Noel and Mike Hogan, two brothers from the Irish town of Limerick, founded a band in 1990 together with drummer Fergal Lawler, called The Cranberry Saw Us. At that time, Niall Quinn, a friend of Noel and Mike, was the lead singer of the group.
Extravagant
Niall Quinn had an extravagant taste for writing songs and coming up with song titles. 'My Grandma Drowned In A Fountain In Lourdes', 'I Was Always All Ways' and 'Throw Me Down A Big Stairs' are some examples.
Replacement
When Quinn left the group, he was replaced by singer Dolores O'Riordan, who was the last to remain at the auditions. Her talents as a lyricist quickly became apparent when she wrote the lyrics for the song 'Linger' within a day.
Debut album
The debut album (our Sunday Morning Classic) of The Cranberries, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, was released in the spring of 1993. Initially, the album and the first single 'Dreams' did not make much impact. The group also failed to achieve success with the second single 'Linger'.
Success
However, when MTV put the videos of the Irish quartet into heavy rotation, things moved quickly for the band. 'Linger' was re-released at the beginning of 1994 and became a hit. In the Netherlands, the single did not enter the charts, but in the United States, it reached the Top 10.
Marriage
Singer Dolores O'Riordan married Don Burton, the band's tour manager, in the summer of 1994. The wedding was widely covered in the press. Dolores increasingly became the centre of attention in the group.
Zombie
In the autumn of 1994, the second album No Need To Argue was released. From that album, the single 'Zombie' became a monster hit. In the Netherlands, the song almost reached number one in the Top 40 at the beginning of 1995. The follow-up 'Ode To My Family' was a top 20 hit.
MTV Unplugged
The Cranberries recorded an MTV Unplugged session in New York at the beginning of 1995. The band played nine songs. Unlike, for example, Nirvana and Eric Clapton, The Cranberries did not release the unplugged performance on CD.
Third album
During the No Need to Argue tour, rumours grew stronger that Dolores was going to leave the group. However, the band firmly denied this. The rumours persisted until The Cranberries released their third album To the Faithful Departed in 1996. Critics were not impressed with the record. The single 'Salvation' did make the charts but did not match the success of, for example, 'Zombie'.
Bury the Hatchet
The fourth album by The Cranberries, Bury the Hatchet, was released in April 1999. The most successful single from the album was 'Promises'. The second single 'Animal Instinct' was not a hit. The same fate befell 'Just My Imagination' and 'You & Me'.
Tour
The Cranberries started a world tour in April 1999 that lasted until the summer of 2000. It was their biggest and most successful tour.
No success
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, the last studio album by The Cranberries, was released in October 2001. It became the band's least successful album. The singles released also failed to become hits. However, the group went on another world tour in 2002. A year later, the compilation album Stars - The Best of 1992 - 2002 was released.
Break up
The members of The Cranberries decided in 2004 to split up indefinitely and to devote more time to individual projects. Singer O'Riordan released her solo album Are You Listening? in May 2007.
Dolores O'Riordan passed away
Dolores O'Riordan died on 15 January 2018 as a result of drowning in a bath. She was under the influence of alcohol when it happened. The coroner ruled O'Riordan's death an accident. No signs of suicide were found on the body of the 46-year-old singer. Nor was a farewell letter found. O'Riordan had been struggling with physical and mental problems for several years before her death. A friend said that she still sounded "full of life" in a voicemail message a few hours before her death, was joking and looking forward to her plans for the rest of the week.
In 1990, O'Riordan auditioned to become the singer of the band The Cranberry Saw Us, later renamed The Cranberries. In total, she released eight albums with the band.
Top 2000
In the 24th edition of the Top 2000 (in 2022), the following rankings of The Cranberries appear:
- 121: Zombie
- 480: Linger
- 1206: Ode To My Family
- 1751: Dreams
Sunday Morning Classic
On Sunday 21 May 2023, the debut album of The Cranberries was on our turntable as Sunday Morning Classic.
The song Linger, written by O’Riordan, from the album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We, became a great success in the United States and later also in Great Britain. Worldwide fame came with the protest song Zombie, against the violence between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. The album is a fine debut from The Cranberries. Dolores O'Riordan's singing sometimes reminds us of Sinead O'Connor. The album is charming folk rock with tension and atmosphere, timelessly beautiful, and we think Linger is one of the most beautiful songs ever made!
The Cranberries have a total of four top 20 Billboard albums and eight hit singles and have sold more than 40 million records worldwide. The band appeared on various TV shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman, and graced the covers of magazines like Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine.
Source: Wikipedia and NPO Photo: Poudou99
