's cover up of child abuse. This deprived her of the fame and recognition she deserved and the opportunity of the general population to listen to her music!!

[@littleghostfilms3012]

In an interview she said the blackballing of her was the best thing that could have happened(I'm paraphrasing) because it freed her from the corrupt music business where ingenues are molded and packaged as products. Her life was hard, but it was honest.

[@chrisalldis3375]

I thought it was because the Record Companys were picking "pretty Girls" with no talent.

[@jaquettajones]

Please react to LAST DAY OF OUR ACQUAINTANCE it will Blow Your Mind!

[@brittreacts]

Ok I’ll check it out!

[@renardcent49]

She is singing about her abusive mother. Indeed toxic

[@anthonygeurtsen7143]

Nothing Compares to you. Has to be the one you hear!!!!! Trust me. It was #1 in 19 different countries at the same time when it was released! Never before done, and probably never will be again.

[@trishriley9681]

❤

[@ericcarlson8576]

Please react to “black boys on mopeds”.

[@helenespaulding7562]

You asked before about keening. Sinaid was incorporating keening into this song