What drew me to The Cranberries, & specifically their song Zombie?
When I was little my parents typically didn't play nursery rhyme songs to me, like most parents did to their toddlers. This was simply because they couldn't stand the majority of them. Some of my earliest memories of music are driving to preschool and rocking out to We Will Rock You by Queen, Rocket Man by Elton John, and sometimes Baby by Justin Bieber. Though those were my preschool favorites I also heard Nirvana, ACDC, Social Distortion, The Cranberries and many more. When we got this project, I knew I wanted to do a song from my childhood. The task was which one. I’ve always loved the song Zombie, it has this haunting feel to it, that I haven't quite heard in any other song. I was curious what the bands intentional meaning behind the song was, because it could be interpreted in a variety of ways. In addition to that Dolores, the singer has an amazing voice. And in general I just really like their vibe, and alternative is one of my favorite genres.
Some Background on Info The Cranberries...
Meet The Members: Dolores O’Riordan, Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan,
Fergal Lawler
Dolores O’Riordan- Singer-songwriter and lead vocalist for the cranberries, youngest of seven siblings, born September 6th 1971 in Limerick Ireland, music was a part of her life from a young age at the church and at home, she joined The Cranberries in 1990 and soon became one the most well known female alternative rock artists in the 90s, she died January 15th, 2018 in England at the age of 46 due to alcohol intoxication she drowned in her hotel bathtub.
Noel Hogan- Co-songwriter and lead guitarist for The Cranberries, older brother of Michael Hogan who is also in the band, he was born December 25th 1971 in Limerick Ireland, Mike and him formed the band in 1989 little did they know they would have international fame and by the end of it sell almost 50 million albums as well as receive a Ivor Novello Award, BMI Award, and a grammy nomination, he’s 48 years old and still alive.
Mike Hogan- Bassist for The Cranberries, younger brother of Noel Hogan who is also a co-founder of the band, he was born April 29th 1973 in Limerick Ireland, he’s 47 years old and still living.
Fergal Lawler- Drummer for The Cranberries, born march 4th 1971 in Limerick Ireland, he is an actor, composer, drummer, and father, he’s 48 and still living and married.
(image of Ireland)
Song Intro: Get To Know Your Stuff
Song: Zombie- The Cranberries
Released in 1993, 3 years after the full band was put together
Produced by Stephen street and recorded at windmill lane studios in Dublin
Dolores O'Riordan wrote the song during The Cranberries english tour in 1993
Lyrics:
Another head hangs lowly Child is slowly taken And the violence, caused such silence
Who are we mistaken? But you see, it's not me It's not my family In your head, in your head, they are fighting With their tanks, and their bombs And their bombs, and their guns In your head, in your head they are crying In your head, in your head Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie What's in your head, in your head Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie, oh Du, du, du, du Du, du, du, du Du, du, du, du Du, du, du, du Another mother's breaking Heart is taking over When the violence causes silence We must be mistaken It's the same old theme Since nineteen-sixteen In your head, in your head,… Song Analysis:
The song is talking about the trauma caused by violence and is very anti-war.
For a while there was violence in northern Ireland on the news almost every week. On March 20th 1993 two bomb were put inside trash cans in Warrington City Centre, two young boys named Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry both under 13 were killed, and there were many others were injured. The bombs were put there by the IRA. The IRA is the Irish Republican Army, and their goal was to end British rule in Northern Ireland. Dolores wrote the song after seeing the news about the two boys while on tour in England. Along with the rest of Ireland and England she was fed up with the violence and pain. This song was the cranberries and specifically her way of showing that anger and sadness. This song is considered a protest song by many.
By researching the song, I found it wasn't intended to turn out the way it did. The song was composed by Dolores alone, on an acoustic guitar, in her hotel room. Soon there was an electric guitar and drums slamming hard in place of the once bare acoustic sound. The song became “a bit of a rocker” Dolores said and was “the most aggressive song we’d written” she also said. It naturally became a grunge song after playing with the feedback, distortion, and their live instruments. The music video was a big thing too. Samuel Bayer the director shot actual footage of the chaos in Ireland and the local children. This gave the music video an actual image into what the song was intended to create in listeners heads, he was very brave and creative.
My Conclusion:
Prior to this project I had no clue what the song was actually about. Before I did my research I decided to try and analyze the song on my own with no knowledge whatsoever. All I knew before starting was that The Cranberries were an Irish band from the 90s and that I really liked the songs Dream and Zombie. I thought the song could be about: being the “weird kid” at school, mental illness in kids, bullying leading to suicide, and my more accurate assumptions, PTSD and affects of war on a community.
I'm only in highschool, and quite obviously wasn't alive in the 90s. I’ve never been taught about the conflicts in northern Ireland with the British. Maybe that's something I’ll be taught later on or never will because we don't live in Ireland or Britain, and its no longer a current event. However while doing this project I learned quite a bit. Here's my summary of that chunk of history: basically the Irish Republican Army was very upset about the british rule of northern ireland therefore there was a lot of war and bombing going on between the two.
In conclusion my perspectives on the song Zombie, The Cranberries as a band, and Ireland have all changed tremendously. Though you can see why I thought the song was about mental illness and such, with the constant reference to bombs in your head. I now know the artist's intional meaning and it has changed the way I think about the song and even how I feel when I listen to it. In addition to that the cranberries are more than just an irish band from the 90s. I think they were protest artists in a way, I mean c'mon they even were invited to perform at The Nobel Peace Prize in 1998! They had interna-tional fame, and sold countless albums, as well as received a few awards. And finally, Ireland is more than just a pretty place with castles, ruins, and funny accents. They faced war, trauma, and civil unrest just like America, and many other countries have. One day I hope to visit Ireland.
My Sources:
Johnston, Emma. “The Story Behind The Song: The Cranberries - Zombie.” Classic Rock
Magazine, Louder, 2 Nov. 2017,
unknown. “Biography.” The Cranberries, www.cranberries.com/biography.
“Warrington IRA Bombs Victims Invited to Anniversary Ceremony.” BBC News, BBC, 23
Jan. 2013, www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-21166830.
'Zombie' by The Cranberries - Song Analysis.
prezi.com/aobrkwb1dge_/zombie-by-the-cranberries-song-analysis/.
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