Messinger 1

Jenna Messinger

Ms.Wright

English 1201

12 Feb 2022

The original “Zombies'' by The Cranberries’ was given a second life by the hard

rock band Bad Wolves. “ Zombies” new life version was different in that it focused on

the tribute to The Cranberries late lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. The main claim in the

original song by The Cranberries, an alternative rock group from Ireland is the story of

the Irish fight for independence in England. The IRA or Irish Republican Army was

determined to remove British troops from Northern Ireland. This fighting was causing

unrest among the people. The fighting which seems to have started in 1916 continues

through 1994 at the time of the making of the original song. The video makes the

audience think the people are reaching out and are so close to solving the issues, yet

still not close enough to resolve the fighting, and finally gaining independance. The

Cranberries version seems to help the audience visual the unrest within the people. The

Bad Wolves band sings about the same incident, but the visuals just aren’t there in their

version.

In both videos the main character, a woman painted in all gold, seems to be

calling out through the pain and conflict of what the people have been put through with

all the fighting. “In Your Head, In Your Head” the singer in all gold repeats. This unique

gold lady is the only similarity in the original music video and the remix video made in

2018 by the heavy metal band Bad Wolf. The gold lady character is in the remix, but

with no cross and not surrounded by children as in the original version. The original
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video provides reasons for the claim by showing us more of the people like children and

military men with guns. The band Cranberries shows us the story by displaying

paintings on the walls of buildings displaying propaganda. They also provide evidence

of the militia groups walking the streets with guns. Children playing in the streets also

shows the normal life they are trying to live. The struggle between normalcy, and

fighting is shown in the original video. In contrast, the remix does not provide evidence

for the claim. Instead the remix just shows the band playing the song with the gold lady

off to the side. She seems to be banging on the glass in distress. Again, the gold lady is

the only visual similarity in both music videos.

The evidence providing first hand experience was again only displayed in the

original music video. In the orignal video there is an older man that walks across the

street carrying a briefcase. The children playing in the streets are also people who are

receiving first hand experience as they encounter the militia in the streets. In the remix

video by Bad Wolves there was no apparent evidence.

The Cranberries original video showed a great deal of pathos while showing the

involvement of the kids in the streets were the military walked. These images strongly

pull on the heartstrings of the viewers. This example of pathos is not found in the remix.

Logos seems to be the most prominent rheortical appeal in the remit of Zombies. In the

remix they simply sing the song appealing to the listeners rational mind. As far as Ethos

the facts are in the lyrics as the song is telling a story of a true event and suffering.

The audience is more for the older generation in both videos. Listeners should

be somewhat knowledgeable about history to understand the song and the events in
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history. There is more of a connection for people who live in England and maybe for

individuals who have experienced events like this tragedy.

The relationship between the two versions of the song Zombies is simply the

tribute to Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. Dolores sang the original version

with the Cranberries in 1994. She was scheduled to record vocals with the bad Bad

Wolves who were covering the song, but died a few days prior to that recording. The

cover band decided to go ahead with the release as a tribute to Dolores O’Riordan.

Although the claim remains the same throughout both music videos, the perception is

different. The original telling the story of the tragic event, the remix shining light on the

situation and paying tribute to a remarkable singer. The original version definitely

effectively gets the message across. The band does this by providing the visuals of the

children and the military officials with guns in the streets. Seeing what the song is

telling about makes the events more clear for the listener. In the remix the listener does

not get the visual and emotional effect of the song without seeing the people involved.

The two versions share a common audience. The purpose of the videos are different

in the way that the original shows the feelings and events of the people affected by the

fighting and unrest. In the second version the purpose is more as a tribute to Dolores O’

Riordan than telling of the events. The original “Zombies” was given a second life as a

tribute to Dolores O’ Riordan.

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Work Cited

ElevenSevenMusic. “Bad Wolves - Zombie (Official Video).” YouTube, YouTube,

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

Songfacts. “Zombie by the Cranberries - Songfacts.” Song Meanings at Songfacts,

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-cranberries/zombie.

TheCranberriesVEVO. “The Cranberries - Zombie (Official Music Video).”

YouTube, YouTube, 16 June 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=6Ejga4kJUts.