90s Stand Out Singles: The Cranberries, “Zombie” (1994)
The Cranberries arrived on the scene in 1993 with a debut album chock full of laid-back dreamy songs from The Emerald Isle. As one of many groups providing a bit of calm inside the storm of grunge, they fit in well. However, on their second album, “No Need To Argue” (1994), they provided us with a single “Zombie” that broke that mold.
Frankly, when I first heard this song and realized who was playing it, I was a bit dismayed. I had heard many bands try their hand at “grunge,” either because they thought it would be fun or worse because they thought it would be profitable. The results of these “grunge” adventures rarely left me with a good feeling. So I approached “Zombie” with a tremendous amount of caution.
But the song persisted. It became one of many Billboard Top 10 hits for the band and the first to reach #1. It’s always hard to argue with success, and believe me, I tried.
Over time I was able to let this song in. First off, it’s simple — and it’s good. The production (especially the distorted guitar) is top-notch. But more than anything, what I grabbed onto was the subject matter of the song.
Growing up in suburban CT, I had read enough history books and seen enough movies to know the relationship between England and Northern Ireland had been contentious and violent for decades. But even if you can get a sense of something, you can’t truly understand it unless you’ve lived it. And the people who wrote this song had.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying “Zombie” is as good and powerful a song as “Sunday, Bloody Sunday.” But using grunge as a vehicle, The Cranberries expressed the frustration, heartache, and anger towards a situation that caused more than its fair share of all three. “Zombie” provided a catharsis for both the band and the listener that was visceral and real.
I suppose that’s what allows it to be more than just an outdated popular rock song from the early 90s.
