Mandinka (song)
Encyclopedia
"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 single was a big college radio
hit in the US
. In 1988, O'Connor sang "Mandinka" on Late Night with David Letterman
, in what was her first US network television appearance.
Sinéad also sang the song live at the 1989 Grammy Awards.
In an interview in The Tech, April 12, 1988, O'Connor said: "Mandinkas
are an African tribe. They're mentioned in a book called Roots
by Alex Haley
, which is what the song is about. In order to understand it you must read the book."
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"....
from her 1987 album The Lion and the Cobra
The Lion and the Cobra
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 video for "Mandinka" was shown heavily after debuting January 24, 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
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, peaking at #17 in the singles chart, as well as her native Ireland.
The single was a big college radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
hit in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1988, O'Connor sang "Mandinka" on Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
, in what was her first US network television appearance.
Sinéad also sang the song live at the 1989 Grammy Awards.
In an interview in The Tech, April 12, 1988, O'Connor said: "Mandinkas
Mandinka people
The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....
are an African tribe. They're mentioned in a book called Roots
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Roots: The Saga of an American Family is a novel written by Alex Haley and first published in 1976. It tells the story of Kunta Kinte, an 18th-century African, captured as an adolescent and sold into slavery in the United States, and follows his life and the lives of his descendants in the U.S....
by Alex Haley
Alex Haley
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was an African-American writer. He is best known as the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family and the coauthor of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.-Early life:...
, which is what the song is about. In order to understand it you must read the book."