Hear the heartbreaking isolated vocals of The Cranberries song ‘Zombie’
The Cranberries formed in Limerick, Ireland, during 1989, and quickly became one of the country’s most successful alternative bands. Fronted by Dolores O’Riordan, the band became widely known for the unique vocals she provided over their indie-rock and jangly pop sound.
Gaining international recognition in 1993 with their album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, which featured one of their biggest hits, ‘Linger,’ listeners became captivated with O’Riordan’s unique voice. By 1994, the band had gone triple platinum with their second album No Need To Argue which featured their haunting track ‘Zombie,’ which shot to number one.
The song was so successful that the band beat Michael Jackson at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Song. The track was inspired by the IRA bombing in Cheshire, which killed two young children, with O’Riordan stating that she wrote the song in response to “the Irish fight for independence that seems to last forever,” hoping it to be a “song for peace, peace among England and Ireland.”
O’Riordan also explained in an interview that the change in sound and lyrical content that emerged with their second album came from being “on the road” where “writing things became more alive. I think that’s why ‘Zombie’ emerged.”
‘Zombie’ garnered a lot of controversy upon its release due to its strong political statement. O’Riordan said: “I knew that would be the angle of the song because it was controversial. But, I suppose I was kind of taken aback with the success of the song. I didn’t know it was going to be that successful.”
Despite its success, ‘Zombie’ was still subjected to censorship. On the eve of the outbreak of the Iraq war in 2003, the British Government and Independent Television Commission stated that they would temporarily remove ‘controversial’ songs that contained ‘sensitive material’ from broadcast, which included ‘Zombie.’
Blacklisted until the Iraq war ended in 2011, the song has since been used in popular culture, such as the Irish coming-of-age comedy series Derry Girls, and the acoustic version can be heard at the end of Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead.
The song is most recognisable for its striking vocals, wherein O’Riordan can be heard yodelling. The combination of falsetto and her method of amplifying each word has led critics to consider the style as ‘Sean-nós singing’, a traditional Irish vocal style known for its melodic and lengthy phrases and melismatic lines.
She also uses her usual style of ‘keening,’ a traditional Gaelic Celtic style of singing that laments for the dead. The different techniques used by O’Riordan create a lasting impact on the listener and heighten the emotional effect of the lyrical content, making the track one of their most powerful. ‘Zombie’ is an evocative and soul-stirring track, and listening to O’Riordan’s isolated vocals makes for an even greater experience.
O’Riordan sadly passed away in 2018 at just 46 years old from accidental drowning after alcohol intoxication. The singer lives on through her music, and will forever be remembered for her distinctive and beloved voice.
