  The Cranberries hail from
Limerick, Ireland and formed in 1990. The
Cranberries are: Dolores O'Riordan (vocals,
guitar, keyboard), Noel Hogan (guitar,
backing vocals), Mike Hogan (bass), and
Fergal Lawlor (drums, percussion). It took
only 4 years for the group to find success in
the U.S. and around the world. The
Cranberries have become one of the most
popular alternative bands in the 90s,
combining haunting lyrics with a Celtic
flavor. The Cranberries' quick rise to
success is impressive considering they almost
broke up a few years after forming the group
due to manager problems. But instead of
calling it quits, the band replaced their
manager and began their rise to the top of
the alternative charts. Noel, Mike and Fergal
originally got together in 1990 and called
themselves Cranberry Saw Us. Dolores was
brought in to replace the group's original
singer (Niall) after writing a rough version
of "Linger" for the band based on
Noel's chord arrangements. The group (all in
their teens) shortened their name and
released 300 copies of a demo that sold-out
in Ireland. On their quick success, Noel
stated: "We were thrown in at the deep
end. We more or less started this band right
after we learned to play our instruments, and
very soon after we first got together we
started getting a lot of notice because of
our demos. We had no other choice but to get
it together quickly and keep moving
forward."
 # 123
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cranberries' debut LP, Everybody
Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We, was released and gave
the band a Top 3 single on the pop charts in
1994: "Linger." Although the
ballad "Linger" isn't
characteristic of the band's sound, the song
did open doors for them and let their success
begin. All the songs on the LP were written
or co-written by Dolores.
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "Linger."
 A lot of the band's popularity
also grew from their extensive touring during
the year.
 # 21
Singles Artist of the Year
The Cranberries hit the Top
10
with "Linger."
The Cranberries hit the 40 with
"Dreams."
 The Cranberries performed at Woodstock
'94.
The band's second LP, No
Need To Argue, was released and presented the
band with a harder edge. "Zombie" allowed The
Cranberries to demonstrate their alternative
style and heavy, political lyrics. The track
showed that the band could dominate video
screens, alternative radio, and sing with a
message in the lyrics. Dolores states that
"Zombie" was written
"...about the same time of the
Warrington bombing in Britain (the IRA bomb
that killed two young children). "It's
not actually about the north of Ireland, it's
about a child who died in England because of
the situation in the north." Another
track from the LP, "Ode To My Family" became a classic
to many fans with Irish heritage. The LP sold
over 7 million copies in the U.S. (and over 8
million copies worldwide). The Cranberries
celebrated by touring around the world at the
end of 1994 and throughout 1995.
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "Zombie."
The Cranberries topped the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 6
weeks with "Zombie."
 # 104
Singles Artist of the Year
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "Ode To My Family."
The Cranberries' video for
"Zombie" was nominated
for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Alternative Video.
The Cranberries released a
CD-ROM, Doors And Windows, with live
versions of their songs and video segments
accessible with a PC. A live version of
"Zombie" from Woodstock
'94 is included on the disc.
Throughout 1995, the Cranberries
toured the world as rumors of Dolores leaving
the band to go solo persisted. It wasn't
until their third LP was released that these
rumors started to die down.
 # 25
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cranberries' third LP, To
The Faithful Departed, was released and gave
the band their second Top 10 pop hit: "Free To Decide." The mood of the
LP was an attempt to be more rock and
message-oriented, but many critics felt the
lyrics didn't live up to the message. The LP
went platinum but did not sell as well as
their previous to LPs. Additional hits "Salvation" and "When
You're Gone" kept the Cranberries on the
radio into 1997. The band continued to tour
worldwide in support of the LP, and continued
to sell-out venues around the globe.
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "Salvation."
The Cranberries topped the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 4
weeks with "Salvation."
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "Free To Decide."
The Cranberries hit the Top 10 with "Free To Decide."
The Cranberries' video for
"Salvation" was nominated
for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Art Direction.
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "When You're Gone."
 # 118
Singles Artist of the Year
 Dolores gave birth to a boy,
Taylor Baxter, in Toronto on November 23rd.
Taylor is the first child for O'Riordan and
her husband, Don Burton.
The Cranberries could be heard
singing "Go Your Own Way" on Legacy:
A Tribute To Rumours - a tribute LP
to Fleetwood
Mac.
The Cranberries will perform at
a concert for Nobel Peace Prize winners in
Norway.
 # 156
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cranberries' next LP, Bury
The Hatchet, was released with the first
single "Promises." O'Riordan said
to MTV about the LP: "There's a lot of
bizarre material on it. There's a lot of
strange songs. Like in the early days, when
the band started, we used to have and write
more funny, freaky songs. But by the third
album, I think we were too much in the
limelight, and we felt too freaked out, so
the writing got a little bit sensible there
for a while. More serious. Now it's sort of
silly again, with a sense of humor and a
little bit of piss-taking and that kind of
thing."
