By Maria Ceglie

I may be stating the obvious… “What’s in your HEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAADDDDD, In your HeeEEEAAAaaAAD” sounds like someone is suffering from a serious psychotic breakdown. These lyrics are super catchy and disturbing. The chorus still lingers in my head after listening to The Cranberries track “Zombie” from their album No Need to Argue. 

The creeping distorted riffs/chords crossfires with lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s vocals that ultimately paralyze the fine hairs on my body. The track starts off with a soft strum by the electric guitar that slowly builds up into a grunge drop followed by guitar scaling. The guitar scaling is what introduces the icy cold verses. O’Riordan’s yodeling followed by the instrumentalist’s sudden pause complete the track to create a beautiful sharp piece.

Although this song is perfect for jam session with a bunch of friends, it’s emotional embeddedness pierces your ears when the lyrics are comprehended.  The lyrics are as clammy as death when O’Riordan’s sings “another head hangs lowly/ child is slowly taken” in the first verse. Political and social distress are the themes moved throughout the versus.

This tune is not like the rest of their songs it is heavy, and by heavy, I mean that it is like Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech before being shot in front of many stimulated eyes. This song was written to make a change and inspire many.

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of this tracks release date and is still played on the radio, sung in karaoke bars, and covered by many. In a few days marks the anniversary of Dolores O’Riordan’s death. Cheers! to one of the most unique vocalists globally! If you haven’t already, roll down the windows in your car and belt this song out because I promise you, it will take you out of “zombie” mode.

-Maria