A Perfect Indian

Album: Universal Mother (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about the actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who at the time was working on the movie The Last Of The Mohicans, which is why O'Connor called it "A Perfect Indian."

    "People think we had an affair but we never did," she explained in her book Rememberings. "We were getting very friendly until I blew the friendship by losing my temper with him one night in a crazy way that I do sometimes. One of the effects of my childhood, unfortunately, so the song is as much about my upbringing as it is about Daniel."

    "It's not that I was in love with him," she added. "But I was very fond of him as a friend."
  • This piano ballad is part of Sinéad O'Connor's fourth album, Universal Mother, released after she consciously moved away from the world of pop music. O'Connor had a massive hit in 1990 with "Nothing Compares 2 U," a cover of a Prince song. The ensuing fame punctured her mental health and taught her that she'd be happier making music more on her terms to a smaller audience.
  • O'Connor had some hair by this point, but we don't see it on the album cover, which uses a picture she painted herself.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.