Combining the melodic jangle of post-The Smiths indie pop with the lilting, trance-inducing sonic textures of late-80s dream pop and adding a slight Celtic tint, The Cranberries became one of the more successful groups to emerge from the indie scene of the early 90s. Led by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, whose keening, powerful voice was the most distinctive element of the group's sound, the group initially made little impact in the United Kingdom.
It wasn't until the lush ballad "Linger" became an American hit in 1993 that the band also achieved mass success in the U.K. Following the success of "Linger", The Cranberries quickly became international stars, as both their 1993 debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, and its 1994 follow-up, No Need to Argue, sold millions of copies and produced a string of hit singles like "Dreams", "Zombie" and "Ode to My Family".
By the time of their third album, 1996's To the Faithful Departed, the group had added distorted guitars to its sonic palette and attempted to make more socially significant music, which resulted in a downturn in the band's commercial fortunes.
During the next few years, the band cancelled a large tour and rumours of a breakup were widespread. In 1999, they released Bury the Hatchet to mixed reviews. In 2001, the band issued Wake Up and Smell the Coffee to rave reviews. The album debuted at number 46 in the US charts.
In 2002, The Cranberries released the compilation Stars: The Best of 1992-2002, which was supported by the single "Stars".
In 2003, The Cranberries announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers. They decided to put the next album on hold. After more than a dozen years of relentless touring and promotion, which had seen them clocking up album sales in excess of 43 million and playing to hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe, the band decided it was time for a break.
In 2007, Dolores O'Riordan released her debut solo album titled Are You Listening?. Two years later she released her second solo album, No Baggage.
On 25 August 2009, Dolores O'Riordan announced that The Cranberries will be reuniting for a North American tour to begin in mid-November 2009, to be followed by dates in Europe in early 2010. O'Riordan indicated that the band will be playing songs from her solo albums and a lot of The Cranberries classic hits as well as some new music written by the group together.
The Cranberries recorded Roses at the Metalworks Studios in Toronto (Canada) from 18 April to 15 May 2011 with producer Stephen Street, who previously collaborated with the band on first, second and fifth albums. The Cranberries worked on 15 tracks during the Roses session, although not all will be included on the album. The album is scheduled for release on 14 February, 2012.
On 26 May 2016, the Cranberries announced that they would start their next tour in Europe. The first show was held on June 3.
A new "unplugged" Cranberries album titled Something Else, featuring the band's hits along with three new songs, was released on 28 April 2017 through BMG. The album received mostly positive reviews.
On 15 January 2018, lead singer Dolores O'Riordan was found dead of drowning in a London hotel room. The Cranberries confirmed in September 2018 that they would not continue as a band, releasing their final album In the End in April 2019 and disbanding afterward.Noel Hogan stated: "the Cranberries was the four of us. We don’t want to do this without Dolores. So we’re going to leave it after this."
The Cranberries' final album In the End has been nominated for Best Rock Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The awards take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.
Official site: http://www.cranberries.com.
Close To You
The Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Why do stars fall off from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
They decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair
And put a starlight in your eyes so blue
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you, all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Aah
Close to you
Aah
Close to you
Aah, aah
Close to you
Aah, aah
Close to you
Aah, aah
Close to you
Aah, aah
Close to you, aah
The lyrics of Close to You by The Cranberries are vivid with comparisons of natural wonders to the beauty of the person the singer is addressing. The opening lines ask the question of why birds appear whenever the person being addressed is close by, essentially trying to make sense of the overwhelming feeling of wanting to be close to this person. The following verse uses the same analogy but with falling stars, adding to the sense of wonder and magic that surrounds the person.
The third verse looks further back in time to the day the person was born and the mythical background that goes with it. The angels created something special and unique in this person, making them almost too amazing to approach. Yet it is made clear that despite the numerous people that follow this person around, the singer is not alone in wanting to be close to them.
Overall, the song is a romantic tribute to a person who can only be described as otherworldly and unattainable. The wonder and magic that seems to surround them is summed up perfectly in the repeated phrase "Just like me, they long to be close to you." It's a song that expresses both admiration and frustration at the beauty of the person being addressed.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do birds suddenly appear
The birds around you appear out of nowhere
Every time you are near?
Whenever you are close by, the birds emerge without explanation
Just like me, they long to be
The birds also desire to be close to you, just like myself
Close to you
The birds and myself both want to be in close proximity to you
Why do stars fall off from the sky
The stars in the sky appear to plummet whenever you walk by
Every time you walk by?
Whenever you pass, the stars seem to lose their luster and descend
On the day that you were born
In the day of your birth
The angels got together
Angels congregated
They decided to create a dream come true
They decided to fabricate something magical
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair
They scattered celestial dust over your head
And put a starlight in your eyes so blue
They inserted a star's shine into your blue eyes
That is why all the girls in town
This is why all the girls in the town
Follow you, all around
Trailing behind you everywhere you go
Just like me, they long to be
Just like me, the girls also desire to be close to you
Aah Close to you
Mere proximity to you is desirable
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Cranberries Latinoamérica
Lyrics:
Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near
Just like me, they long to be close to you
Why do stars fall off from the sky
Every time you walk by
Just like me, they long to be close to you
On the day that you were born the angels got together
They decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair
And put a starlight in your eyes so blue
That is why all the girls in town follow you, all around
Just like me, they long to be close to you
Just like me, they long to be close to you
Just like me, they long to be close to you
Close to you
Close to you
Close to you
Alfonso G.
RIP Dolores... An angelic voice in human form.
Athas
pog
Brock Mitchell
She does a fantastic performance of this cover of Karen Carpenter's song. Dolores nailed it perfectly and in her own style. Beautiful performance.
Holly Cranfan
Richard picked her. He knew she would do a wonderful job
Rodrigo Luiz F Jesus
I just hope Dolores and Karen could perform this duet in heaven ❤❤❤❤
ayangjibrut
dolores is dead?
Lily Weir
@ayangjibrut yes she died five years ago
deepestinmysoul
Life is unfair, we miss you Dolores. Rest in peace our Queen. Love you 4ever 🖤🖤
Izebelle Blue Reads Out Loud
🌹
Brendan Pierce
Fuck yeah it's unfair. It's like losing your mom.