Zombie" is a protest song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries. It was written by the lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, about the 3 child victims of a IRA bombing in Warrington, England, during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Regardless of which side you support the killing of children in any conflict is abhorrent
@@jeffreybergin4097they literally just said whichever side your on killing children is abhorrent.. love how you don't condemn hamas too for literally murdering babies as their target not just as a by product of attacking like with Israel
@@jeffreybergin4097 You no doubt think you are cleverly making a point, raising US foreign policy. As if we, the recipients of such policy weren't already painfully aware of the US total disregard of any life not American. Try looking back to the time this was made. The largely Irish American Police and Firemen in New York regularly held fundraisers for the IRA to buy guns and bombs with. Of course that was before the US war on terror. That was when the US, despite it's bullshit claims of a special relationship across the pond were happy to allow Irish terrorists across its borders. And listening to this Americanly ignorant man claiming to understand the IRA is ludicrous. As long as it isn't America being attacked. Of course the second a terrorist bomb went off on US soil, it sparked and illegal and immoral war which killed over a million Iraqis. So seriously you think anyone is surprised that America would happily take part in genocide. There are those of us who lived in London in the 80s and survived the gutless bastard IRA bombs paid for by Americans who will never forgive....
um tell that to the Hamas supporters? So tell yourself I guess? I stand FIRMLY with lsraeI. Many irish support ira and hamas🙄it’s an utter embarrassment.
So to help you out and give a little backstory. Easter of 1916 was a very pivotal moment in Irish history. The Irish Nationalist movement launched an armed rebellion which was pretty quickly and brutally put down by the English army. Although unsuccessful at the time the Easter rebellion did however create enough impetus with the people for them to claim almost complete independence from British rule in the early 1920's. Only roughly a quarter (mostly the protestant bit) of the country, now called Northern Ireland stayed under British Rule and that's where most of "The Troubles" occurred and where this video is set. The British Army was stationed there from 1969 through to 2007 and it was not a happy time. The streets of Belfast were pretty scary most of the time with some pretty heavy fighting between the IRA (you were spot on there) and the British. Google "The Troubles", the history is pretty wild! All they wanted, was to have their country back. Although "The Troubles" in this instance are a fairly modern issue, the Irish V British conflict goes back centuries, as far back as their initial conquest by the Plantagenet kings in the 1200's and they've been fighting off and on for independence ever since. A particularly nasty patch of history was when Cromwell led the re-conquest of Ireland after another rebellion in the mid 1600's. His treatment of the Irish during that time bordered on the barbaric. On the whole, the Irish have some very good reasons to hate the British. About the song itself, the lead singer wrote it after two young boys were killed by an IRA bomb in England while the band was touring there and it hit her particularly hard that innocent kids were being killed by the conflict, hence some of the lines and that's also why it's so politically charged.The video, which was filmed on the streets of Belfast with real footage of soldiers and whatnot, was actually banned on both Irish and British broadcast networks, because of the imagery. They used the band's live performance instead, wild huh? It's a great song though, a real classic anthem.
You say the "fighting was between the IRA and the British" which strictly speaking, initially was not true, other factions involved were the INLA, UVF and UDA, the British Army were deployed as peacekeepers and were in fact at first welcomed by many catholics who soon realised that the troops were hostile and biased and quickly became the enemy.
@@jameswiglesworth5004 Hey man I getcha, and you are not wrong. I certainly could have gone more in depth and certainly didn't mean to downplay the situation at all. What I posted wasn't meant to be an exhaustive history lesson, more of a TL;dr thing just enough to whet the appetite for knowledge and give a little backstory to the song. My hope was that anyone interested would look into it further.
And dont forget, that England was the invader, same with Scotland too. I'm German and i would like to see a Reunion of Ireland and Northireland, like the Reunion of East and West Germany.
Recently when Delores died, the song was being played a lot, and people were talking about how she wrote it about those particular boys, and the father of one of the boys didn't realize it was about his own son. He was quite touched to learn that so many years later.
She was supposed to record with the Bad Wolves who did a cover of Zombies. Sadly she passed before that happened. Bad Wolves did a heavier version which was getting a lot of play time after she passed.
Just subscribed to the channel. I'm an Englishman through and through and when I was a boy in the 1980s we were living in fear because of the IRA and their bombs. Unfortunately, we were never taught in school about what the English did to the Irish. We treated them horrificly and brutally and they starved to death. I love my Irish brothers and sisters but I cannot help feeling shame for what we did to them over hundreds of years.
I’m so impressed with your honesty. ❤ Welcome to the channel. Mike is a terrific reactor, and doesn’t wear rose coloured glasses when it comes to his own country and its flaws. Enjoy the music! 👍❤️
Feel no shame brother, it wasn't your doing. We just need to acknowledge the past and try not to repeat those mistakes. Every nation has a part of their past they're not proud of, let's focus on making the future brighter. Love from Ireland
I think Zombie describes the militants on each side. They get a story in their head that drives them to fight. Once set they can't be stopped. This works for any conflict.
Keening is a sean-nós technique which is mainly used for laments, correct. Those who know that immediately know what the purpose of this song is. A lament for two boys who died due to the bombing terror.
OMG - I STILL cannot make it through this song without tearing-up!! SUCH a WELL WRITTEN & PERFORMED SONG!! RIP, DELORES!! YOU are MISSED! So HAPPY that YOU picked-up the gist of the mood of the song: EARLY!! Love seeing your journey!
