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 ex-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."[5]
The Lion and the Cobra received acclaim from music critics. In the UK, Neil Perry of Sounds awarded the album five stars out of five and stated, "I can think of no finer debut this year", and continued, "I challenge you to hear the voice and remain unmoved".[16] Eleanor Levy of Record Mirror gave the album four and a half stars out of five and called it "a staggeringly strange and enticing LP", saying "From pain to pure joy, this is a truly remarkable album."[17] In the NME, Michele Kirsch described the record as "a weird but pleasant surprise" and wrote how O'Connor "busies herself with the usual domestic hell atrocities" but "salvation comes in the form of unpredictable phrasing and strange little yelps of despair".[18]Melody Maker's Ian Gittins commented that "the dynamics and randoms here aren't fully striking, can't cut loose, because the whole is essentially linear, straight ahead". He said the album was "a fine debut" which "rattles its cage but never quite escapes".[19]
Accolades
In a write-up for Slant Magazine's list of the best albums of the 1980s, where it placed at number 46, Sal Cinquemani called The Lion and the Cobra "regal, majestic, and allegorical" and "one of the most electrifying debuts in rock history."[20] It was ranked at number 44 on Pitchfork's 2018 list of the best 1980s albums, with Cameron Cook saying that its "themes of patriotism, sexuality, Catholicism, and social oppression set the stage for a career marked by a resolute sense of independence."[21]
Posthumous regards
Since the passing of Sinéad O'Connor in July 2023, The Lion and the Cobra has continued to be praised and appreciated by listeners old and new.
The first trailer of the 2024 film The Watchers features a clip of O'Connor's vocals from "Never Get Old".
Irish singer Enya also quoted the words of her spoken part in "Never Get Old" in a tribute message. [1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Sinéad O'Connor, except where noted
^The Lion and the Cobra (booklet). Sinéad O'Connor. Ensign. Chrysalis. 1987. VK 41612.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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