Mandinka: Sinéad O’Connor
Scrolling through my TikTok feed, I came across a video dedicated to Sinéad O’Connor, her song Mandinka played in the background and I was immediately hooked.
The bold electric guitar paired with the classic punk rock drums introduce the song in an unforgettable anthem-like way. Sinéad's vocals layer on top of this in an effortless yet powerful way as if she’s been singing this song her whole life. From the very beginning it is clear that her vocal range is exquisite and this coupled with the punk-like instrumental are what draw you in to listen to the remainder of the song. As the song leads to the chorus the vocals and instrumental build and become stronger, they explode into a defiant chorus that begs the question who is Mandinka, and why is this so important?
O’Connor repeating “I do know ManDinka” feels deliberate, it’s the foundation of the song and seems to be the foundation behind the voice too. For me Mandinka is the voice’s roots, the place and feeling that is home to them, as if anything that goes wrong doesn’t matter as they “do know Mandinka” and always have that to draw strength from.
This interpretation along with the guitar and layered voices in the background adds to the nostalgic atmosphere of the song. It has an odd familiarity about it, you can just picture it featuring in a series you’ve seen before such as Derry Girls. It perfectly embodies that nostalgic youthful feel along with that bold, not to be messed with message that neighbour bands like The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers mastered.
On the whole it’s a bold punk anthem of resistance. O’Connor has that grit in her voice, she sings from a place of experience and pain and you leave knowing that this is a song of defiance that has come straight from her soul.
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