"Zombie" is a protest song by Irish rock band The Cranberries, written about the 1993 IRA bombing in Warrington, and in memory of two young victims, Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry. It was released in September 1994 as the lead single from their second studio album, No Need to Argue (1994). It preceded the release of No Need to Argue by two weeks. The song was written by the band's lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, and reached No. 1 on the charts in Australia, Belgium, France, Denmark and Germany.
It won the "Best Song" award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped down version on the band's Something Else album.
Video Zombie (song)
Composition
The lyrics and chords of Zombie were written by Dolores O'Riordan during the Cranberries' English Tour in 1993. The driving E minor protest song was written in response to the death of Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry, who had been killed in the IRA bombing in Warrington earlier that year.
The lyrics also reference the Irish Easter Rising (or Easter Rebellion, Éirí Amach na Cásca) with the lines: It's the same old theme Since nineteen-sixteen. In your head, in your head, they're still fighting. With their tanks, and their bombs, And their bombs, and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are dying.
Maps Zombie (song)
Reception
The Rough Guide to Rock identified the album No Need to Argue as "more of the same" as the Cranberries' debut album, except for the song "Zombie", which had an "angry grunge" sound and "aggressive" lyrics. The Cranberries played the song on their appearance on the U.S. show Saturday Night Live in 1995 in a performance that British author Dave Thompson calls "one of the most powerful performances that the show has ever seen".
AllMusic said the song "trivialized" the events of the Troubles, and that the "heavy rock trudge" of the song did not play to the band's strengths.
Track listings
- UK and European CD1 Single
- UK and European CD2 Single
- UK and European 7" Single
- US 2-Track Promo CD (PRCD 6857-2)
- UK VHS Single (PRCD 6857-2)
Music video
"Zombie" was released with a music video in October 1994. The video was directed by Samuel Bayer, and produced by Doug Friedman and H.S.I. Productions.
In the video, Dolores O'Riordan is covered in gold makeup and appears in front of a cross with a group of boys also covered in gold makeup. The video also includes clips of children playing war games, and of British soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (as evident from their thin red line tactical recognition flashes) on patrol in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
The unsuspecting troops were told that their footage was to be included in a documentary about the day-to-day operations of various peace-keeping forces. The video was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
As of January 2018, the video has over 660 million views on YouTube, and is one of the 250 most viewed videos on the site.
Cover versions
- In late 1994, a cover version by Spanish mákina group Ororo was released in conjunction with the original version. This version reached number-one in Spain and number 16 in Austria.
- In 1995, a Eurodance cover version by Italian quartet A.D.A.M. featuring Amy reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart, No. 65 in Australia, No. 20 in France, No. 9 in Italy and No. 35 in Belgium.
- In 1995, a trance cover version by Trance Opera was released in the Netherlands.
- In 2011, Christina Parie covered the song on The X Factor Australia. After her performance, the song re-entered the ARIA Charts Top 100 at No. 69.
- Also in 2011, Sarah Jezebel Deva covered the song on her second solo album The Corruption of Mercy.
- Also in 2011, Swedish-Congolese singer-songwriter Mohombi released his song 'In Your Head', whose chorus interpolates 'Zombie'.
- In 2017, a hardstyle cover version by Ran-D was released in the Netherlands.
- Eminem sampled the chorus of the song in "In Your Head" from his 2017 album Revival.
- In 2017, a mash-up of "Wake Me Up" by Aviici and "Zombie" by The Cranberries was performed in Pitch Perfect 3.
Charts and sales
Certifications
Chart successions
Literature
- Fonseca A. J. «Zombie» (song) // Encyclopedia of the Zombie: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth / eds. J. Pulliam, A. J. Fonseca. -- ABC-CLIO, 2014. -- 381 p. -- ISBN 9781440803895. -- ISBN 1440803897.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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