We honour the great Dolores O’Riordan with a list of our five favourite songs from The Cranberries’ discography.
Who wasn’t a fan of The Cranberries growing up? Dolores O’Riordan’s dreamy, lilting voice amassed throngs of faithful listeners, and the Irish rock band’s music often provided the soundtracks for our reveries.
It was with a heavy heart that the world mourned O’Riordan’s unexpected passing yesterday. As the band were so synonymous with the ’90s (a la most of our childhood), it was only fitting we had a tribute post in honour of O’Riordan. Here are 5 of our favorite tracks by The Cranberries, which will definitely stir up some poignant nostalgia in you.
Zombie
This was arguably the band’s most iconic number. Written about the 1993 North Ireland bombings, the song, in its capacity, was the embodiment of the negative emotions churning through the country at the time. The lyrics had sagacity in its distress, and the helplessness during the bombings were brilliantly conveyed with O’Riordan’s agonizing yet beautiful vocals. Startling so, it is a song that still remains apt for modern times.
Linger
O’Riordan’s swirling vocals lifted this hazy tune and made it one of the band’s trademark songs. It cinched the band’s introduction into the then-relatively new genre of shoegazing, a subgenre of indie rock.
Dreams
A brighter and more ethereal song from the band’s discography, ‘Dreams’ was not just the backing track of our daydreams but also of the decade’s cult favorite films like The Baby-Sitters Club and You’ve Got Mail. The band steps back in this one and lets the vulnerable O’Riordan pierce through with her moving staccato.
Ode To My Family
Less ubiquitous than the above mentioned, this rueful song made an impact on this young girl’s heart, almost as strong as the powerful Zombie did. ‘Ode To My Family’ was aptly named with its wistful and openly raw lyrics about losing the safety of childhood life and the warmth provided by parental love. Great stuffs for a tween, huh?
I Still Do
The track has an opening riff that is reminiscent of The Smiths and it builds and falls smoothly alongside O’Riordan’s ghost-like vocals. What is so remarkable about the song is how the guitar works never seems to ‘out-shadow’ the vocals or vice versa, but rather both weaving into each other to form an aural masterpiece.