The Cranberries

The Cranberries are an Irish rock and roll band that arose to mainstream popularity in the 1990s. They disbanded in 2004.

History

Origins

Noel and Mike Hogan, two brothers from Limerick City, formed the band with drummer Fergal Patrick Lawler in 1990. Dolores O'Riordan auditioned for and won the role of lead singer, writing a song called "Linger" based around the band's existing demo. The band was originally named The Cranberry Saw Us, a pun on Cranberry Sauce.

Related Topics:
Limerick City - 1990 - Dolores O'Riordan - Linger

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Their homemade demo tape sold well locally, and the band soon recorded a demo tape that earned much popular and critical interest. After a major-label bidding war, The Cranberries signed with Island Records and recorded Uncertain, their debut single which was unsuccessful. After ditching their manager, the Cranberries recorded Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?. The second single, "Linger", became a huge hit in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The single "Dreams" also became a hit reaching #14 on the US charts.

Related Topics:
Island Records - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? - Linger - United Kingdom - United States - Dreams

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Mid-90s

In 1994, O'Riordan married Don Burton, the band's tour manager. O'Riordan's status as frontwoman was causing tensions within the group as they recorded No Need to Argue, another hit album that included Zombie and Ode to My Family. Zombie, the band's most famous song, was a protest about the violence between Protestant and Catholic extremists in Northern Ireland in the time of The Troubles http://www.cloudsmagazine.com/12/Carmen_Bujdei_The_Irish_Experience.htm. The album gained the band immense popularity throughout Europe and the US, and their success was an extension of the mid 1990s rise of British bands, such as Oasis, Blur, Radiohead and Placebo.

Related Topics:
1994 - No Need to Argue - Zombie - Northern Ireland - The Troubles - 1990s - Oasis - Blur - Radiohead - Placebo

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Amidst rumors of O'Riordan's imminent departure, the band released To the Faithful Departed, which sold well despite poor reviews, though not nearly as well as the previous album. During the next few years, the band cancelled a large tour and rumors of a breakup were widespread, though they released Bury the Hatchet to mixed reviews in 1999.

Related Topics:
To the Faithful Departed - Bury the Hatchet - 1999

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In 2001 they released Wake Up And Smell The Coffee to rave reviews of "The magic is back." The album debuted at number 46 in the U.S. charts. The band seemed to be back on track.

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A "best of" compilation entitled Stars was released in 2002, along with a DVD of groundbreaking award-winning music videos. A new single, the title track off of the Stars CD, charted in Europe and Asia.

Related Topics:
2002 - DVD - Music video

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Time for a Break

However, in 2004, The Cranberries announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers. O'Riordan went on to record a solo album (to be released in early 2006) and Noel launched into the recording of a guitar album, off which two songs were released in November 2004 on the European iTunes download service under the name Mono Band. O'Riordan sings the title track to the movie The Passion of the Christ, "Ave Maria".

Related Topics:
Solo album - 2006 - ITunes - Mono Band - The Passion of the Christ - Ave Maria

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The Cranberries decided to put the next album on hold. After more than a dozen years of relentless touring and promotion, which had seen them clocking up album sales in excess of 38 million and playing to hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe, the band decided it was time for a break.

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