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Gracie Finney

Caroline Reynolds

ENG 1201

Feb 20, 2022

Analyzing Visual Texts

It has become typical in the music industry for artists to cover or remix a song previously

performed by other artists. Although this has been done successfully, there are times when a

cover almost completely ruins the song altogether. This can happen if the remake is too different

than the original, or if the song has lost the purpose that the original artist intended for. The cover

of “Zombie” by Bad Wolves was well done as the band included details from the original song

and did not change the musical genre.

The band Bad Wolves opened their music video with a simple black screen stating that

the song and video were meant to feature Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of the band, The

Cranberries. She passed away before she got the opportunity and Bad Wolves chose to release

the song regardless and donate the proceeds earned to her family. This act shows how Bad

Wolves never had the intention of ripping off the original artist for personal gain. Furthermore,

the band kept the music video simple by only including one other character. This character was a

woman painted in gold who would spread gold paint as the video progressed. The woman was

meant to resemble Dolores D’Riordan in her “Zombie” music video.

Despite the few similarities between the two songs and videos, the intended audience and

purpose of the songs were different in both versions. The original version of “Zombie” was

released 1994 and described the horrifying effects of war on communities. At this time, Northern

Ireland was facing much violence due to religious reasons. One day explosives were placed
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under trashcans and were set off. An article from Radio X states, “Three-year-old Johnathan

Ball died at the scene, while 12-year-old Tim Parry was seriously injured. He died five days later

after his life support was switched off. 54 other people suffered injuries,” (Mensah 10). This

event stuck with Dolores and motivated her to produce "Zombies”. The Cranberries began

working on the song and intended for it to have an anti-war message. She wanted listeners to

protect innocent children from being in harm’s way. Bad Wolves originally produced their

version of the song as a way to appreciate the successful song, however, when Dolores suddenly

passed away, the song became a tribute to her and all of what she has done in her career. The

audience of this version is likely fans of The Cranberries and Dolores D’Riordan. The song was

for those who were mourning the death of a respected and beloved artist. The lyrics never

changed, yet the audience was no longer influenced by the words. The video portrayed only

Dolores and allowed viewers and listeners the opportunity to remember her.

In both versions of the song, pathos is a rhetorical device used throughout the videos. In

the original video, two scenes are used. One scene consists of Dolores on a cross with children

surrounding her, and everything is painted gold and bright. The other scene shows a black and

white filter over children in a town with military walking around. This black and white filter

shows that the children are forced to live lives without color. This means that they do not get to

go out and play like normal kids, as it is not safe for them during the wars. The children are

forced to live like “Zombies” unlike other children of the world. This appeals to pathos because

it makes viewers feel uncomfortable, sad, and scared for the children in the video. Nobody

knows what is going to happen to them but the environment that surrounds them is dangerous

and leads viewers into thinking that it will not be good. At the end of the video, we see these

children laying on the ground, presumably dead. Shortly after, these children are on the cross
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painted in gold, symbolizing the afterlife in heaven. Pathos is used in the Bad Wolves version at

the beginning of the video when the black screen is present and when the golden woman is

painting the screen gold. The purpose for doing this is to include Dolores in the video, even if

she could not be there. Despite the heartbreak that ensued after her death, it is heartwarming to

feel as if she is there.

In conclusion, the differences between the two versions of the song “Zombie” are what

actually make the songs and videos so similar. The videos make viewers feel the same emotions,

just for different reasons. Additionally, they both are relevant today due to the fact that war is

still happening in countries all over the world, and loved ones eventually pass away and their

loved ones have to go through a grieving process. The cover of “Zombie” by Bad Wolves

reminds listeners of the message of the song while also honoring the original artist.

Works Cited

Mensah, Jenny. “The Harrowing True Story of Zombie by the Cranberries.” Radio X,

Radio X, 15 Jan. 2022,

https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/dolores-oriordan-cranberries-zombie-story-meaning/.

The Cranberries - Zombie (Official Music Video) - Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts.

Bad Wolves - Zombie (Official Video) - Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ.