Val Kim

Nic Vigilante

MUSIC 1701

September 24, 2024

Review of Zombie by The Cranberries (Original Version)

The Cranberries released the original recording of Zombie in 1994 under the Island Def Jam Music Group. As one of the best-selling rock songs of all time, Zombie has an iconic melody with easily-recognizable punch lines that are still relevant to our society. This review argues that Zombie matters because it is a timeless anthem pursuing peace and inspiring people to stand up for themselves through its messages; this essence is evident in both the internal characteristics of the song and social context to which The Cranberries targeted at the time of release.

Right from the start, Zombie is unmistakably a song of protest and struggle. The electric guitar is softly strummed up and down for 12 seconds until the cymbals are struck and the heavier, denser bass chords kick in. The low and aggressive guitar riffs start at 0:26 to set the intense tone of the melody. The shrilling high notes played from 0:44 evoke the image of a siren that can be heard in warzones– they establish a sense of urgency and concern. After a few seconds, Dolores O’Riordan’s calm yet emotional vocals start. Her voice in this beginning part is hollow as if she is in disbelief. The lyrics directly hit the issue of matter: “Another head hangs lowly. Child is slowly taken. And the violence caused such silence.” There is no disguise in the singer’s words: people, especially children, are dying due to violence. The creation of Zombie was propelled by the Warrington bombings in 1993 (Song 199). The bombing occurred because of a civil conflict between different parties within Ireland (Song 200). One of the parties, the Irish Republican Army, planted the bombs in the streets as a way of showing their disagreement with the other side (Song 200). Unfortunately, innocent children were killed when the bombs were activated (Song 200). Dolores O’Riordan felt that it was nonsensical that this had to happen; kids with no intentions of bloodshed were being killed because of a completely irrelevant event (Uitti). She recalls that she decided to make a song regarding the event immediately after hearing the news: “It’s a tough thing to sing about, but when you’re young you don’t think twice about things, you just grab it and do it” (Kaplan). However, what happened in Ireland was not unique; terrorism and violence have been rampant across all nations, meaning that the band’s voice against brutality applied outside of Ireland and universally inspired others to protest against inhumanity (Kaplan). 

The guitar in the background gradually increases in volume and speed. Dolores joins the instrumental trend and starts to howl. “But you see, it’s not me, it’s not my family…with their tanks and their bombs and their guns” The void in her voice is now filled with a multitude of emotions. The adamant and spiteful tone of each of her words represents anger and the trailing-off of the lyrics and sighs at the end of each line demonstrates sorrow for those already gone. This strong tone is significant because The Cranberries were mostly known for their soft and relaxed ballads before this song was released (Moreland). Zombie was one of their first and most aggressive songs produced (Moreland). In fact, the album that Zombie was in (No Need to Argue) mostly contained mellow hits such as Empty or Ode to My Family. The explanation by the band is that they wanted to be assertive and powerful in their delivery of message against violence (Kaplan). Zombie’s intentionally rough style goes against the conventional style of the band, which makes it stand out more. The band wanted to promote peace and shut down violence, and they wanted to show this in a rather aggressive and polarizing way to make more of an impact (Moreland).

The song climaxes at 1:35 where the drum is striked rapidly like the sounds of gunshots and Dolores bellows “In your head, in your head. Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie.” The repetition of ‘zombie’ is a reference to the mindless troops that just follow orders to kill civilians (Uitti). Another meaning that this line carries is that oftentimes, the soldiers do not have control over their actions just like zombies cannot rationally control their movements. In fact, Zombie was frequently brought up when large wars broke out that it had to be controlled by governments at certain times (Uitti). For instance, Zombie was put into the spotlight when US troops were sent to Iraq in 2003 following the 9/11 terror attack and some governments like the British government temporarily censored the song in case of offending the soldiers (Uitti). The repetition in lyrics makes it easier to chant together as a group and it instantly creates a sense of community among the audience (Song 204). 

Even decades after the song’s release, many parts of the world are still at battle and risk of terror. There’s no method to fully control those who are in charge of arms/violence through a song or solve complicated international relations. However, songs like Zombie are an inspiration and examples of what people can do to protest against violence and it matters because it unifies the smaller voices of individuals into a collective outcry against bloodshed. 

Works Cited

Kaplan, Ilana. “The tragedy behind The Cranberries song 'Zombie' that made the Irish band a global sensation | The Independent.” The Independent, 15 January 2018, https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/the-cranberries-zombie-song-massive-dolores-o-riordan-rip-a8160921.html. Accessed 24 September 2024.

Moreland, Quinn. “The Cranberries: Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?” Pitchfork, 29 August 2021, https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-cranberries-everybody-else-is-doing-it-so-why-cant-we/. Accessed 24 September 2024.

Song, Jingsi. “Musical and Extra-Musical Factors Contribute to the Meaning of Popular Music: A Critical Analysis of “Zombie” by the Cranberries.” Scientific Research Publishing, vol. 10, no. 1, 2022, pp. 199-208. RILM, https://doi.org/10.4236/ajc.2022.102013.

Uitti, Jacob. “The Meaning Behind the Protest Rock Song "Zombie" by the Cranberries.” American Songwriter, 28 June 2023, https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-the-protest-rock-song-zombie-by-the-cranberries/. Accessed 24 September 2024.

Discography

The Cranberries. “The Cranberries - Zombie (Official Music Video).” YouTube, 16 June 2009 (released 1994), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts. Accessed 24 September 2024.

The Cranberries. “Empty” 1994, Island Def Jam Music Group. 

The Cranberries. “Ode to My Family” 1994, Island Def Jam Music Group.