The Lion and the Cobra

The Lion and the Cobra is the debut album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on 4 November 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 O'Connor.

The Lion and the Cobra
Studio album by
Sinéad O'Connor
Released4 November 1987
Recorded1986–87
StudioOasis Studios
(London, England)
Genre
Length42:21
Label
Producer
Sinéad O'Connor chronology
The Lion and the Cobra
(1987)		 I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
(1990)
Alternative cover
North American cover art
Singles from The Lion and the Cobra
  1. "Troy"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Mandinka"
    Released: 1 December 1987
  3. "I Want Your (Hands on Me)"
    Released: 4 July 1988[2]

The first single, "Troy", peaked at number eight in the Netherlands and number 12 in Belgium. The second single was "Mandinka", was a mainstream pop hit in the UK, peaking at number 17 in the singles chart, as well as 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. The album charted worldwide, reaching number 27 in the United Kingdom and number 36 on the US Billboard 200.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Slant Magazine[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[9]
Sputnikmusic5/5[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

Slant Magazine listed the album at number 46 on its list of Best Albums of the 1980s, saying "The Lion and the Cobra is regal, majestic, and allegorical, an album rife with images of war, slain dragons, and ghosts, and it's one of the most electrifying debuts in rock history".[12] Pitchfork's Cameron Cook, listing the album at number 44 on its list of 200 Best Albums of the 1980s, stated that "The Lion and the Cobra’s themes of patriotism, sexuality, Catholicism, and social oppression set the stage for a career marked by a resolute sense of independence".[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sinéad O'Connor, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jackie" 2:28
2."Mandinka" 3:46
3."Jerusalem"O'Connor, Ali McMordie, Mike Clowes, John Reynolds4:20
4."Just Like U Said It Would B"O'Connor, Steve Wickham4:32
5."Never Get Old" (spoken-word intro by Enya) 4:39
6."Troy" 6:34
7."I Want Your (Hands on Me)"O'Connor, Clowes, Reynolds, Rob Dean, Spike Holifield4:42
8."Drink Before the War" 5:25
9."Just Call Me Joe"O'Connor, Kevin Mooney, Leslie Winer5:51

Personnel
Technical

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 37
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 52
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 37
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 27
US Billboard 200[21] 36

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Platinum 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[23] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide N/A 2,500,000[26]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Christgau, Robert. "Folkie Madonna". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. "Australian Music Report No 727 – 4 July 1988 > Singles: New Releases". Imgur.com (original document published by Australian Music Report). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Lion and the Cobra – Sinéad O'Connor". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  5. Atkinson, Terry (14 February 1988). "Beauty and the Bleat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  6. DeCurtis, Anthony (28 January 1988). "The Lion And The Cobra". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  7. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Sinéad O'Connor". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 599–600. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Cinquemani, Sal (13 August 2007). "Sinéad O'Connor: The Lion and the Cobra". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  10. Donnelly, Dave (4 November 2006). "Review: Sinéad O'Connor – The Lion And The Cobra". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  11. Christgau, Robert (23 February 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  12. "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slantmagazine.com. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  13. "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  14. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sinéad O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  16. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  17. "Charts.nz – Sinéad O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  18. "Swedishcharts.com – Sinéad O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Sinéad O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  20. "Sinéad O'Connor | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  21. "Sinead OConnor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  22. "Canadian album certifications – Sinead O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  23. "Dutch album certifications – Sinead O'Conner – The Lion and the Cobra" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 10 June 2019. Enter The Lion and the Cobra in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  24. "British album certifications – Sinead O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 June 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Lion and the Cobra in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  25. "American album certifications – Sinead O'Connor – The Lion and the Cobra". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 June 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  26. Abjorensen, Norman (25 May 2017). Historical Dictionary of Popular Music. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538102152. Retrieved 24 November 2018 – via Google Books.
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