The music world has been rocked by the news that Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan passed away, but you can celebrate her life and legacy by listening to five of the Cranberries’ greatest hits.
Forming in Limerick, Ireland in the late ’80s, the band was originally fronted by singer Niall Quinn, who later exited the group and O’Riordan was brought in as the replacement.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Their first album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, came out in 1993 and featured four breakout singles, two of which would go on to be featured in major motion pictures.
The real standout track on the album was “Linger,” which was a a song originally written by ex-vocalist Quinn, and re-written by O’Riordan.
The band’s next album, No Need to Argue from 1994, featured what many would consider to be their greatest contribute to music culture, the platinum-certified “Zombie.”
It went to the number one spot on radio stations all over the world, and continues to be covered by top music artists even today.
Next up on the Top Five list originally shared by EW, is the band’s debut single “Dreams,” which was featured on their aforementioned first album.
This is another song that has continued to be a favorite among fans.
One interesting fact about “Dreams” is that O’Riordan’s ex-boyfriend Mike Mahoney did background vocals on the track.
The penultimate track on this list of great Cranberries tunes is “Ode to My Family,” which was the second single off of their second album.
It’s reported that the song is written as O’Riordan’s response to having to leave her simple life behind when she became an award-winning musician.
The final song on the list is “When You’re Gone,” from the band’s third album, To the Faithful Departed.
This album was not as critically well-received as the Cranberries’ first two albums, but it still went on to be a very popular album, peaking at the number one spot and going multi-platinum in many countries.
Following her untimely death, The Cranberries released a statement on the passing of their singer, writing, ” Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today. She was 46 years old. The lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries, was in London for a short recording session. No further details are available at this time.”
“Family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” the statement concluded.
