Can you believe the Cranberries are almost 30 years old? Well, I should say “were”… As you may have heard, their lead singer, and just a gorgeous human being, Dolores O’Riordan, passed away, so nothing in this world will be the same again and everything currently sucks.
To be frank, I wasn’t their #1 fan by a long shot, I’m more of a casual listener with a tendency to cling to certain songs or albums and play them over and over until something new comes out. That’s exactly what happened to the 10 songs on this list. All of them have a special place in my heart.
10. “When You’re Gone” – 1996
When those first “shoo-be-dop” start rolling in, you instantly know this is gonna be good, and, look, you’re already swaying like a leaf in the wind!
9. “Stars” – 2002
One of the first Cranberries music videos I’ve seen when I were a teen. Look at that gorgeous scenery and how lovely Dolores looked. Absolutely astonishing!
8. “Why” – 2017
For some reason, this song sounds so light and magical, yet very heart-wrenching at the same time. This is now, sadly, the last video currently on their VEVO channel, and that makes me wanna drink.
7. “Salvation” – 1996
I remember hearing these crazy guitar shreds on the radio over 20 years ago, and back then I didn’t like the song at all. Took me a few years to get into the groove, and now I can definitely say that screaming “Salvation, salvation, salvation is free!” does not get old. Also, what the hell is that video about?
6. “Ode To My Family” – 1994
It’s songs like this one, that give you a billion goosebumps and that bittersweet feeling of the good old times. And then your eyes swell up a bit, because you realize you’re old, and one of the best voices on the planet is gone now… Or maybe it’s just me! *sniff*
5. “Dreams” – 1993
Things are never quite what they seem, especially in your dreams. The music video for this song is pretty weird, but what did you expect from a song called “Dreams”? Also, it was 1993, come on. Enjoy the tunes!
4. “Animal Instinct” – 1999
What is it about Dolores wearing a flower crown that makes me feel all warm and safe inside? It’s definitely not the same “Animal Instinct” from the video, I’ll tell you that much.
3. “Linger” – 1993
This song is so… Gosh! Darn! BEAUTIFUL! And the acoustic version makes it 10 times better. Oh, here come the waterworks again, and we still have 2 of my favorites to go through…
2. “Just My Imagination” – 2000
This song screams “sunshine” and “happiness” and I freaking love it! Probably the most positive and up-beat Cranberries song out the, and will remain as such forever.
1. “Zombie” – 1994
What else did you expect to be the #1? It’s by far their most recognizable song, and of course, just like many of you, Zombie was my first ever Cranberries song. I didn’t even know how to spell “cranberries” back then, but could easily sing along to the “zombie” part. This is the song that made them famous, and it deserves all the praise, because otherwise Dolores and the Cranberries would be just another forgotten garage grunge band, or worse. Should’ve told you earlier to bring some tissues, sorry about that. Well, I’m just gonna go listen to some of their oldies and reminisce…
