Dolores O’Riordan rest in peace
It was Dolores’ singing that gave the Cranberries its distinctive sound
The time was more than 20 years ago. The title of the song was
Linger. It was by a new group who called themselves The Cranberries. It was quite good, too, with a
very commercial hook. “But I’m in so deep/ you know I’m such a fool for you/ you got me wrapped around your finger/ Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to let it linger/ do you have to let it linger/ do you have to let it linger….” The album from where it came from had this odd title, Everybody Else Is Doing it So Why Can’t We. That was probably what the Cranberries were thinking when it got into the music. Among the cuts was another chart bait, the wistful tune Dreams that assured the group of another hit.
“And now I tell you openly/ you have my heart so don’t hurt me/you’re what I couldn’t find/ a totally amazing mind, so understanding and so kind/ you’re everything to me/ oh my life is changing in every possible way/ and oh my dreams it’s never quite as it seems/ cause you’re a dream to me/ dream to me….”
The Cranberries music was introduced then as the new type of rock, the alternative kind. I think somebody came up with this tag one moment when everybody was at a loss as to how to classify a particular sound. So if what sounds like rock does not sound like the others in the usual categories, it was called alternative. The music of the Cranberries was indeed a very alternative, soft guitar-heavy rock with a lilting folksy Irish lilt. The band was made up of Noel Hogan on guitar, Mike Hogan on bass, Fergal Lawler on drums and girl vocalist Dolores O’Riordan were all from Ireland.
It was Dolores’ singing that gave The Cranberries its distinctive sound. I thought she sounded a lot like Karen Carpenter but daring and with an edge. And how sharp that edge can be, we found out a year later when we heard Dolores singing Zombie, which she composed for the second album by The Cranberries, No Need To Argue in 1994. It was no love song. It was about the death of a little boy during the war in Ireland that had been going on for many years.
Many of you doubtless remember how it goes, “But you see, it’s not me/ it’s not my family/ In your head, in your head/ they are fighting/ with their tanks and their guns/ in your head, in your head/ they are crying/ in your head, in your head/ zombie, zombie, zombie…/ what’s in your head, in your head/ zombie, zombie, zombie…”
I still have the feeling that not everybody who went around singing “zombie, zombie…” at that time related the song to the raging conflict in Ireland. But the number was more than enough to take The Cranberries to the pinnacle of global fame and alternative rock found a new queen with caring, warrior chops in Dolores. The success of the band carried over the years to more albums, To The Faithful Departed, Bury The Hatchet, Wake Up And Smell The Flowers and the hits compilation Stars: The Best of 1992 – 2002, plus singles like Free To Decide, Salvation, When You’re Gone, Promises and others.
Dolores was acknowledged everywhere as one of the greatest voices in her generation. She was also successful in her attempt at a solo career. Her duets with Luciano Pavarotti, Ave Maria and with Zucchero, Pure Love drew admiration everywhere. And it was with deep sadness that fans reacted to news of her sudden passing last Jan. 15. Dolores was found lifeless in her hotel room in London. She was there to record a song and was said to be looking forward to resuming The Cranberries tour that was interrupted by her bad back. She was 47 years old.
Dolores was married to road manager Don Burton, but they have since divorced. She is survived by their three children, Taylor, Molly and Dakota. The funeral will be held in Ireland, most probably in the town of Ballybricken in Country Limerick where she grew up and where the people still remember the little Catholic girl who loved to sing.