"The Cranberries" - "Zombie" (1994): song meaning, video clip, public response

"Zombie." - song protests of an Irish rock band "The Cranberries". The track came out in the autumn 1994 and was leading composition from the second studio record "No Need to Argue". By the author "Zombie" is the vocalist of the collective Dolores O'Riordan. Song led the way a long time in the charts Australia and some countries EuropeFrance and Germany in particular.

The song is about war in Northern Ireland between people who wanted to remain part of the UKand those who wanted to turn the region into a separate country. This conflict is source of violence, suffering and death over the course of more than a hundred yearssince sections Ireland. Irish Republican Army (IRA) и loyalist paramilitaries fought each other prolonged time.

History of Creation

Text the song was written after bombings IRA in Warrington, Cheshire, England, 20 March 1993. В as a result of of the war effort died two children: three years old Jonathan Ball died instantly, and a twelve-year-old. Tim Parry died five days later in hospital. More 56 person received injuriesfour of them serious. Both sides accuse in each other's deaths: British the police are accusing IRA in the installation bombsThe IRA believes that British law enforcement officials ignored warnings about the sweep neighbourhoods.

"The Cranberries" wrote "Zombie." during tour 1993 England. Vocalist Dolores O'Riordan confessed:

"On the road, tracks are written faster and livelier. "Zombie" came about quite by accident. If you compare it with the tracks from our first album, you can see how we gradually moved away from a restrained sound to a rock'n'roll style."

The meaning of the song

The composition looks like either conversations about people, losing their souls and become meaningless machines for the murders, or as random images zombies with a cool musical backdrop. The first verse quite vividly describes the tears and bereavement mothers and gives the political hue single: "Another head hangs lowly / Child is slowly taken away" - "Another head hangs lowly / Child is slowly taken away". Lyrics "slowly taken" may also be a reference to the fact that many children and adults by deceptions make it seem like they're wrestle for justice, when in fact it's quite the opposite.

There's also others stitchesthat are worth reverse attention. "And the violence caused such silence" may mean that the each side of the war has committed such terrible atrocitiesthat neither of them is ready to lead negotiationsand that's why the violence continued. "But you see it's not me, / It's not my family / In your head, in your head they are fighting")-a given phrase stands out as conversation with someone who's goes crazy and he's trying to explain that death и murder - it's all happening in headand not the real thing. It's also possible interpretation: all of it violencethat one has ever felt about oneself, the way one has suppressed all emotions and experiences, made him thoughtless и indifferentthat looks like zombies.

Specific reference to 1916 ("It's the same old theme / Since 1916" - it's about the Easter rebellion, armed a clash in Northern Ireland during of Easter week.in April 1916. Uprising was started by the Irish Republicansto put end British rule in the country and set up an independent one, free statewhile the United Kingdom has been involved in the World War I.

If you want to better to understand what it is sense of the track, you have to be careful listen into words, little by little. scrolling in their head and turn paying attention to how they make you feel. This deep song can't interpret only from one side, it has to be viewed from different angles and look for hidden meanings.

There may be many versions about what's really means this composition. But definitely understandably: war - it's an unjustified crueltywhere innocent people die, even children. No policyfreedom and philosophy can't do it. justify.

Video clip

The music video for "Zombie" was shot Samuel Bayerwho flew in Belfast shortly before cessations of fire to capture footage in the area. In the video. no staged scenesthese are the real ones. British soldiers and local children. Bayer blends it's with striking with images of Dolores O'Riordan standing by the cross and covered golden with paint that's being stared at by the same gilded children.

Painting myself gold for the video was idea O'Riordan. In explaining symbolismshe said:

"It was metaphorical for all the pain that was being inflicted on innocent people, and a little bit religious."

In the UK, the song took only 14th place in the charts. The video's success was hindered prohibition BBC and Irish broadcaster RTE: they didn't like it. riot scenesfilmed in Belfast and children playing. in the war. They were showing edited version Video. As of 2022, the original version of the music video has scored a 1.1 billion views on YouTube.

31 August 1994and after a few months after release of this composition, IRA declared finalisations military operations after 25 years conflicts.

Covers

"Zombie." - very powerful songbut it's also quite just singing and playing, so the composition was over-sung many times in different genres and was often performed by contestants in TV show. For example, the Gibraltarian metal band "Breed77" recorded her own version and put it on the album. "Insects." in 2009. Italian group "New Hope." re-sang the song for the album "What Never Dies" in the same year.

In 2018. American groove metal band "Bad Wolves." released great cover with at least with a beautiful clip: a girl appears in the video wearing a "gilded" look. Dolores O'Riordan.