O'Riordan told Radio One
that recent fame had taken its toll on her
and almost resulted in the band breaking up:
"You learn, you know, it’s like
I’m 27 years old so I’m still
relatively young. The whole band are under
27... we’ve been through a lot - 3
tours, 3 albums and you’re bound to kind
of crash at one stage or other."
Bury
The Hatchet was certified gold.
The Cranberries hit the Top 40
with "Promises."
Bury
The Hatchet topped the Billboard Internet
Albums Sales chart for a week.
 The Cranberries released their
next LP, Wake
Up And Smell The Coffee.
The Cranberries released Treasure
Box: 1991-1999 - a box set of the band's first
4 LPs.
 The Cranberries released a hits
collection - Stars:
The Best Of 1992 - 2002.
O'Riordan commented to Hot
Press that she will be leaving the group
after their current promotional appearances.
 # 188 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
O'Riordan released her solo LP Are
You Listening (Billboard peak: # 77).
VH1: 100
Greatest Songs of the 90's included "Linger" at # 86.
 O'Riordan released No
Baggage.
The Cranberries released Roses.
|
Everybody Else Is Doing
It, So Why Can't We
Released: April, 1993
US: 5x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 18
Tracks: "I Still
Do" - "Dreams" -
"Sunday" - "Pretty" -
"Waltzing Back" - "Not
Sorry" - "Linger" -
"Wanted" - "Still
Cant" - "I Will Always" -
"How" - "Put Me Down"
|
 |
No Need To Argue
Released: October, 1994
US: 7x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 6
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Ode To My Family" - "I
Can't Be With You" -
"Twenty-One" - "Zombie" -
"Empty" - "Everything I
Said" - "The Icicle Melts"
- "Disappointment" -
"Ridiculous Thoughts" -
"Dreaming My Dreams" -
"Yeat's Grave" - "Daffodil
Lament" - "No Need To
Argue" |
|
To The Faithful Departed
Released: April, 1996
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 4
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks:
"Hollywood" - "Salvation" - "When You're Gone" - "Free To Decide" - "War
Child" - "Forever Yellow
Skies" - "Rebels" -
"I Just Shot John Lennon" -
"Electric Blue" - "I'm
Still Remembering" - "Will You
Remember?" - "Joe" -
"Bosnia" |
|
Bury The Hatchet
Released: April, 1999
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 13
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Animal
Instinct" - "Loud And
Clear" - "Promises" - "You
And Me" - "Just My
Imagination" - "Shattered"
- "Desperate Andy" -
"Saving Grace" -
"Copycat" - "What's On My
Mind" - "Delilah" -
"Fee Fi Fo" - "Dying In
The Sun" |
|
Wake Up And Smell The
Coffee
Released: October, 2001
Billboard
peak:
# 46
Tracks: "Never Grow
Old" - "Analyse" -
"Time Is Ticking Out" -
"Dying Inside" - "This Is
The Day" - "Concept" -
"Wake Up And Smell The Coffee"
- "Pretty Eyes" - "I
Really Hope" - "Every
Morning" - "Do You Know" -
"Carry On" - "Chocolate
Brown" |
|
Stars: The Best Of 1992
- 2002
Released: September, 2002
Billboard
peak:
# 16
Tracks: "Dreams" - "Linger" - "Zombie" - "Ode To My Family" - "I
Can't Be With You" -
"Ridiculous Thoughts" - "Salvation" - "Free To Decide" - "When You're Gone" -
"Hollywood" - "Promises" -
"Animal Instinct" - "Just
My Imagination" - "You &
Me" - "Analyse" -
"Time Is Ticking Out" -
"This Is The Day" -
"Daffodil Lament" - "New
New York" - "Stars" |
 |
Roses
Released: February, 2012
Tracks:
"Conduct" -
"Tomorrow" - "Fire &
Soul" - "Raining In My
Heart" - "Losing My Mind"
- "Schizophrenix Playboys" -
"Waiting In Walthamstow" -
"Show Me" - "Astral
Projections" - "So Good" -
"Roses" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
Something Else
Released: April 28, 2017
Tracks: "Linger" (Acoustic
Version) - "The Glory" - "Dreams" (Acoustic
Version) - "When You're Gone" (Acoustic
Version) - "Zombie" (Acoustic
Version) - "Ridiculous
Thoughts" (Acoustic Version) -
"Rupture" - "Ode To My Family" (Acoustic
Version) - "Free To Decide" (Acoustic
Version) - "Just My
Imagination" (Acoustic Version) -
"Animal Instinct" (Acoustic
Version) - "You & Me"
(Acoustic Version) - "Why" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
In The End
Released: April 26, 2019
Grammy Nominee: Best Rock Album
Tracks: "All Over
Now" - "Lost" - "Wake
Me When It's Over" - "A Place I
Know" - "Catch Me If You
Can" - "Got It" -
"Illusion" - "Crazy
Heart" - "Summer Song" -
"The Pressure" - "In The
End" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
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