Before the widespread fame and controversy, the introduction to Sinead O’Connor for some of us was this hard rocking tour de force. It was bold and unapologetic. I write a lot about the great musical inspiration that I found on WDRE, a Long Island station whose airwaves barely reached my hometown in Westchester. But there was just enough of a signal for me to catch Sinead O’Connor’s powerful guitar chords and howl as she paid homage to an ancient African tribe.

“I don't know no shame. I feel no pain. I can't see the flame. But I do know Mandinka.”