Zombie

The story behind

The song Zombie by The Cranberries was born from a tragic event. In March 1993, two explosive devices detonated on a shopping street in Warrington, England, resulting in the deaths of two children, 3-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry. Vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, upon visiting the area and learning of the devastation, felt the need to capture that reality in a composition. The lyrics evoke lost innocence and disconnection from violence, reflecting the tension of that moment, especially for Irish people in the United Kingdom. This piece, which departs from the band's usual sound, is characterized by its distorted guitar and a more intense vocal performance, making it a protest anthem.Released in September 1994 as a preview of the album No Need to Argue, Zombie quickly climbed the popularity charts. It reached the number one spot in countries such as Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, and Germany. Although it did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100, it did top the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. The song was chosen as the number one track on the Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 list in 1994 and won the award for Best Song at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards. The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, features O'Riordan covered in gold paint and scenes from Belfast during times of conflict. In 2020, Zombie became the first song by an Irish band to surpass one billion streams on YouTube. Following O'Riordan's passing in 2018, the song took on new meaning, being adopted as an anthem in stadiums, for both Irish sports teams and the national rugby team.