A resistance called Dolores O’Riordan

For children born in the 80s, Dolores represented a cry of rebellion that came alive at the peak of a three-decade long armed conflict between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British troops – aimed at freeing Northern Ireland from British rule. 

While the politics of O’Riordan’s biggest hit to date Zombie, would dawn upon most of us only much later in life, what stayed with most listeners was the powerful bassline of the track, that one could recall from memory, even in sleep. Needless to say – it went on to become a staple at every college fest and New Year singalong. 

The Cranberries, to many listeners, embodied the spirit of dissent in the wake of unspeakable atrocities, committed as part of military campaigns, such as the IRA bombing, which inspired Zombie, (from the breakout album No Need to Argue, which also contained another heartful lament titled Ode to my Family). 

The group had even lent its voice to address the Bosnian War (1992-1995), an armed conflict which witnessed ethnic cleansing on a scale unprecedented in modern times. To many listeners, such as myself, it was a wakeup call to the power of music and how it could inform and advocate change where needed. 

The Cranberries were in a way frontrunners to bands like Rage Against the Machine (RATM), a rap metal ensemble from LA, that wore its politics on its sleeve. 

Calling out America on its foreign policies, immigration laws, racism, police brutality, on its toppling of supposedly totalitarian regimes and maniacal dictators might have been RATM’s calling card, but the Cranberries had sown the seeds for non-violent dissent early on and shaped the sensibilities of an entire generation of music lovers. In the words of O’Riordan, Do you have to let it Linger?