Troy, Troy Again

Last week, I was wittering about the rock and roll response to WB Yeats. I covered a good few names, but there was one shameful omission. The first release by Sinead O' Connor, back in 1987, was the most amazing 'Troy'. It was a song like no other, screaming and beseeching, lulled and then apoplectic. I was obsessed with the song and the John Maybury video that accompanied it. I was a little frightened for her soul, and when I met her soon after, I was shocked that this quietly spoken artist would use the interview process as rough therapy.

Thus, I came to understand that 'Troy' was about her mother's mental problems, her divorce from Sinead's father and the intense atmosphere at home. This was compounded by her mum's tragic death. From this fierce material, Sinead created one of her most potent creations.

She was also referencing a WB Yeats poem, 'No Second Troy'. That particular work found William Butler coming to terms with the grace and the revolutionary import of Maude Gonne, who just wouldn't requite the love. The poem is full of emotional static, and the line about "beauty like a tightened bow" is enough to secure her immortality. Sinead was borrowing from the greatest source.