Here’s what Delores said about why she wrote the song. “There were a lot of bombs going off in London and I remember this one time a child was killed when a bomb was put in a rubbish bin -- that's why there's that line in the song, 'A child is slowly taken,'" O'Riordan told Songwriting Magazine. "We were on a tour bus and I was near the location where it happened, so it really struck me hard - I was quite young, but I remember being devastated about the innocent children being pulled into that kind of thing. So I suppose that's why I was saying, 'It's not me' - that even though I'm Irish it wasn't me, I didn't do it. Because being Irish, it was quite hard, especially in the UK when there was so much tension." She told Vox magazine in 1994 that the song was written in part as a mechanism to grapple with her identity as an Irish citizen that did not support the actions of the IRA. "The IRA are not me. I'm not the IRA. The Cranberries are not the IRA. My family are not. ... When it says in the song, 'It's not me, it's not my family,' that's what I'm saying. It's not Ireland".
It’s a great tune; my uncle served in Northern Ireland and it’s probably too complex to even discuss; religion, war etc…..Northern Ireland was created as a peace settlement because one side of the original freedom fighters saw the British troops were beating them quite badly and it couldn’t go on for much longer….that said, it was only supposed to be a temporary thing.
She isn’t singing about one side or the other, Dolores was a proud Irish woman but the boys killed that prompted this song were English and killed by the Irish Republican Army. So in this song she’s really appealing to both sides to quit the needless fighting and killing like fucking zombies who have lost their humanity.
To be specific: this song IS about The Troubles in Ireland - but, it relates to a more-specific incident: Twelve year old, Tim Parry, and three year old, Johnathan Ball, died when two bombs hidden inside litter bins exploded in Warrington on 20 March 1993, while 54 others were injured. I'm with you, Mike....senseless conflict when you're taking lives, that way.
Dude, I am an irish person who grew up during this shit and watching this video I have been clicking my fingers constantly saying YES YES YES. You just seem to get it so quickly and I reckon its because you just a decent person who has empathy. ❤
Son of Buck, it was the greatest pleasurable experience to finally hear an educated American gentleman like yourself, so thank you for that, much appreciated. Wars in general are commoners sent out to fight for their life for the elite, the elite have major gains however the innocent soldiers lose their limbs/lives or come back home with nightmares and mental challenges, and no money to look after themselves. They lose more than they gain, for what. Us ordinary civilians want peace, we have no gain from war and we do not want war, wish people could see what is truly happening, we are well brainwashed. Thank you again Son of Buck Peace to you all, we are here on earth to give life, not to take it, whichever religion you are, Peace. Love from Ireland 💖💖😘😘🙏🙏
This song is universal. The message of "When the violence causes silence, we must be mistaken" does not depend of knowing the details of any single conflict. And in this case this is the silence of dead children which is wrong whoever caused their death.
I'm Irish, from Limerick actually (same as Dolores). Most Irish people didn't support the IRA (when they would do collections in the pubs mot people would just turn away and not support them) and their means but just stayed quiet about it, maybe intimidated, and maybe this led the British and others to believe the IRA represented us. That's what I think she is saying when she says "When the violence causes silence, we must be mistaken", it's our silence that's wrong when we disagree with something being done in our name. Thankfully Dolores spoke up and created a masterpiece in the process
"Zombie" was written about an older situation, that has now passed, for now anyway. The emotions of "Zombie" is universal, to all kids caught in (civil) war conflicts. 😢 Top song of all time!
I agree with you Mike! This world needs more love, more kindness, more compassion, not more violence and killing. I love Dolores O'Riordan and The Cranberries. I spent years studying the issues in Northern Ireland and Ireland in general and so I understand why this song was so important to Dolores. She was so gifted and a great songwriter. They have a great musical catalogue and also some excellent live in concert footage on TH-cam. R.I.P. Dolores.
Im in my 60s now,and I totally agree about your hiding under a rock explanation. But you can't put an old head on a young shoulders, I wish you could. There would be a few things I would have done differently. Love your reaction, and you got the topic perfectly.
Notice how she says bombs twice , the second attack two small bombs exploded in litter bins outside shops and businesses on Bridge Street. Two children were killed and 56 people were injured. The line child is slowly taken refers to The second victim, 12-year-old Tim Parry, who was gravely wounded. He died on 25 March 1993 x
As someone that grew up in Belfast in the 80s and 90s, and whos father was in the security services this brings up a lot of memories. It was very easy to fall into one side of the rhetoric and not see the fuller picture, and growing up it became more and more apparent what a mess it was over here on both sides. Growing up, religion didn't make a difference and I'm happy to say I was one of the smarter, non-zombies, that embraced my fellow humans
I’m Australian and we always knew about the Troubles here. Two young Australian fathers were murdered in Amsterdam in front of their wives while visiting on holiday, by the IRA who had mistaken them for off duty British soldiers. I always believed that the British needed to get the heck out and just leave them alone, let them form a government themselves and be in charge of their own country. Even in primary school here, this entire thing seemed shameful to me, the British occupying and controlling someone else’s country. I never understood why they felt the need to do any of this. So if young primary school kids in another part of the Commonwealth thought that it was wrong, why was it allowed to continue, just causing the death of so many innocent people, including children. There were atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict over the decades, just disgraceful! R.I.P. beautiful Dolores, this will always be a deeply moving song about the unnecessary violence committed by both sides, supposedly in the name of religion. So it was the Catholics Vs Protestants, the IRA were Catholic supporters and the UDF (I think) were the Protestants
She was going to sing this with The Bad Wolves ( see their video) unfortunately she died the day before. The BW did record this and gave the proceeds to her children😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Yes i remember that day in 1993 my hometown…I didn’t go and I would of been there,one time I didn’t go with my friend we went every Saturday..where the bombs would of gone off loads of us teens use to hang out at Mc Ds and Boots plus near Mother’s Day too so full of kids on Bridge Street!!! My family members were there saw it happening! Never forget Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry!… RIP
No need to comment on history, just the song. This was her last song before she died and she dedicated it to the senseless killing having lost a loved one in the war, as I understand it. It was very impactful and expressive. She's a good singer and the band played on just as they should to connote the devastation & brutality. Soldiers being as heartless zombies on command.
Thank you Sir for taking the time to discover all the wonderful music out there. To me it’s very important & encouraging. Music belongs to ALL of us. I definitely subscribed to your channel.
Much respect for your openness to “new” outside of your norm music. That’s what brings me here. Not to berate you for not knowing a genre of music I’ve known my whole life but to see someone appreciate it for the first time.
Hi Mike. You say in America.. if there is a threat it would be over in 3 seconds. Well. No. Not really. There are threats all over the world but America strategically chooses when they have to defend America. It depends on Money and Oil. And Billionaires. America already knew about threats to the World Trade Centre. There were many threats and an attempt. But they did nothing. And hence we had 9/11..
@turdferguson400 it shows the negative way the Internet and echo chambers have effected art. This was in the 90s. The song is gritty and 100% political. We're going through one of the most globally divisive times in history. Where's the art? There's no great songs recording the dispare. No thought provoking art piece. Its like humans peaked in the 90s, and no one can create anyone, through fear of offending
@@MemoirsofaGamer1982 Mate, unfortunately I can’t give you a valid answer to your question. I sincerely wish I could. I’m old enough to think that these aren’t the most divisive times in our history. I guess it’s a matter of personal perspective. To me , it’s the same old bullshit in the Middle East, same old bullshit with Russia. That doesn’t make any of it right, but it’s certainly nothing I haven’t seen before. 💔 I’m guessing the songs are there, in Ukraine, in Gaza. We just aren’t hearing them.
The distorted guitar in the song intro perfectly depicts the chaos of war, then you get the purity of her voice before you hear her anger at the sheer futility of it. The emotion is perfect❤
Its also hard for some people to understand growing up in the 80s and 90s in the country, you might get one AM radio station. We only had a handfull of stations. Several of which were religious, public radio, talk radio, college talk radio, then you got the 5 or 7 in the middle.
One of my favourite songs ever. I was gonna request it myself and it was a big hit in Australia!! I was born in England when my Irish family had a stint in England but they left when I was 3 months old. My family are Irish and my dad told me about the troubles in Ireland. We emigrated to Australia when I was 3 and apart from a short time in Ireland in my 20's when my first son was young, I returned to Australia. This is my homeland now but I understand the angst of the Irish because my family told me all about it..
You express your thoughts very clearly and candidly. That's good. First time I watch your channel and I subscribed. Don't hesitate to talk about what you think of the music, voice, instruments, melody, etc...I'm not a fan of the Cranberries in the sense I don't much about them, but I love this song and this video. I love her (Dolores). I grew up in the 80s and 90s in Québec and I was listening to rock, metal and grunge music (alternative rock). I now enjoy music that is very mellow like country, jazz, blues, etc...somewhat like what you're going through, but the other way around.
Imagine a world where during the American War of Independance one of the 13 States chose to remain part of Britain. Then imagine that a small but sizable minority of the people in that State wanted to be part of the US, and that a small fraction of those people were prepared to use violence to achieve that goal regardless of the views of their own community.
This was after the IRA placed a bomb...and left it unatended..it blew the life out of 2 innocent, young kids. The war kept going and the lady in the video wrote the song because the killing kept going and people kept killing and being killed...and the initial reason sort of no longer mattered. One must avenge the last murder by the other team. Same WAR bull 5417...ZOMBIES...No brain...they keep doing what they always have done wi😢th out any thought.
I feel ya dude. I was definitely a stereotypical gen xer but now I'm, let's say ,more mature , I can appreciate many different genres but Skynd is hands down the best music I have heard since I first heard Pantera in 1990. Please give her a listen
I totally relate to your opinion about "other music". As a teenager I was totally into Rock music and had no time for "other music". Country, Rap was nothing I wanted to engage. I grew up musically and have been trying to discover "other music" for the last 20 years. Love your reaction, the vibe and your open ears and mind. Subscribed! If you want some traction on your channel, U2. Funny enough from one Irish band to the other. "Where the Streets Have no Name", "I still Haven't found What I'm Looking for", "Sunday Bloody Sunday". U2 come from the same foundation as the Cranberries.
So no soldiers from Northern Ireland were involved ? Think you need to find out how many members of the UDR and Royal Irish Regiment were killed, not even counting members of the RUC.
The British soldiers were there ostensibly to keep the peace, worth pointing out that many catholic's, at first welcomed the troops, believing they would be more neutral than the RUC, but soon came to view the troops as hostile and biased.
The band Within Temptation has a fantastic song, called "Wireless". It speaks to the way war is glorified to suck more people to be cannon fodder so that rich can gain more power. It's such a great song, I hope you check it out. They're a Dutch symphonic metal band and have some excellent stuff.
As usual religion, Catholics vs Protestants, also well described by @DarthPaddius. The wacky part, Great Britain consists of Scotland, Wales and England (that's just my preferred order 😏). The United Kingdom (UK) consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, though anyone from the UK is considered British, and all would receive a British passport. The Republic of Ireland (the southern and greater land mass part of "Ireland") is a completely separate country and its citizens are Irish and hold a Republic of Ireland passport. This then caused a heap of trouble during Brexit, when the UK pulled out of the European Union (EU), because now Northern Ireland as part of the UK was out of the EU, but the Republic of Ireland was not affected and still remains part of the EU. Thank you for your review, your insights were spot on 🤩.
Sorry one ghi g not correct. Since 1998 Belfast agreement, citizens in North of Ireland can choose citizenship of Ireland, UK or both. So not all people in the North are British.
zombie was sparked by 2 young english boys the IRA killed in a bombing but the over all message of the song is about the troubles and all the innocent lives lost on both sides
This video was filmed before the armistice so those are real British soldiers patrolling the streets in Ireland, you are correct in that, and as well as the IRA graffiti you can also see tags for the UFF and UDF in the video, both of them being irregular forces/factions that fought on the British side of the conflict. In the music listen out for the snare drum which is supposed to be reminiscent of rifle fire...
As an Englishman I would dispute that the UFF and UDF "fought on the British side". They fought for themselves and were, in my view then and now, terrorists just as much as the IRA. I deny them to claim any moral high ground in that time of conflict.
Not again with the UDF, here we go again there is and has never been a (UDF) there is a UDA (Ulster defense Association) a UVF( Ulster Volunteer Force) a UFF(Ulster Freedom Fighters)the UDR (Ulster Defense Regiment) which I was a member of but no and I repeat no UDF.
" But you see, it's not me. it's not my family." We should all be able to relate to this song and its scenario because it is about the unnecessary loss of life (children) due to violence. It's happening today, maybe not to our families, but the pain should be shared by us due to our connection of us being a part of humanity.
I enjoyed your intro. It does come as a surprise in most reaction videos that the person has never heard the most famous songs in the world but I get what you said. I absolutely ignored Country Music for decades and the joy I felt when I came across Don Williams, George Jones and all the rest was wonderful. A treasure trove of epic music. Adult songs for adult people. Now while I like the bands I grew up with like The Cranberries, I think the themes are a bit simple and juvenile.
The historical value over the two young children and the conflict is well written in this song, but a comment on her vocals would have been welcome as well, she was unique and awesome . New subscriber.
Zombie" is a protest song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries. It was written by the lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, about the 3 child victims of a IRA bombing in Warrington, England, during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Regardless of which side you support the killing of children in any conflict is abhorrent
yes My mothers best friend had her children killed by an IRA stuff up in England. the kids answered a knock on the door and were blown up by a bomb.
TELL THAT TO ISRAEL AND THE US .
@@jeffreybergin4097they literally just said whichever side your on killing children is abhorrent.. love how you don't condemn hamas too for literally murdering babies as their target not just as a by product of attacking like with Israel
@@jeffreybergin4097
You no doubt think you are cleverly making a point, raising US foreign policy. As if we, the recipients of such policy weren't already painfully aware of the US total disregard of any life not American.
Try looking back to the time this was made. The largely Irish American Police and Firemen in New York regularly held fundraisers for the IRA to buy guns and bombs with. Of course that was before the US war on terror. That was when the US, despite it's bullshit claims of a special relationship across the pond were happy to allow Irish terrorists across its borders. And listening to this Americanly ignorant man claiming to understand the IRA is ludicrous. As long as it isn't America being attacked. Of course the second a terrorist bomb went off on US soil, it sparked and illegal and immoral war which killed over a million Iraqis. So seriously you think anyone is surprised that America would happily take part in genocide.
There are those of us who lived in London in the 80s and survived the gutless bastard IRA bombs paid for by Americans who will never forgive....
um tell that to the Hamas supporters? So tell yourself I guess?
I stand FIRMLY with lsraeI. Many irish support ira and hamas🙄it’s an utter embarrassment.
So to help you out and give a little backstory. Easter of 1916 was a very pivotal moment in Irish history. The Irish Nationalist movement launched an armed rebellion which was pretty quickly and brutally put down by the English army. Although unsuccessful at the time the Easter rebellion did however create enough impetus with the people for them to claim almost complete independence from British rule in the early 1920's. Only roughly a quarter (mostly the protestant bit) of the country, now called Northern Ireland stayed under British Rule and that's where most of "The Troubles" occurred and where this video is set. The British Army was stationed there from 1969 through to 2007 and it was not a happy time. The streets of Belfast were pretty scary most of the time with some pretty heavy fighting between the IRA (you were spot on there) and the British. Google "The Troubles", the history is pretty wild! All they wanted, was to have their country back.
Although "The Troubles" in this instance are a fairly modern issue, the Irish V British conflict goes back centuries, as far back as their initial conquest by the Plantagenet kings in the 1200's and they've been fighting off and on for independence ever since. A particularly nasty patch of history was when Cromwell led the re-conquest of Ireland after another rebellion in the mid 1600's. His treatment of the Irish during that time bordered on the barbaric. On the whole, the Irish have some very good reasons to hate the British.
About the song itself, the lead singer wrote it after two young boys were killed by an IRA bomb in England while the band was touring there and it hit her particularly hard that innocent kids were being killed by the conflict, hence some of the lines and that's also why it's so politically charged.The video, which was filmed on the streets of Belfast with real footage of soldiers and whatnot, was actually banned on both Irish and British broadcast networks, because of the imagery. They used the band's live performance instead, wild huh? It's a great song though, a real classic anthem.
Nice explanation, Darth! 👍
You say the "fighting was between the IRA and the British" which strictly speaking, initially was not true, other factions involved were the
INLA, UVF and UDA, the British Army were deployed as peacekeepers and were in fact at first welcomed by many catholics
who soon realised that the troops were hostile and biased and quickly became the enemy.
@@jameswiglesworth5004 Hey man I getcha, and you are not wrong. I certainly could have gone more in depth and certainly didn't mean to downplay the situation at all. What I posted wasn't meant to be an exhaustive history lesson, more of a TL;dr thing just enough to whet the appetite for knowledge and give a little backstory to the song. My hope was that anyone interested would look into it further.
And dont forget, that England was the invader, same with Scotland too. I'm German and i would like to see a Reunion of Ireland and Northireland, like the Reunion of East and West Germany.
@@marcbaur677 Well said, Marc. I still remember crying watching the wall come down and I was excited and scared at the same time. ❤👋👍
Recently when Delores died, the song was being played a lot, and people were talking about how she wrote it about those particular boys, and the father of one of the boys didn't realize it was about his own son. He was quite touched to learn that so many years later.
She was supposed to record with the Bad Wolves who did a cover of Zombies. Sadly she passed before that happened. Bad Wolves did a heavier version which was getting a lot of play time after she passed.
One of the best songs ever!! RIP beautiful Delores🥺
Just subscribed to the channel. I'm an Englishman through and through and when I was a boy in the 1980s we were living in fear because of the IRA and their bombs. Unfortunately, we were never taught in school about what the English did to the Irish. We treated them horrificly and brutally and they starved to death. I love my Irish brothers and sisters but I cannot help feeling shame for what we did to them over hundreds of years.
I’m so impressed with your honesty. ❤ Welcome to the channel. Mike is a terrific reactor, and doesn’t wear rose coloured glasses when it comes to his own country and its flaws. Enjoy the music! 👍❤️
Feel no shame brother, it wasn't your doing. We just need to acknowledge the past and try not to repeat those mistakes. Every nation has a part of their past they're not proud of, let's focus on making the future brighter. Love from Ireland
@@funlovincopI second that
I think Zombie describes the militants on each side. They get a story in their head that drives them to fight. Once set they can't be stopped. This works for any conflict.
you may be right..
She's uses a vocal technique called keening that's more common at funerals.
Keening is a sean-nós technique which is mainly used for laments, correct. Those who know that immediately know what the purpose of this song is. A lament for two boys who died due to the bombing terror.
OMG - I STILL cannot make it through this song without tearing-up!! SUCH a WELL WRITTEN & PERFORMED SONG!! RIP, DELORES!! YOU are MISSED! So HAPPY that YOU picked-up the gist of the mood of the song: EARLY!! Love seeing your journey!
Nothing 'Bubble Gum' about the Cranberries. Delores was a bloody genius. True artist.
He may have been thinking 'Linger'.
Here’s what Delores said about why she wrote the song. “There were a lot of bombs going off in London and I remember this one time a child was killed when a bomb was put in a rubbish bin -- that's why there's that line in the song, 'A child is slowly taken,'" O'Riordan told Songwriting Magazine. "We were on a tour bus and I was near the location where it happened, so it really struck me hard - I was quite young, but I remember being devastated about the innocent children being pulled into that kind of thing. So I suppose that's why I was saying, 'It's not me' - that even though I'm Irish it wasn't me, I didn't do it. Because being Irish, it was quite hard, especially in the UK when there was so much tension."
She told Vox magazine in 1994 that the song was written in part as a mechanism to grapple with her identity as an Irish citizen that did not support the actions of the IRA.
"The IRA are not me. I'm not the IRA. The Cranberries are not the IRA. My family are not. ... When it says in the song, 'It's not me, it's not my family,' that's what I'm saying. It's not Ireland".
❤Dolores❤ gone of this world ♡always in our hearts😢
In the song she repeats, "... and their bombs, and their bombs" that represents the 2 boys that were killed in the bombing in Warrington.
The British soldiers loved this song too.
It’s a great tune; my uncle served in Northern Ireland and it’s probably too complex to even discuss; religion, war etc…..Northern Ireland was created as a peace settlement because one side of the original freedom fighters saw the British troops were beating them quite badly and it couldn’t go on for much longer….that said, it was only supposed to be a temporary thing.
She isn’t singing about one side or the other, Dolores was a proud Irish woman but the boys killed that prompted this song were English and killed by the Irish Republican Army. So in this song she’s really appealing to both sides to quit the needless fighting and killing like fucking zombies who have lost their humanity.
Your honesty in your lack of knowledge of the conflict in NI is appreciated.
That's the USA for you...'lack of knowledge' of the world outside of the USA 🤦♂
@@321bytor Mike is genuinely making an effort to understand everything that goes on in the world. You can’t judge him just by this song. ❤
Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan was one of my favorite songstresses,. Her passing mirrored my mother's passing for the same cause 5 years before.
❤💔 Bless.
To be specific: this song IS about The Troubles in Ireland - but, it relates to a more-specific incident: Twelve year old, Tim Parry, and three year old, Johnathan Ball, died when two bombs hidden inside litter bins exploded in Warrington on 20 March 1993, while 54 others were injured. I'm with you, Mike....senseless conflict when you're taking lives, that way.
You are the first reactor that I have watched to realize the geography immediately.
He probably recognized the british military uniforms
Yes! True!
Took our man like 10 seconds, even while admitting not knowing the whole story. Dude's more clued in than he gives himself credit for
@@RobotMonkeytron Absolutely. ❤
RIP dolores oriordan will never be forgotten
there are no sides when children are put through this
wow, you know your history. I don't think i've seen anyone immediately clock what this song is about.
Dude, I am an irish person who grew up during this shit and watching this video I have been clicking my fingers constantly saying YES YES YES. You just seem to get it so quickly and I reckon its because you just a decent person who has empathy. ❤
This is such an important song. Let us all pray for peace in the world during Advent and Christmas.
Son of Buck, it was the greatest pleasurable experience to finally hear an educated American gentleman like yourself, so thank you for that, much appreciated.
Wars in general are commoners sent out to fight for their life for the elite, the elite have major gains however the innocent soldiers lose their limbs/lives or come back home with nightmares and mental challenges, and no money to look after themselves. They lose more than they gain, for what. Us ordinary civilians want peace, we have no gain from war and we do not want war, wish people could see what is truly happening, we are well brainwashed.
Thank you again Son of Buck
Peace to you all, we are here on earth to give life, not to take it, whichever religion you are, Peace. Love from Ireland 💖💖😘😘🙏🙏
❤ Beautifully said, Kate.
@@turdferguson400 Thank you Son Of Buck 😘😘❤❤
I grew up listening to rock. In recent years I’ve been checking out country. There are great songs in every genre.
This song is universal. The message of "When the violence causes silence, we must be mistaken" does not depend of knowing the details of any single conflict. And in this case this is the silence of dead children which is wrong whoever caused their death.
Very much reflects the Palestine genocide happening now
I'm Irish, from Limerick actually (same as Dolores). Most Irish people didn't support the IRA (when they would do collections in the pubs mot people would just turn away and not support them) and their means but just stayed quiet about it, maybe intimidated, and maybe this led the British and others to believe the IRA represented us. That's what I think she is saying when she says "When the violence causes silence, we must be mistaken", it's our silence that's wrong when we disagree with something being done in our name. Thankfully Dolores spoke up and created a masterpiece in the process
"Zombie" was written about an older situation, that has now passed, for now anyway.
The emotions of "Zombie" is universal, to all kids caught in (civil) war conflicts. 😢
Top song of all time!
I like your comments. You seem very open minded. That's all it takes to be a good person. Hope to see more on your channel.
Thank you
The Irish and British have been fighting off and on for 1,000+ years.
I agree with you Mike! This world needs more love, more kindness, more compassion, not more violence and killing. I love Dolores O'Riordan and The Cranberries. I spent years studying the issues in Northern Ireland and Ireland in general and so I understand why this song was so important to Dolores. She was so gifted and a great songwriter. They have a great musical catalogue and also some excellent live in concert footage on TH-cam. R.I.P. Dolores.
Im in my 60s now,and I totally agree about your hiding under a rock explanation. But you can't put an old head on a young shoulders, I wish you could. There would be a few things I would have done differently. Love your reaction, and you got the topic perfectly.
Great reaction to such an intense and amazing song...
Notice how she says bombs twice , the second attack two small bombs exploded in litter bins outside shops and businesses on Bridge Street. Two children were killed and 56 people were injured.
The line child is slowly taken refers to The second victim, 12-year-old Tim Parry, who was gravely wounded. He died on 25 March 1993 x
Thumbs up for trying.
It was a pleasure to watch/hear your reaction to this video.
Thank you Mike & cheers from Canada!
Thank you too!
Thats for Johnathan and Tim❤
I never really got into the cranberries but I liked their music, especially this song and her beautiful voice.
One of my favourites songs when I were teen...❤❤❤❤
As someone that grew up in Belfast in the 80s and 90s, and whos father was in the security services this brings up a lot of memories. It was very easy to fall into one side of the rhetoric and not see the fuller picture, and growing up it became more and more apparent what a mess it was over here on both sides. Growing up, religion didn't make a difference and I'm happy to say I was one of the smarter, non-zombies, that embraced my fellow humans
I’m Australian and we always knew about the Troubles here. Two young Australian fathers were murdered in Amsterdam in front of their wives while visiting on holiday, by the IRA who had mistaken them for off duty British soldiers. I always believed that the British needed to get the heck out and just leave them alone, let them form a government themselves and be in charge of their own country. Even in primary school here, this entire thing seemed shameful to me, the British occupying and controlling someone else’s country. I never understood why they felt the need to do any of this. So if young primary school kids in another part of the Commonwealth thought that it was wrong, why was it allowed to continue, just causing the death of so many innocent people, including children. There were atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict over the decades, just disgraceful! R.I.P. beautiful Dolores, this will always be a deeply moving song about the unnecessary violence committed by both sides, supposedly in the name of religion. So it was the Catholics Vs Protestants, the IRA were Catholic supporters and the UDF (I think) were the Protestants
Well said, Karen. ❤💔
Well said Hun!!!
I look forward to you Aussies returning your country to the Aborigines soon then, you being such a woman of high principle and all…
Well said I've got an Irish man and an English dad and I live in Perth 😂
@@millcumthat's a bit rich coming from a loyalist
Vale, beautiful Delores. 💚🤍🧡Taken from us way too soon. 💔 Thanks for the great reaction, Mike. Love and PEACE to all. ❤
Good one Kimmy !!👍
@@CooranbongDave Cheers, Dave. 👍❤️
It amazes me when people act as if everyoe has heard everything. There's a lot of stuff out there to hear. We all live under one rock or another. ❤️✌️
Absolutely true!
Good point! ❤
She was going to sing this with The Bad Wolves ( see their video) unfortunately she died the day before. The BW did record this and gave the proceeds to her children😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
And the film clip that goes with it is amazing as well, Bad Wolves did an amazing job in covering the song with so much respect
Before I even listen to the video, let me just say, thank you for your service to our country.
Thank you
One of the most amazing songs ever recorded! RIP our Beautiful Delores ❤🕊
Yes i remember that day in 1993 my hometown…I didn’t go and I would of been there,one time I didn’t go with my friend we went every Saturday..where the bombs would of gone off loads of us teens use to hang out at Mc Ds and Boots plus near Mother’s Day too so full of kids on Bridge Street!!! My family members were there saw it happening! Never forget Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry!… RIP
An absolutely AMAZING song!
This is pure poetry. Music is for the soul. Poetry is philosophy!
Number one song here in Australia.
she had a very unique voice
Delores now teaching angels how to sing. RIP
In my opinion. They would try . She was a one-off like Sinead O'connor. Angles blessed with demons.
No need to comment on history, just the song. This was her last song before she died and she dedicated it to the senseless killing having lost a loved one in the war, as I understand it. It was very impactful and expressive. She's a good singer and the band played on just as they should to connote the devastation & brutality. Soldiers being as heartless zombies on command.
No it wasn't her last song before she died! Zombie was released in 1994. Dolores died in 2018, There were several albums in between
Irish people living on their own Island had a civil rights movement!
That should tell you a lot about a suppressive regime!!!
The song was inspired by children being murdered on their own island. Stop being an apologist for terrorists!
Thank you Sir for taking the time to discover all the wonderful music out there. To me it’s very important & encouraging. Music belongs to ALL of us. I definitely subscribed to your channel.
Thanks for listening
Much respect for your openness to “new” outside of your norm music. That’s what brings me here. Not to berate you for not knowing a genre of music I’ve known my whole life but to see someone appreciate it for the first time.
Agreed. ❤✌️
Morning Mike....thanks KIMMY, you rock.
Morning, Gilly! ❤️👍
@turdferguson400 👋👋
Morning!
@@SonofBuck-f7z Morning, Mike!
Gilly
First time hearing this song? Yeah, right, sure. First time hearing, but maybe this week 😂
A song I never tire of hearing. Happy Christmas from Darlington UK.
DTID
Hi Mike. You say in America.. if there is a threat it would be over in 3 seconds. Well. No. Not really. There are threats all over the world but America strategically chooses when they have to defend America. It depends on Money and Oil. And Billionaires. America already knew about threats to the World Trade Centre. There were many threats and an attempt. But they did nothing. And hence we had 9/11..
RIP DOLORES O'RIORDAN
One of the greatest songs EVER WRITTEN
Agreed. ❤
@turdferguson400 it shows the negative way the Internet and echo chambers have effected art.
This was in the 90s. The song is gritty and 100% political.
We're going through one of the most globally divisive times in history.
Where's the art? There's no great songs recording the dispare. No thought provoking art piece. Its like humans peaked in the 90s, and no one can create anyone, through fear of offending
@@MemoirsofaGamer1982 Mate, unfortunately I can’t give you a valid answer to your question. I sincerely wish I could. I’m old enough to think that these aren’t the most divisive times in our history. I guess it’s a matter of personal perspective. To me , it’s the same old bullshit in the Middle East, same old bullshit with Russia. That doesn’t make any of it right, but it’s certainly nothing I haven’t seen before. 💔 I’m guessing the songs are there, in Ukraine, in Gaza. We just aren’t hearing them.
The distorted guitar in the song intro perfectly depicts the chaos of war, then you get the purity of her voice before you hear her anger at the sheer futility of it. The emotion is perfect❤
Well said. ❤
Its also hard for some people to understand growing up in the 80s and 90s in the country, you might get one AM radio station. We only had a handfull of stations. Several of which were religious, public radio, talk radio, college talk radio, then you got the 5 or 7 in the middle.
You make a good point. ❤👍
You got it right whereas so many got it wrong.
One of my favourite songs ever. I was gonna request it myself and it was a big hit in Australia!! I was born in England when my Irish family had a stint in England but they left when I was 3 months old. My family are Irish and my dad told me about the troubles in Ireland. We emigrated to Australia when I was 3 and apart from a short time in Ireland in my 20's when my first son was young, I returned to Australia. This is my homeland now but I understand the angst of the Irish because my family told me all about it..
THE SONG IS ABOUT THE MURDER OF TWO YOUNG BOYS IN WARRINGTON ENGLAND
THE IRA SET A BOMB OF IN BIN WHICH KILLED THEM .
I once had this song stuck in my head for so long (months) that I managed to get it stuck in some friends' heads as well.
You express your thoughts very clearly and candidly. That's good. First time I watch your channel and I subscribed.
Don't hesitate to talk about what you think of the music, voice, instruments, melody, etc...I'm not a fan of the Cranberries in the sense I don't much about them, but I love this song and this video. I love her (Dolores).
I grew up in the 80s and 90s in Québec and I was listening to rock, metal and grunge music (alternative rock). I now enjoy music that is very mellow like country, jazz, blues, etc...somewhat like what you're going through, but the other way around.
As french cranberries are one one of mine personnal 99 good songs
I think you would like the song 'Silver linging' by 'First aid kit'
Imagine a world where during the American War of Independance one of the 13 States chose to remain part of Britain. Then imagine that a small but sizable minority of the people in that State wanted to be part of the US, and that a small fraction of those people were prepared to use violence to achieve that goal regardless of the views of their own community.
That is an excellent analogy, David. 👍
Your right...English in Ireland.
This was after the IRA placed a bomb...and left it unatended..it blew the life out of 2 innocent, young kids. The war kept going and the lady in the video wrote the song because the killing kept going and people kept killing and being killed...and the initial reason sort of no longer mattered. One must avenge the last murder by the other team. Same WAR bull 5417...ZOMBIES...No brain...they keep doing what they always have done wi😢th out any thought.
Blame the monarchy
Good for you never to late to learn new things .
Ireland and the UK, it's complicated, 300yrs and more complicated.
I am not an expert on the American Civil War, but I still can decide whether “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” is a good song or not.
me either
Good point. ❤
I feel ya dude. I was definitely a stereotypical gen xer but now I'm, let's say ,more mature , I can appreciate many different genres but Skynd is hands down the best music I have heard since I first heard Pantera in 1990. Please give her a listen
I enjoyed your reaction to this iconic song. Would love for you to react to Bittersweet by Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
I totally relate to your opinion about "other music". As a teenager I was totally into Rock music and had no time for "other music". Country, Rap was nothing I wanted to engage. I grew up musically and have been trying to discover "other music" for the last 20 years. Love your reaction, the vibe and your open ears and mind. Subscribed! If you want some traction on your channel, U2. Funny enough from one Irish band to the other. "Where the Streets Have no Name", "I still Haven't found What I'm Looking for", "Sunday Bloody Sunday". U2 come from the same foundation as the Cranberries.
❤ ‘Pride’, too. 💚🤍🧡
Thanks for the advice and for subscribing my friend.
Thank you mate appreciate you
Been going on for years about Catholics & Protestants
I enjoyed your reaction. Good luck
I went the opposite way. Did not like country music when i was younger... Now that i learned guitar, i respect all music.
It was English, Welsh, and Scottish soldiers who patrolled and died fighting the IRA in Northern Ireland.
So no soldiers from Northern Ireland were involved ? Think you need to find out how many members of the UDR and Royal Irish Regiment were killed, not even counting members of the RUC.
The British soldiers were there ostensibly to keep the peace, worth pointing out that many catholic's, at first welcomed the
troops, believing they would be more neutral than the RUC, but soon came to view the troops as hostile and biased.
RIP Dolores ❤❤❤
The Irish Troubles, the conflict was called.
The band Within Temptation has a fantastic song, called "Wireless". It speaks to the way war is glorified to suck more people to be cannon fodder so that rich can gain more power. It's such a great song, I hope you check it out. They're a Dutch symphonic metal band and have some excellent stuff.
I will definitely be checking that out. Thanks for the suggestion. ❤
Thank you I'll listen to it.
CONFLICT IS GOING ON 800YEARS 😢😢😢.
As usual religion, Catholics vs Protestants, also well described by @DarthPaddius.
The wacky part, Great Britain consists of Scotland, Wales and England (that's just my preferred order 😏). The United Kingdom (UK) consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, though anyone from the UK is considered British, and all would receive a British passport. The Republic of Ireland (the southern and greater land mass part of "Ireland") is a completely separate country and its citizens are Irish and hold a Republic of Ireland passport.
This then caused a heap of trouble during Brexit, when the UK pulled out of the European Union (EU), because now Northern Ireland as part of the UK was out of the EU, but the Republic of Ireland was not affected and still remains part of the EU.
Thank you for your review, your insights were spot on 🤩.
Well said, Jonty. I agree. Mike’s reaction was excellent. ❤
Sorry one ghi g not correct. Since 1998 Belfast agreement, citizens in North of Ireland can choose citizenship of Ireland, UK or both. So not all people in the North are British.
Holy shit I have the exact same glasses!! Gday from Sydney, mate!
zombie was sparked by 2 young english boys the IRA killed in a bombing but the over all message of the song is about the troubles and all the innocent lives lost on both sides
The soldiers were patrolling the streets of Northern Ireland, wouldn’t want to upset anyone 👍
Which is still Ireland.
This video was filmed before the armistice so those are real British soldiers patrolling the streets in Ireland, you are correct in that, and as well as the IRA graffiti you can also see tags for the UFF and UDF in the video, both of them being irregular forces/factions that fought on the British side of the conflict. In the music listen out for the snare drum which is supposed to be reminiscent of rifle fire...
As an Englishman I would dispute that the UFF and UDF "fought on the British side". They fought for themselves and were, in my view then and now, terrorists just as much as the IRA. I deny them to claim any moral high ground in that time of conflict.
Not again with the UDF, here we go again there is and has never been a (UDF) there is a UDA (Ulster defense Association) a UVF( Ulster Volunteer Force) a UFF(Ulster Freedom Fighters)the UDR (Ulster Defense Regiment) which I was a member of but no and I repeat no UDF.
Can go both ways, was a metalhead grunge punk person, then found johnny cash, respect for all genres
'The troubles' was a very difficult couple of centuries to the UK & Ireland.
Bad wolves did an EXCELLENT COVER OF THIS SONG
I’ve still gotta check that one out. ❤
" But you see, it's not me. it's not my family." We should all be able to relate to this song and its scenario because it is about the unnecessary loss of life (children) due to violence. It's happening today, maybe not to our families, but the pain should be shared by us due to our connection of us being a part of humanity.
Agreed. ❤
I enjoyed your intro. It does come as a surprise in most reaction videos that the person has never heard the most famous songs in the world but I get what you said. I absolutely ignored Country Music for decades and the joy I felt when I came across Don Williams, George Jones and all the rest was wonderful. A treasure trove of epic music. Adult songs for adult people. Now while I like the bands I grew up with like The Cranberries, I think the themes are a bit simple and juvenile.
Thanks for the comment.
RIP Dolores.
We all feel this pain😢
The historical value over the two young children and the conflict is well written in this song, but a comment on her vocals would have been welcome as well, she was unique and awesome . New subscriber.
thank you, and I listen to the commentors.
Mike, nice review video, courageous and open -- a former marine in Texas hearing a chilling song lamenting victims of imperialism -- good show, mate