Trinity Beltz

Professor Porter

ENG 1201

13 February 2022

“Zombie”

A song can have a very powerful impact on people when there’s a meaning behind it.

Two bands can sing the same song, while one could represent a totally different meaning. An

example of this would be the song, “Zombie” by The Cranberries which was made in 1993.

Their version of this classic song is supposed to be a protest song. It was said to be written about

the 1993 IRA bombing in Warrington, England. The song was also made to pay homage to the

two that passed due to that tragic event. Their names were Johnathan Ball, who was just 3 years

old, and Tim Parry, who was 12 years old.

The song's main points talk about how we can do better and fix this issue. The

Cranberries also stated, “... It’s the same old theme, Since 1916”, which means that this song is

also a “song for peace, peace among England and Ireland”. This line is very important to the

structure of the song. Dolores O’Riordan is from Irish heritage and the “1916” was a reference to

the Easter Rising, in which there was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland which was

defeated after a swift British military response. Another line that has great importance is, "But

you see it's not me, It's not my family" is a reference to the people that are not directly involved

with the violence feels about it. They are said to be like ‘zombies’ without sympathy who refuse

to take some kind of action while there are people suffering.

The other band that sang this song is known as Bad Wolves. The main purpose of their

version of the song was supposed to be a homage to the late singer Dolores O'Riordan, who was
also known as the head singer of The Cranberries. The song was actually recorded in late 2016,

as the band was just trying to figure out their sound, in which they were trying to find themselves

as a band. Bad Wolves were hesitant to release the song in 2016 because the song is very sacred

to many and it can be difficult to do a rendition of it. The band asked Dan Waite, head of the LA

outfit’s record company, to play it for O’Riordan, and she loved it. That is when she decided that

she wanted a part in the remake. In the original song, there was a line that said, “...It’s the same

old theme, Since 1916”, this line was changed in the Bad Wolves version as they changed it to,

“It’s the same old theme, since 2018”. This is an important line because, in 2018, the lead singer

of The Cranberries passed away tragically from drowning due to alcohol intoxication, in her

hotel room bathtub in London on January 15. The main singer of Bad Wolves was affected by

this tragic death. Before her death, O’Riordan went to London to record vocals for their rendition

of the classic song. Later, Dan Waite received a voicemail from O'Riordan. She was expressing

her enthusiasm for their take on the song. Vext, the lead singer of Bad Wolves, thought about not

releasing the song after her death. After some reconsideration, that is when the band decided to

make their version of the song to be a tribute. This is also when the band decided to give all

proceeds to the family of the fallen legend.

This turned out to be a success and put the band on the map. Their rendition propelled

them to the Billboard charts. One of the main reasons why Vext was so touched by this was

because this song was important to him as an angry 13 year old. Someone once asked Vext,

“‘...how could you cry about someone you don’t know? The truth is we don’t mourn the death of

an artist because we know them- we mourn then because they helped us to know

ourselves’”(Vext). This is important because it is a valid response to why this song was made. It
supports the main reason people sing. Everything that people make has an impact on somebody

one way or another.

After performing on the Late Late Show, Bad Wolves hoped to return to Ireland for a

longer trip. The last trip the band went on was compacted into a 12 hour stop, between the

promotional duties in the United States. Moreover, the band really wanted to honor O’Riordan in

her home country of Ireland, no matter what. The band re-routed everything to be able to stay in

Ireland. That stretches to flights, tours, or promotional duties. Vext, really related to the late

singer. They both suffered from stage fright and the burden of stardom. Although, it was not until

Vext saw and felt her vulnerability that she had while on stage. Therefore, the relationship

between these two versions of Zombie have the same impact but have different reasons behind

the songs.

Work Cited:
1. Examiner, Irish. “Bad Wolves Create a Great Tribute to Dolores.” Irish Examiner,

Irishexaminer.com, 2 Apr. 2018,

www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/culture/bad-wolves-create-a-great-tribute

-to-dolores-835380.html.

2. Midwest Communications Inc. “The Story Behind Bad Wolves Song ‘Zombie.’” Mix

92.9, 6 Apr. 2018,

mix929.com/blogs/top-40-hits/135/the-story-behind-bad-wolves-song-zombie-1/.

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

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

4. “The Cranberries - Zombie Lyrics.” SongMeanings,

songmeanings.com/songs/view/12822/.