Francis Berger
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The Most Gut-Wrenching Rock Song and Video of the 90s?

2/7/2021

6 Comments

 
When I read about or personally encounter people who have willingly and actively aligned with the insanity that has sadly become part-and-parcel of the here and now, the following question inevitably bobs to the surface of my mind,

​"What's in your head?"

The question is a common one, but in my mind it appears as Dolores O'Riordan's haunting refrain from the Cranberries 1994 alternative-rock hit, Zombie. A protest song, Zombie, was written in memory of two boys - Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry - who were killed in the 1993 Warrington Bombings carried out by the IRA. The disquieting subject matter of the song coupled with O'Riordan's soul-stirring delivery packs an undeniable emotional punch, which the music video - replete with black and white images of war and violence juxtaposed with color snippets of Ms. O'Riordan as golden mythic goddess standing before a cross surrounded with silver-skinned boys with bows and arrows in a possible allusion to Saint Sebastian - only intensifies.

Still one of the most gut-wrenching rock songs and videos from the 1990s - perhaps ever.

Whenever I hear the song today, it transcends the Warrington Bombings and superimposes itself on the unfolding tragedy and zombies of our own time and place. 

What's in your head, indeed.

Note added: Dolores O'Riordan passed away tragically a little more than two years ago; thus, Zombie will forever remain the Cranberries biggest hit. 
6 Comments
bruce charlton
2/8/2021 12:44:59

@Frank - I very much like the single Linger by this band, and I agree that that DO'R was a superb vocalist, and extremely pretty when young.

But as far as I can gather - after becoming a feted national treasure and very rich; she chose to cover herself with tattoos and project a 'bad girl' image, engaged in degrading episodes of petulance and violence (presumably neglecting her family), before killing herself with alcohol abuse. I wouldn't accord this kind of privileged self-destructiveness the distinction of 'tragic'.

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Francis Berger
2/8/2021 13:03:27

@ Bruce - I was only aware of her death due to alcohol abuse, which I considered tragic. I wasn't aware of the other factors you mentioned. In light of this - yes, the term "tragic" certainly becomes disputable.

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Michelle
2/8/2021 12:45:50

I've always been a metalhead, and lately the song "eye of the beholder" by Metallica resonates in my head. Even if you don't like your music a little on the harsh side, the lyrics are worth a read.

I worked in a record store (funny to say now) back when the Cranberries' Zombie came out. I know the song well but had no idea of its background. That song has also gone through my head several in the last year, too.

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Francis Berger
2/8/2021 13:15:55

@ Michelle - Working at a record store was the quintessential job for young people. Do they even have record stores anymore?

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TonguelessYoungMan
2/8/2021 23:45:28

I can only speak for the Southwestern US, but yes we absolutely have record stores, they're reasonably popular, even. For the past ten years vinyl (to a lesser extent tapes) has come back into style because many people around my generation (born 1993) have come to prefer the analog sound. (and also probably it's just a "cool" thing to do) And many people just like having physical collections of things. I even applied at a record store chain here called Zia records years ago (probably would have gotten the job if I had tats and piercings).

Wm Jas link
2/9/2021 20:29:04

This is a great song. A lot of the Cranberries' stuff was good. Like Bruce, I like "Linger"; also "Ode to My Family."

("Zombie" always makes me think of something a kid once said to me: "Hey, I just realized that Rob Zombie and White Zombie have the same last name: Zombie!" I'd never really thought of that.)

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