- Zombie (song)
Single infobox |
Name = Zombie
Artist =The Cranberries
from Album =No Need to Argue
Released = 1994
Format = CD
Recorded = 1994
Genre =Alternative rock Alternative metal
Length = 5:05
Label =Island Records
Wrier = Dolores O'Riordan
Producer = Stephen Street
Reviews =
Last single = "Linger"
(1993)
This single = "Zombie"
(1994)
Next single = "Ode to My Family "
(1994)"Zombie" is aprotest song by the Irish bandThe Cranberries from the 1994 album "No Need to Argue ". It features a heavy guitar riff which is uncharacteristic of the band's usual sound, more akin to heavy metal than their usual alternative rock style. This song met a great success in many countries, including France, Belgium, Australia and Germany where it topped the charts.Track listings
; CD single
# "Zombie" — 5:06
# "Away" (non album, later used in the movie "Clueless ") — 2:39
# "I Don't Need" (non album) — 3:31Recording information
"Zombie" was recorded at the Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin in 1994. It was written during the Cranberries' English Tour in 1993, in memory of two boys, Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry, who were killed in an IRA bombing in Warrington, Cheshire (North-West England) on
20 March 1993 . [citebook|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|author=Peter Buckley, Jonathan Buckley|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|id=ISBN 1843531054]Recognitions
"Zombie" is one of the band's biggest singles, reaching #3 in their native Ireland, and having a total chart run of 11 weeks. The song reached #14 in the
UK (with a total chart run of six weeks), and topped the U.S. Modern Rock chart for six weeks, it also appeared on the French Top 50 for nine weeks (with 19 weeks in the Top 10) and the German Top 100 for one week (with a total chart run of 27 weeks), both in1995 ; and also reaching number 2 inAustria ,Sweden andSwitzerland . Zombie was number 1 in Australia for 8 weeks. The single has sold 2 million copies alone, and the song, since its release in late 1994, has been performed on every live tour."Zombie" also won the band a MTV Europe Music Award for best song in 1995.
In 1995, a techno cover version by French duo A.D.A.M. featuring Amy reached #16 in the UK singles chart, with a total chart run of eleven weeks.
Gibraltar ian Flamenco Metal bandBreed 77 also covered the song as aB-side to their 2007 digital download single "Look at Me Now". They decided to record the song due to an extremely positive response after playing the song on tour."Zombie" topped the Australian music countdown
Triple J Hottest 100 in 1994.Music video
"Zombie" was released as a
music video in 1994. The video was directed bySamuel Bayer , and produced by Doug Friedman and H.S.I. Productions. In the video,Dolores O'Riordan is covered in gold paint surrounded by children (see image below). She is reminiscent of the classic image ofSaint Sebastian . The video also contains shots of British soldiers on patrol inNorthern Ireland . The unsuspecting troops were told that their footage was to be included in a documentary about the day to day operations of various peace keeping/occupation forces. This was timely as 1995 was the last year British forces were visibly present in Northern Ireland.Popular culture
*
Andy Bernard sings this song in "The Return," an episode in the third season of "The Office", thus annoying his co-workers.
*Claus Wärner sings this song while playing his guitar, drunk, on a store shelf to the zombies that have overtaken the mall in the "Radio Pleppo" episode named "ZOMBIES!"
*Skateboarder Serge Murphy uses this song for his ending part in Thanks Camera 3Covers
* In 1995, the group A.D.A.M. featuring Amy covered the song in dance form.
* In 2005, the Colorado group Drop Off covered the song.
* In 2005, the DJ Marino covered his song asHardstyle Version.
* In 2006, Dallas rock band Miser covered the song.
* In 2007, GibraltarianFlamenco Metal bandBreed 77 covered the song during theirIn My Blood (En Mi Sangre) promotional tour and later recorded it on their "Look at Me Now" single.
* In 2007, Andrew Spencer & The Vamprockerz is an electronic group and are the latest group to cover the song.
* In 2007, Argentine rap-core bandTimmy O'Tool covered the song on their third album "Sigo Acá De Pie".
* In 2008, US heavy metal band Animal, formed by formerW.A.S.P. guitaristRandy Piper , covered the song.
* CanadianHard Rock bandHail The Villain often covers this live.Certifications and sales
References
External links
* [http://www.prato.linux.it/~lmasetti/canzonicontrolaguerra/canzone.php?lang=it&id=163 The "Zombie" page in the Antiwar Songs website] with lyrics and translations in 19 languages
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