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Elyse Coate

Prof. Barnes

English 1201.504

February 21, 2021

A Different New Theme

The song “Zombie” has a compelling lesson in both the original and the remix.

The original written by The Cranberries laments the tragedy during a bombing in

Warrington, England by the Irish Republican Army. The remix by the Bad Wolves

mourns the death of the singer Dolores O’Riordan. The Cranberries wrote their song in

a way that showed the pain that Ireland and Warrington had endured, while the Bad

Wolves reconstructed the song in a way that showed grief for The Cranberries’ lead

singer’s death.

The Cranberries wrote the song on the stance that the violence that the Irish

Republican Army (“IRA”) were causing needed to stop. The Cranberries was a band in

the late 80s and the 90s, that originated from Ireland. One of their songs, “Zombie”, was

written in 1994 about the Warrington bombing. On March 20, 1993 “[t]wo boys, age 3

and 12 [were] killed, and another 50-some people were injured, during an IRA [Irish

Republican Army] bombing at a shopping area in Warrington, England where bombs

were placed in trash cans.” (History.com Editors, www.history.com/topics/21st-

century/irish-republican-army). This is only one tragedy in a long list of violence that the

IRA put into action.

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In the song the lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan, sings “[i]t’s the same old theme,

since nineteen-sixteen”, referring to the Easter Rising.(00:2:44-00:2:49). The Easter

Rising occurred soon after Ireland Parliament was banned by the British, which began

the cycle of violent protests against British Rule. (History.com Editors,

www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising). So by singing this, The Cranberries

are lobbying for change from violent strategies that were not working.

The Cranberries appealed to their audience using mostly pathos for persuasion.

The two young boys killed in the Warrington bombing, are represented in the music

video by a lot of young boys. The video approaches its conclusion showing boys in pain

and despair. Their desperate condition shows that the violence just brings misery.

Although it is not mentioned in the song there is also ethos. Since the band is from

Ireland they have experienced conflicts that have happened in the country and could

testify on the matter. Logos is also a strong appeal because of the main point of the

song. The violence can only lead to more violence.

Another character used, other than the little boys, was played by Dolores

O’Riordan herself. She was covered in golden paint and was in a golden dress,

depicting a goddess-like character, surrounded with boys covered in silver paint, holding

bows and arrows looking like they were aware of dangers that were to come. They are

circled around a cross. A cross is a sign of death, or to Christians, sacrifice. This is an

illustration of the death that they IRA were causing. They even say in their song, “the

violence caused such silence”, meaning peoples voices are silence by their death.

(00:01:01-00:01:06).
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Part of the audience that The Cranberries are trying to reach are those calling for

violence to bring about change. The song clearly calls for an end to the violent actions

and rhetoric that had caused so much suffering. They could also be reaching anyone

from any geographic region. There are no limits on race, religion, or any other groups.

They are merely trying to get their vital message across to anyone that will listen to their

song.

24 years later, Bad Wolves, a hard rock band, remade the song. The band was

planning to remake the song with Dolores O’Riordan, but she unfortunately died on

January 15, 2018. (00:00:01-00:00:12). In honor of her, they remade the song and

donated the profits to her children. Their song was meant to keep the memory of

Dolores O’Riordan alive.

In the remix edition, the song starts off with more piano than the original.

Whereas in the original the song starts with an intense tempo to portray the violence the

song protests. The use of the Piano as in introduction to the remix brings a more

solemn opening to show grief. The scene that the Bad Wolves set, is a black room, with

lights shining down on them. The entire setting just seems glum and depressing. It is an

appropriate setting for the purpose of mourning the loss of Dolores O’Riordan.

Another piece of the video is that it focuses mostly on the goddess like person

that Dolores plays in the original music video. She does not say a word and is

separated from the band by a glass wall, that she eventually completely covers in

golden paint, making it impossible for the band to see her. It represents her being out of

this world and out of sight as she walks away from the paint covered glass at the end of

the video.
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The remix by the Bad Wolves is also centered around pathos. The entire band

seems to be in a state of grief or sorrow. In the song he sings “[i]t’s the same old theme

[i]n 2018” (00:02:07-00:02:12) , showing ethos. He is suggesting that he knows what he

is talking about and is able to compare the last 24 years to when The Cranberries wrote

the song. The way that they use logos is how they incorporate Dolores in the video.

They represent her as a character that she played in one of their most popular songs,

“Zombie”. This is very plausible, as it will bring more attention to Dolores.

“Zombie”, in its original form, was hugely popular, and still is today. Many people

do not know the meaning and the argument made in the song. The same idea goes for

the song by Bad Wolves, most would only know that the song is a tribute to the late

singer, Dolores O’Riordan, if they watched the music video. Despite the fact that the

song was written decades ago, the song raises a very emotional response to the

listener. Thanks to the Bad Wolves a new generation will know the song “Zombie” and

seek to understand its meaning.

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Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Irish Republican Army: Timeline.” History.com, A&E

Television Networks, 15 May 2019, www.history.com/topics/21st-century/irish-

republican-army.

History.com Editors. “Easter Rising.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9

Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/british-history/easter-rising.

The Cranberries. “Zombie.” YouTube, Jan. 16, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=6Ejga4kJUts. Accessed 10 February 2021.

Bad Wolves. “Zombie.” YouTube, February 22, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=9XaS93WMRQQ. Accessed 10 February,2021.