How About I Be Me (and You Be You)?
| How About I Be Me (and You Be You)? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Sinéad O'Connor | ||||
| Released | 20 February 2012[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2007-2011 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 44:59 | |||
| Label |
Shamrock Solutions Republic of Ireland One Little Indian | |||
| Producer | John Reynolds | |||
| Sinéad O'Connor chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 European edition |
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| Singles from How About I Be Me (and You Be You)? | ||||
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How About I Be Me (and You Be You)? is the ninth full-length album by Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor released in Ireland on 2 March 2012 on Shamrock Solutions and 5 March 2012 in the United Kingdom on One Little Indian.[2][3] The first single "The Wolf Is Getting Married" was released on 24 February in Ireland and got to number 40 for one week,[4] accompanied by a video directed by Roman Rappak, lead singer of Breton.[5]
The second single "4th and Vine" was released on 18 February 2013, accompanied by a video directed by Kathryn Ferguson. In 2013 O'Connor announced a European tour in support for the album, called The Crazy Baldhead Tour.[6]
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [8] |
| Consequence of Sound | [9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| musicOMH | [12] |
| NOW | [13] |
| Pitchfork | (7.6/10)[14] |
| PopMatters | [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Slant Magazine | [17] |
Will Hermes of the magazine Rolling Stone graded the album with three out of five stars and found, "empathy, wit and beauty on... [the] focused LP".[16]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "4th and Vine" | O'Connor, Reynolds, Adams | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Reason with Me" | O'Connor, Smith | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Old Lady" | O'Connor, Pirroni, Constantinou | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Take Off Your Shoes" | O'Connor, Reynolds | 5:28 |
| 5. | "Back Where You Belong" | O'Connor | 4:16 |
| 6. | "The Wolf Is Getting Married" | O'Connor, Pirroni, Constantinou, O'Neill | 4:23 |
| 7. | "Queen of Denmark" | John Grant | 4:37 |
| 8. | "Very Far From Home" | O'Connor | 3:55 |
| 9. | "I Had a Baby" | O'Connor, Pirroni, Constantinou, O'Neill | 4:11 |
| 10. | "V.I.P." | O'Connor | 6:36 |
| iTunes bonus tracks[18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Song to the Siren" | |
| 12. | "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" (live in Reykjavik) | |
| Google Play bonus tracks[19] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Factories" | 3:42 |
Live album - Limited special edition
This live album was recorded in three different concerts. Songs 1 to 4 at Dublin Olympia Theatre (Dublin), December 18, 2011; songs 5 to 8 at Frikirkjan Church (Reykjavík), October 14, 2011 (during Iceland Airwaves '11); songs 9 to 12 at St. John at Hackney (London), November 2, 2011.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "4th and Vine" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "V.I.P." | 7:33 |
| 3. | "The Lamb's Book of Life" | 5:34 |
| 4. | "Jackie" | 2:56 |
| 5. | "Black Boys on Mopeds" | 3:57 |
| 6. | "This Is a Rebel Song" | 3:46 |
| 7. | "Three Babies" | 4:46 |
| 8. | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | 5:43 |
| 9. | "Old Lady" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Reason with Me" | 3:22 |
| 11. | "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Last Day of Our Acquaintance" | 4:40 |
Personnel
- Sinéad O'Connor – vocals
- Justin Adams – guitar
- Kevin Armstrong – guitar
- Kenny Bogan – acoustic guitar on track 5
- Chris Constantinou – bass guitar[20]
- Damien Dempsey – acoustic guitar on track 4
- Caroline Dale – cello
- Sam Dixon – bass guitar
- Clare Kenny – bass guitar
- Marco Pirroni – guitar[21]
- John Reynolds – drums, piano on track 10
- Tim Vanderkuil – guitar
- Julian Wilson – keyboards
Personnel Live Album
- Sinéad O'Connor - Guitar (Tracks 5-8)
- Kieran Kiely - Musical Director / Keyboards / Guitar / Accordion / Low Whistle
- Ash Soan - Drums (Tracks 1-4)
- Yolanda Charles - Bass Guitar / Backing Vocals (Tracks 1-4 & 9-12)
- Dave Randall - Guitars (Tracks 1-4 & 9-12)
- Rachael Wood - Guitar / Backing Vocals (Tracks 1-4 & 9-12)
- Steve Barney - Drums (Tracks 9-12)
- Bill Shanley - Guitar (Tracks 5-8)
- Rachael Dawson - Cello on track 10 / Backing Vocals on track 9
- Roisín Waters - Backing Vocals (Tracks 1-4)