Marker 1

Kelsie Marker

Professor Porter

Comp II

February 13, 2020

Zombie

"Another head hangs lowly; Child is slowly taken. And the violence causes silence; who

are we mistaken?" This lyric from the song "Zombie," originally sung by the Cranberries and

covered by Bad Wolves, holds a tremendous emotional impact. This song talks about the uprise

of violence in Ireland. Tragically taking innocent lives, the government does not focus on the

safety of the children. These pieces compare and contrast the level of emotions they portray and

their presentation. Bringing expressive value into both the original and cover of the song

“Zombie,” the Cranberries and Bad Wolves uniquely provide a tribute to someone who has

fallen. Each song does an excellent job of telling a story, whether about the heartbreak of a

community or simply giving a tribute to a fallen soul. Both renditions provide a soul-piercing

performance while presenting vastly different visual effects.

Bringing a timely message to their audience, both the original and cover of "Zombie" give

a touching tribute to a fallen soul. The message that the Cranberries bring is heart-rending,

powerful, and very significant to express. According to Louder Sound, the main singer Dolores

O'Riordan allowed her rage towards Northern Ireland’s government to motivate her to write this

song. She wanted to bring a stark awareness to the senseless violence towards the innocent

children of Ireland. Specifically, her main motivation for writing this song is to give an

emotional tribute to twelve-year-old Tim Parry and three-year-old Jonathan Ball, who were
 Marker 2

tragically killed in the bombings of 1993. The bombs were placed in Warrington City Centre by

the Irish Republicans. Similarly, the cover of "Zombie" sung by the metal rock band Bad Wolves

is a respectful tribute to the main singer of Cranberries, Dolores O'Riordan, who tragically

passed away from an overdose at age forty-six. Both bands were close, and the death of Dolores

was a very tragic event that occurred. This tribute shows the respect that Bad Wolves had for

Dolores and how much everyone truly loved her, and the reputation she upheld. Both bands

captured the audience with the use of pathos in their songs. By guiding the audience through a

touching performance, both pieces show beautiful tributes to their cherished lost ones. The

significance of the noteworthy value of each song is enormous. They are alike in that they give

respect to someone who died while differing in the presentation of their tribute and the

individuals they honor. Offering expressive and sensitive content, both the original and cover of

the song "Zombie" do a good job expressing emotions towards the song's overall message.

Many things are similar in both the original and cover of "Zombie." For example, both

songs give a tribute to a tragic loss. The paramount consistency between both pieces is how both

appeal to pathos throughout their music video and the song's lyrics. The original Cranberries

version of "Zombie" appeals to pathos by telling a true story of rage, desolation, and grief. In this

music video, the audience is given a picture of Irish life from a child's view. The video starts by

showing scenes of the life of a kid living in these violent times. The kids play in abandoned,

blown-up buildings like they’re shiny playhouses built just for them. Switching perspectives, the

video shows a soldier paroling the streets with a firearm. The band is also shown playing inside a

broken, beaten-down building. The music creates a driving sadness before the main singer begins

to sing. The beginning lyrics of the song state, "Another head hangs lowly; Child is slowly taken.

And the violence caused such silence; Who are we mistaken?" which sets the stage for the
 Marker 3

message that the violence of the government should not be accepted. The target audience for this

message is the people of Ireland involved with the violence and government. Likewise, the Bad

Wolves rendition gives off a comparable vibe by bringing parts of the Cranberries video into

their music video. They show clips of their band singing in raging pain and then switch over to a

woman representing Delores walking towards them. Their target audience is clearly the people

who loved and admired Delores as well as their existing fans. Each video does an excellent job

of expressing their sadness through each lyric and, therefore, showing their points of view.

While both videos are technically the same song, significant differences are clear. First,

the overall message of each video was different. The Cranberries were bringing awareness to a

weighty and long-standing conflict in Ireland. The Bad Wolves were not fighting for the same

cause as the Cranberries, only singing the song to pay their respects to the beloved Dolores

O'Riordan. While both videos still hold the initial intent for the piece, they had different reasons

for singing the message. A second difference exists in the music styles of the two bands. The

Cranberries present an Irish rock style, while the Bad Wolves played more of a heavy metal rock.

Furthermore, while both songs tell a story, the pictorial stories were very different. On the one

hand, the Cranberries story was specifically about the tragedy of violence bestowed by the Irish

government with scenes of war and destruction. In contrast, the Bad Wolves video focused on

Dolores and her legacy. The video of Bad Wolves' cover shows the impersonation of Dolores

walking towards them as they recreate the already emotional song "Zombie." At the end of this

song, Dolores walks into a glass window and shatters, signifying her death. Yet another

difference between the two videos is the music itself. In the original song "Zombie," the music is

fast and angry, while the Bad Wolves rendition is softer and nostalgic. Each band has a unique
 Marker 4

music style, message and audience. Even though the songs contrast in clear and impactful ways,

they each have powerful and significant emotional effects on their audience.

The distinct performances of “Zombie” by the Cranberries and the Bad Wolves show how

one song with one set of words can convey vastly different messages and visual effects. While

each song offered a beautiful video, they showed their love and concern for the issues they felt

needed the attention of their audience. Each piece deeply appealed to the listeners’ emotions and

offer condolences to those who left too soon. However, each band had a different motivation to

tell their story and honor the ones they lost as demonstrated in their visually wrenching music

videos. These artists demonstrate an incredible ability to showcase their views and touch their

listeners’ hearts through their music and videos.

 Marker 5

Works Cited
Cranberries. “The Cranberries - Zombie (Official Music Video).” YouTube, uploaded by
Cranberries, Jun 16. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts
Johnston, Emma. “The Story behind the Song: The Cranberries - Zombie.” Loudersound,
Louder, 2 Nov. 2017, https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-
the-cranberries-zombie.
Wolves, Bad. “Bad Wolves, Zombie (Official Video).” YouTube, uploaded by Bad Wolves, 22
Feb. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