Dolores O’Riordan died today at the age of 46. She was most well known for being the lead singer of the Irish rock band, The Cranberries.
Even though The Cranberries weren’t necessary known for being a political band, they had a few tunes that were shaped by current world events. One example is their massive hit “Zombie” from their 1994 album No Need to Argue. “Zombie” was darker and more aggressive than the ethereal dreamscapes of their earlier hits “Linger” and “Dreams”, off of their breakout debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?
O’Riordan wrote “Zombie” in response to a March 20, 1993 IRA bombing in Warrington, England, which resulted in tragic death of two boys, Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry. This was part of a three decade long time period of political upheaval in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. The violence would occasionally spill over to the Republic of Ireland, England and parts of mainland Europe. The senselessness of the violence is also depicted by the perpetrators of the violence being compared to mindless zombies who are committing atrocities without fully thinking about the magnitude of human loss.
The music video for “Zombie” also features powerful anti-war sentiments, including clips of children engaging in war games and British soldiers who are on patrol during The Troubles.
Even though the motivation of the lyrics were a specific event, the song resonated because the lyrics could easily apply to a number of senseless conflicts. Sadly the song continues to be relevant.
RIP Dolores O’Riordan (September 6, 1971-January 15, 2018)