"Zombie" is a single by The Cranberries released in 1994. At first glance, the song seems to be about the famous undead, but is it really so?
No, in fact, this song aims to express dissent against the normalization of horror.
The song was written shortly after the bombing in Warrington, England, where two children were killed by an IRA bomb. The lyrics of the song contain references to the history of Northern Ireland and the struggle for Ireland's independence.
Let's not forget that all four members of the band are Irish, and the death of the two children was such a devastating news for Dolores O'Riordan that she wrote "Zombie" in just twenty minutes.
In the song's lyrics, a date is mentioned, 1916, and the essence of the whole song lies right there: "It's the same old theme since 1916. In your head, they're still fighting." What happened in 1916?
That year, a treaty was signed to establish peace between Ireland and England. However, the treaty was never honored, and the conflicts continued until 1999.
In short, the "zombies" mentioned in the lyrics are the English, and also the Irish. In reality, they represent all those who, faced with shocking news, remain impassive like zombies because they are numbed to horror. We must be scandalized by these events. We must suffer and seek a remedy.
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The band was formed in Limerick, Ireland, in 1989. The founding members were singer Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, and drummer Fergal Lawler.
The band's name was inspired by a 1962 film called "The Crawling Hand," in which an alien entity takes control of a dead person's hand.
The Cranberries' first album, "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?", was released in 1993 and became an international success. The album's most famous song, "Linger," became a hit worldwide.
In 2003, the band decided to take a break and focus on solo projects. They reunited in 2009 to begin recording a new album, but the project was interrupted by the sudden death of Dolores O'Riordan in January 2018.
After Dolores O'Riordan's death, the remaining band members decided to release the last album they had recorded together, called "In the End." The album was released in 2019 and was produced using O'Riordan's vocal recordings made before her death.
