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.
Yesterday's Gone
The Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard she loved you
I heard she cared
I heard she miscarried
And you were scared
Did you run, from the one
Yesterday's Gone, there's no return
And she cries all night
I believe that a woman can be
A slave to the man
I believe that love we can make
And I try if I can
Will you return, to the one
who conceived your child
Yesterday's Gone, there's no return
And she cries all night
Did you run from the one
who conceived your child
Yesterday's Gone, there's no return
And she cries all night
The Cranberries's song 'Yesterday's Gone' is a hauntingly beautiful piece that delves into the themes of love lost and the aftermath of hurt and pain. The song starts off poignantly with the lines "I heard she loved you/ I heard she cared/ I heard she miscarried/ And you were scared." Here, the singer refers to a rumoured love interest and describes how she had a miscarriage that frightened the individual she was involved with. The lines raise questions without providing answers, as the listener wonders whether the relationship ended after the miscarriage or if it continued despite it.
The chorus of the song reasserts the message of the song with the lines "Yesterday's Gone, there's no return/ And she cries all night." Here, the singer acknowledges the reality of loss and the hopelessness that comes with it. The overall mood of the song is one of mourning and regret, as the singer questions whether the individual who ran away from the relationship earlier will return to the one who conceived their child.
The line, "I believe that a woman can be/ A slave to the man" is a powerful statement that highlights the power dynamics in intimate relationships. It suggests that the singer is aware of the unequal distribution of power and control that usually exists in heterosexual relationships. Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on love, loss, and the heavy burden that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard she loved you
Rumors suggest that she had genuine feelings for you
I heard she cared
Rumors suggest that she was emotionally invested in the relationship
I heard she miscarried
Rumors suggest that she lost her unborn child
And you were scared
You were frightened and possibly overwhelmed by the situation
Did you run, from the one who conceived your child
Did you abandon the woman who carried your baby
Yesterday's Gone, there's no return
The past cannot be undone or changed
And she cries all night
Her heartache is consuming and causes her to weep for hours on end
I believe that a woman can be A slave to the man
Women can be oppressed and controlled by male figures
I believe that love we can make And I try if I can
I believe in the power of love and strive to attain it
Will you return, to the one who conceived your child
Will you come back to the mother of your offspring
And she cries all night
Her distress continues, and she sobs throughout the nighttime hours
Did you run from the one who conceived your child
Did you abandon the woman who carried your baby
Yesterday's Gone, there's no return
The past cannot be undone or changed
And she cries all night
Her emotional pain is all-consuming and causes her to weep throughout the night
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.