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.
So Cold in Ireland
The Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of hope and of glory
He's 18 years old and well
I fell in love
Where have you gone from me
The one that I loved endlessly
We used to have a life
Now it's all gone
Does it have to be so cold in Ireland
Does it have to be so cold in Ireland
For me are thee waitin' for me'
Where have you gone from me
The one that I loved endlessly
We were to have a child
Yesterday's gone
Well I knew the time would come
When I'd have to leave they've won
Look what they've done to me
They've taken my head
It's killing me
Killing me
The Cranberries' song "So Cold in Ireland" tells the story of a young man and his love, who he has lost. The lyrics start with the singer reminiscing about their past relationship, expressing their love for someone who has disappeared from their life. The chorus poses the question, "Does it have to be so cold in Ireland?" as a metaphor for the coldness and emptiness that the singer now feels after losing the person they loved.
As the song continues, the singer reveals that they were supposed to have a child with this person but that yesterday is now gone. The lyrics also suggest that there may have been external factors at play that led to the breakup, with the lyrics "Well I knew the time would come/ When I'd have to leave they've won/Look what they've done to me/ They've taken my head." The singer is clearly struggling with the pain of losing their love, as evidenced by the repetition of "Mystified" and the admission that "It's killing me."
Line by Line Meaning
Here is a story
The singer is about to tell a story that has significance to their life.
Of hope and of glory
The story is about a hopeful and glorious time in the singer's life.
He's 18 years old and well
The main character of the story was young and healthy at the beginning of the story.
I fell in love
The singer fell in love with the main character.
Where have you gone from me
The main character has disappeared and the singer doesn't know where they are.
The one that I loved endlessly
The singer loved the main character deeply and without end.
We used to have a life
The singer and the main character had a life together at one point in time.
Now it's all gone
Their life together has been destroyed and is no longer present.
Mystified mystified mystified
The singer is confused and frustrated about what has happened.
Does it have to be so cold in Ireland
The singer is questioning the bleakness and harshness of their current situation.
For me are thee waitin' for me'
The singer is wondering if there is someone waiting for them and if they can find a new love.
We were to have a child
The singer and the main character were planning to have a child together.
Yesterday's gone
The plans for the future are now gone and in the past.
Well I knew the time would come
The singer knew that their time together was finite and would eventually end.
When I'd have to leave they've won
The situation has gotten so bad that the singer feels like they have to leave and someone else has won.
Look what they've done to me
The singer is blaming someone else for the current situation.
They've taken my head
The singer feels like they have lost their mind because of what has happened.
It's killing me
The situation is so painful and distressing that the singer feels like they are being killed.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOLORES MARY O'RIORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind