The Cranberries’ Biography and Top 10 Songs

I have liked The Cranberries ever since the release of the single Linger 1993. Dolores O’Riordan’s voice is amazing and is what initially attracted me to the song. Since then I have got every album which has been released and they are all great. I have seen The Cranberries live and it was a really good gig and I would recommend anyone going if they decide to tour again in the future.

The Cranberries formed in 1990 and consisted originally of Noel and Mike Hogan, Fergal Lawler and Niall Quinn and were named The Cranberry Saw Us which was a pun on cranberry sauce. When Niall left the band they auditioned for a new vocalist and Dolores O’Riordan won and wrote the lyrics for Linger in only one day after being given a demo.

Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? the debut album was released in 1993 and was a massive success and rocketed The Cranberries into stardom. The success was somewhat due to the bands tour and the playing of the video’s of Linger and Dreams on MTV. When the album was re-released in 2002 it went to #1 in the UK charts and is one of only five albums to have ever dropped out of the charts to come back and reach #1.

No Need To Argue was released in 1994 and is their biggest hit album selling over 16.5 million copies worldwide. The album contains the single Zombie which is their most successful single. The album turned 3x Platinum within a year of it’s release. During the following tour rumours started that Delores was planning to quit to pursue her solo career but the band denied these.

The rumours were still floating about until the release of To The Faithful Departed in 1996. The album was made in memory of a friend of the band called Danny Cordell and Delores’s grandad who both tragically died the same year. The album entered the UK chart at #2 and #4 in the US and turned 2x Platinum. In Autumn 1996 The Cranberries canceled a couple of their planned tours which sparked the rumours of a split yet again.

The release of Bury The Hatchet in 1999 stopped those rumours and it reached #7 in the UK chart and #13 in the US where it turned Gold. The tour to support the album was their most successful and started in April 1999 and ended in July 2000. The album has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee was released in 2001 and helped to raise the popularity of The Cranberries once more. Though not as successful as albums like No Need To Argue and To The Faithful Departed the album was still a massive hit. Stars – The Best Of 1992-2002 a compilation album released in 2002 also helped in the rise. They also won an award in Taiwan for best international band.

Since 2003 The Cranberries have been on a hiatus to pursue their own solo careers but a new EP is reported to be released sometime in 2008.

My Top 10 The Cranberries Songs are:

01. I Can’t Be With You

02. Just My Imagination

03. Hollywood

04. Linger

05. In The Ghetto

06. Ode To My Family

07. Zombie

08. Ridiculous Thoughts

09. Dreams

10. You And Me

write by Edana