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Elena Tellez

Prof. Hellmers

English 1201-512

10 February 2022

Zombie Rough Draft

In 1994 The Cranberries released their soon-to-be hit song “Zombie”. The song preached

an anti-war message surrounding the seemingly never-ending conflict between Ireland and

England. Over 20 years later, Bad Wolves released their rendition of the song. But even after all

these years, the message of the song hit just as hard. Both artists have a very strong use of pathos

in their music videos, which has helped it stay relevant over all these years. The music video

"Zombie" by The Cranberries does an amazing job at conveying complex themes through visual

storytelling. The Bad Wolves remake takes specific details from the music video and builds on

them to tell a more modern story.

The song “Zombie” was written in response to a specific event. In 1993 there was a bomb

set off in England planted by the IRA, and two young boys were killed as a result of the attack.

So the inspiration for the song is very heavily represented in the music video for “Zombie. In the

music video, there are various shots of young boys playing outside, intercut with shots of men in

military uniforms. While the boys are out playing in the streets, the men are patrolling those

same streets; armed to the teeth. So when people talk about how they live on the other side of the

globe and still relate to the song, it is a testament to how well they used pathos. The song and its

message were event-specific, and yet there are very few people who can’t relate to it. The

circumstances may change but the emotions stay the same. The shots of children are also split up

by shots of the singer, Dolores O’Riordan, covered in gold while standing in front of a cross. The
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religious imagery serves to call back to the reason for the conflict between Ireland and England.

The words that she sings and the expressions that she makes evoke such strong emotion that it

feels like a call to action. Like she is telling us what is happening and then asking “well, what are

you going to do to fix this”? And while her message is for everyone, it specifically calls out an

older generation. She is speaking to the people that have been involved in this conflict for so

long that they have stopped thinking about how the people outside of it could be affected. How it

could affect those who are too young to even understand. How could anyone ignore a message

like that?

But if you are paying attention, it is easy to notice that things never really change. In

2018, Bad Wolves released their rendition of “Zombie”. It was originally made to be in

collaboration with Dolores, but she tragically passed away only days before she was set to

record. The cover was still released in honor of her passing and the message that she spread

during her life. But in this video, the message takes on a slightly different meaning. Like many

songs that were remade because nothing changed after the first one, this cover takes on a more

aggressive tone. They use the same imagery of a woman covered in gold, but they show it

dripping down her body. Her arms look almost limp at her sides. It takes on the visage of blood.

This time she is not the singer, and a glass wall separates her from the band. She smears the gold

paint from her body all over the wall, obscuring her from their view. In a modern context, it's

hard to pin down if they are referencing a specific event. They may be talking about the conflict

in the Middle East, or perhaps they are speaking on racial issues that we experience here in the

U.S. But just like the original, the message transcends any specific issue. The raw anger

expressed in the singing is universal. And the cold look in the woman's eyes shows a sense of

apathy that any who has grown up in a conflict can recognize. The entire music video is just
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dripping with emotion. And because the release of this song isn’t tied to a single event, the

demographic is everyone. While the genre of heavy rock music may deter some, it will bring in

just as many people who will listen to it simply because they liked the original. Anyone in the

world can point to an event in their history and compare the emotions in that song to the

emotions that they felt then.

Between these two music videos, it is clear that one could not have existed without the

other. The Cranberries set the groundwork with an amazing message conveyed through

emotionally tugging clips and symbolic imagery. The Bad Wolves then used these ideas to

convey a much broader message that can apply to our ever-growing world. And because of the

inspiration that the cover took from the original, it feels like a single story. A story that has been

told over and over for the last 20 years. A story that has been told since the beginning of time.

Work Cited:

“The Cranberries - Zombie (Official Music Video)” YouTube, uploaded by TheCranberriesTV, 16

Jun. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts Accessed Feb 16, 2022

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

2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ Accessed Feb 16, 2022