The Lion and the Cobra
Encyclopedia
The Lion and the Cobra is the 1987 debut album by Irish
singer Sinéad O'Connor
. O'Connor, age 20 at the time, recorded the album while heavily pregnant with her first child.
The photograph of O'Connor on the album cover was taken by Haysi Fantayzee
member Kate Garner
. The U.S. cover differed from the European release, as it was felt a more subdued pose would present a "softer" image of O'Connor.
The video for "Mandinka
" was shown heavily after debuting 24 January 1988 on 120 Minutes
on MTV
. The single was a mainstream pop hit in the UK, peaking at #17 in the singles chart, as well as her native Ireland. "I Want Your (Hands On Me)" debuted in May 1988 on the same show, featuring a rap interlude by MC Lyte
. The song was featured in the 1988 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
.
The album featured prominent session musicians John Reynolds
on drums and former Adam and the Ants
and Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist Marco Pirroni
.
The title of the album is from "you will tread upon the lion and cobra", and the track "Never Get Old" opens with an Irish language
recital of Psalm 91
in Irish by singer Enya
.
Additional single b-sides include "Still Listening" and "The Value of Ignorance".
The album sold 2,500,000 copies worldwide.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
singer Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
. O'Connor, age 20 at the time, recorded the album while heavily pregnant with her first child.
The photograph of O'Connor on the album cover was taken by Haysi Fantayzee
Haysi Fantayzee
Haysi Fantayzee were a British New Wave band of the early 1980s. Allmusic journalist Andy Kellman notes "Haysi Fantayzee was a quirky pop group, known most for its colourful thrift shop image and successful debut single, "John Wayne Is Big Leggy", which was released in 1982.-Career:Haysi Fantayzee...
member Kate Garner
Kate Garner
Kate Garner is an English singer and photographer. Garner was one third of the trio of 1980s avant-garde, new wave pop project called Haysi Fantayzee, the other members being Jeremy Healy and Paul Caplin...
. The U.S. cover differed from the European release, as it was felt a more subdued pose would present a "softer" image of O'Connor.
The video for "Mandinka
Mandinka (song)
"Mandinka" is a song by Sinéad O'Connor from her 1987 album The Lion and the Cobra.The video for "Mandinka" was shown heavily after debuting January 24, 1988 on 120 Minutes on MTV. The single was a mainstream pop hit in the UK, peaking at #17 in the singles chart, as well as her native Ireland.The...
" was shown heavily after debuting 24 January 1988 on 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The single was a mainstream pop hit in the UK, peaking at #17 in the singles chart, as well as her native Ireland. "I Want Your (Hands On Me)" debuted in May 1988 on the same show, featuring a rap interlude by MC Lyte
MC Lyte
MC Lyte is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late-1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock.-Early life:...
. The song was featured in the 1988 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
.
The album featured prominent session musicians John Reynolds
John Reynolds (musician)
John Reynolds is a record producer. He was the first husband of singer Sinéad O'Connor; they have one child, Jake. Reynolds, formerly a drummer for Jah Wobble, met O'Connor and recorded her first album, The Lion and the Cobra...
on drums and former Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
and Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist Marco Pirroni
Marco Pirroni
Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...
.
The title of the album is from "you will tread upon the lion and cobra", and the track "Never Get Old" opens with an Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
recital of Psalm 91
Psalm 91
Psalm 91 , referred to by its Latin title Qui habitat , is known as the Psalm of Protection. As a religious song, this Psalm is commonly invoked in times of hardship...
in Irish by singer Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
.
Additional single b-sides include "Still Listening" and "The Value of Ignorance".
The album sold 2,500,000 copies worldwide.
Track listing
Personnel
- Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, arrangerArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - Kevin Moloney – Producer, EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Fachtna O'Ceallaigh - Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Marco PirroniMarco PirroniMarco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...
– electric and acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s - 'Spike' Holifield – bass
- Rob DeanRob DeanRob Dean is a British musician, who rose to prominence playing guitar as a member of the British band Japan.-Biography:He is from Clapton, Hackney, London, England.-Japan:...
– electric and acoustic guitars - John ReynoldsJohn Reynolds (musician)John Reynolds is a record producer. He was the first husband of singer Sinéad O'Connor; they have one child, Jake. Reynolds, formerly a drummer for Jah Wobble, met O'Connor and recorded her first album, The Lion and the Cobra...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Mike Clowes – synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, stringString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
arrangements on "Troy" - Kevin Mooney - All Guitars & Bass Guitar on "Just Call Me Joe"
- Gavyn WrightGavyn WrightGavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra, best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions as well as numerous TV and movie soundtracks Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London...
– orchestra directorMusic directorA music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head... - EnyaEnyaEnya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
– speaking part on "Never Get Old" - Leslie Winer - spoken words on "Just Call Me Joe"
- Terence Morris, Lloyd Phillips & Chris Birkett – Mixing on "Mandinka" & "I Want Your Hands On Me"
- Jack Adams – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Kate GarnerKate GarnerKate Garner is an English singer and photographer. Garner was one third of the trio of 1980s avant-garde, new wave pop project called Haysi Fantayzee, the other members being Jeremy Healy and Paul Caplin...
, Kim Bowen – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - John MayburyJohn MayburyJohn Maybury is an English filmmaker. In 2005 he was listed as one of the 100 most influential gay and lesbian people in Britain.-Early life:...
, Steve Horse – art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
, cover artCover artCover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...