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.
Waltzing
The Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waltzing back into your life?
Your life, your life?
Now I feel fear
I wish that they'd never come here
Here, here
What they gonna do?
Taking you away
From my life?
My life, my life?
Say, what they gonna do?
What they gonna say
Taking you away
From my life?
My life, my life?
Who gave them the right
Turning it back into light
Tonight, tonight?
And then I felt fear
I wished that they'd never come here
Here, here
What they gonna do?
What they gonna say
Taking you away
From my life?
My life, my life?
Oh, I don't wanna line
I wanna shine
I wanna say
'Cause it's your life
Your life, your life
La...
La...
La...
Who gave them the right?
The right?
The right?
Who gave them the right?
The right?
The right?
Who gave them the right?
The right?
The right?
Who gave them the right?
The right?
The right?
The Cranberries' song Waltzing is all about the fear and uncertainty that can come from someone re-entering your life unexpectedly. The lyrics convey a sense of protectiveness over one's own life and relationships, and the fear that an outside force may come in and disrupt them. The repetition of the lines "What they gonna do? What they gonna say? Taking you away from my life?" emphasizes the sense of powerlessness and insecurity, as if the singer is pleading for someone to reassure them that everything will be okay.
The use of the word "waltzing" in the title and throughout the lyrics adds an interesting layer of metaphor to the song as well. Waltzing can be a graceful and romantic dance, but it also involves stepping in time with someone else and relinquishing control to some extent. In the context of the song, this could symbolize the singer feeling as though someone else is waltzing in and taking control of their life, or perhaps disrupting the rhythm of their relationships.
Overall, Waltzing is a powerful and emotional song that delves into themes of fear, protectiveness, and uncertainty. The Cranberries' use of repetition, metaphor, and evocative language make it a memorable and effective piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Who gave them the right
Questioning the authority allowing someone to return into your life
Waltzing back into your life?
Re-entering one's life as if nothing ever happened
Your life, your life?
Emphasizing that it's one's own life that is being affected
Now I feel fear
Expressing the emotion of fear due to the uncertain situation
I wish that they'd never come here
Regretting their return and wishing that they stayed away
What they gonna do?
Questioning the actions of those who came back
What they gonna say
Questioning the words spoken by those who returned
Taking you away
Referring to the possibility of being taken away from one's life
From my life? My life, my life?
Reiterating the personal impact of the situation
Say, what they gonna do?
Repeating the question to emphasize the uncertainty
Oh, I don't wanna line
Not wanting to conform to expectations
I wanna shine
Wanting to stand out and be successful
'Cause it's your life Your life, your life
Reiterating that one's life is important and should be protected
Who gave them the right?
Questioning the authority once again
Turning it back into light Tonight, tonight?
Referring to something that was once negative and potentially turning it into something positive
La...
Repeating a sound or tune to end the song
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.