Each death diminishes the world a little. People I've never met who pass away can make me feel like a part of me shrivels up and falls away. When that album came out it was everywhere. Every single note she sang was done like her soul was on the outside for everyone to see and to wound.  Prince wrote Nothing Compares 2 U but he sang it with a bit of swagger, a little cool and detached. She sang the hell out of it and like a good actor got inside the meaning of the words and made them immortal. Someone put it on a mix tape they made for me once, knowing the effect would be devastating. I could never be so open with my feelings. Few can. You protect yourself, which seems like the smart thing to do. In her videos she was usually alone against a dark background, delicate and fearless that voice sounding like it could pierce through anything.