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Sierra Viltrakis

Professor Leonard

ENG 1201 2V3

21 February 2021

Zombies numb to the pain; the after math of War

Zombies are mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimations of

a corpse. The term comes from the Haitian folklore in which a zombie is a dead body reanimated

through various methods. Zombies are left everywhere as a result of war and political unrest.

This was brilliantly portrayed in the song “Zombie” by The Cranberries and later in the tribute

version done by Bad Wolves. The original version was written in 1994 by Dolores O’Riordan as

a tribute to two young children that died in a bombing. The second version was performed by the

group Bad Wolves in 2018 and was supposed to have a cameo with Dolores O’Riordan singing

with the band. While both songs focus on the commonality of the effect of confrontation and

disagreement of the human race whether it be war or political. These effects can cause the human

race to act as if they are zombies; numb to the pain.

The song written by O’Riordan in 1994 was based on a bombing that happened on March

20th, 1993. It was the busiest shopping day for children as they were out shopping for Mother’s

Day cards and gifts. In the North Western town of Warrington Cheshire, the Irish Republican

Army (IRA) had planted two bombs in neighboring businesses. While the police were notified of

one of the bombs, they were not told specifics on its location. Twenty-five minutes later the first

bomb exploded resulting in panicked crowds running into the path of the second explosion. Two

young boys age three and twelve were killed due to this bombing and fifty-four other people
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suffered injuries. Zombie was a direct response from the Irish musicians to the horror of these

bombings and other atrocities that had taken place.

The Cranberries video starts off by showing a close up of a young boy who appears to be

dirty with a blank and lost look on his face. It then shows more younger boys playing in bombed

out shells of buildings that are clearly damaged from war. There are armed soldiers patrolling the

streets and this seems normal in their everyday life. These scenes continue throughout the video

along with the band playing from one of these war-torn buildings. O’Riordan is portrayed as a

gold covered angel standing at the base of a cross surrounded by cherubs that are clearly

representations of the children from this town. Throughout the video there are pictures of murals

showing soldiers IRA symbols and clear indications of struggles between the people and the

government. The video ends with the symbolism of a dying child and the cries of the cherubs.

The Bad Wolves video starts off with the following statement shown on the screen, “On

January 15, 2018, The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan was set to reprise her iconic vocals on

Bad Wolves’ cover of “Zombie.” That day, she tragically left the world. In her memory, Bad

Wolves released the song donating proceeds to her children.” Dolores was found under water in

the bathtub of her hotel, dead due to too much alcohol intoxication. This music video is very

simplistic as it only contains three scenes throughout the video. The scenes shown are the band

performing, the symbol of an angel representing O’Riordan, and a glass barrier separating the

two. The background throughout the video is dark and sombre and clearly portrays the darkness

of death. Throughout the video the angel continues to cover the glass with gold paint to the point

that she is no longer visible to the band. The video ends with the following statement shown on

the screen, “Her lyrics, confronting the collateral damage of political unrest, capture the same
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sentiment we wanted to express a quarter-century later. This is a testament to the kind of

enduring artist Dolores was, and will remain forever.”

The video was written to show the effects of war on not only the people directly related

but for people who see it from a distance. While Dolores was not directly affected, she was

emotionally touched by sorrow for the young boys. As the video shows life experiences and how

they affected Dolores, they also show how it affected younger children’s lives as well. As with

many wars this was clearly based on values and beliefs and the different culture fighting for their

freedoms. Both of these videos are almost one hundred percent pathos as they are trying to

express the physical and emotional affects war can have on people and how it can turn people

zombie like.

To sum up everything that has been stated so far is how the effects of war causes people

to act zombie like. In the first versions the video has a clear representation of war and the effects

it had on others. In the second version the video seems to be more directed toward the loss of

Dolores O’Riordan and the effect it had on the band. The confrontations and disagreements of

the human race whether it be war or political will always have a common effect on the people

involved both directly and indirectly resulting in people feeling numb towards the actions of

wars and the unfortunate aftermath.

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Works Cited

“The Cranberries – Zombie (Official Music Video).” YouTube, uploaded by TheCranberriesTV,

16 Jun. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts. Accessed Feb. 14 2021.

“Bad Wolves – Zombie (Official Video).” YouTube, uploaded by Better Noise Music, 22 Feb.

2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ. Accessed Feb. 14 2021.

Mensah, Jenny. “The True Story of Zombie by The Cranberries.” Radio X, Radio X, 15 Jan.

2021, www.radiox.co.uk/features/dolores-oriordan-cranberries-zombie-story-meaning/.

Accessed Feb. 14 2021.