I can’t believe it.
The Cranberries weren’t just huge. They were everywhere. Their songs – her voice – blasting from every open car window, at every club, and featured in countless (practically) soundtracks. Bill Simmons observed on Twitter that during their heyday – 1990-1994 – there was so much good new music exploding into the culture, simultaneously, but they stood out. It was hard to stand out then. The reason they stood out is because of her. That VOICE. It was a once-in-a-lifetime voice. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Zombie.”
“Linger”
These were the songs of my wild 20s. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around this one. She was so young.
I read the news earlier in the day yesterday, but it wasn’t until later when I put on No Need to Argue and heard the “do do do do” of Ode to my Family that I just burst into tears, and continued for half the album. That whole album was such a part of my childhood, and not just because, as you point out, they were everywhere. I actually loved it, and the thing is I’ve never stopped loving it or forgotten about it, or the band and their songs in general. But NNTA just stuck with me. I always listened to it like it was new or always there, not like, “oh I forgot about this album”. I’m not saying I listened every week or something, but it just never left my consciousness. It’s just burned into me. I told you on IG that I used to ride my bike home and sing OTMF to myself.I forgot how obsessed and intense I was about that song. Yet whenever I hear it, it just crushes me all over again. I put on Twenty-one when I turned 21 (so corny, but how could I not). Then there’s Linger, When You’re Gone, ugh. That voice. Always that voice.
// I actually loved it, and the thing is I’ve never stopped loving it or forgotten about it, or the band and their songs in general. //
I love how you say this and how they never left you.
She was special and kind of unique for that era, in her own way. First of all, the voice. But also a girl in an all boy band – No Doubt would be that some years later – the era was pretty split up gender-wise (maybe it always is?) … but it made for an interesting tension. She was so great.
I’m so sorry – these things are so painful. and she was so young.
I saw the front page of the Limerick newspaper and it was like a world leader had died and it made me so sad.
I foolishly hoped that the awful run of premature deaths of music icons I love would end in 2017. What a huge, tragic loss. I know there have been many distinctive voices over the years, but hers was perhaps the MOST distinctive.
You’re right, her songs can bring chills. They feel like they are being sung to YOU, and are ABOUT you, even if they obviously aren’t. You can be in a biker bar and see tough guys singing along with Linger with no shame.
I feel your pain Sheila, this is brutal.
// You can be in a biker bar and see tough guys singing along with Linger with no shame. //
So true, Todd!
//That VOICE. It was a once-in-a-lifetime voice. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.//
I couldn’t agree more-her voice was incredible. I was so shocked when I read the horrible news-a very sad day.
So shocking.
That was such a great period of top-forty pop music. Like the sixties or the early eighties, you didn’t have to do too much digging through the indie releases; the great stuff *was* on the radio.
It was also the first wave of pop stars who were my age or younger during their heydays, so it’s a real smack upside the head seeing some of them dying, here…
// the great stuff *was* on the radio. //
So true. After the 80s (and don’t get me wrong – I loved Huey Lewis and Madonna and PRINCE AHHHHHH) it was amazing to hear all this stuff that had been underground since the 70s – college radio stuff, etc. – hit the Top 40 and the mainstream.
Chris Cornell, too … ugh. For me, his was the once in a generation voice – but now that I think of it O’Riordan was the other one. So twice in a generation, I guess.