The Cranberries

Brothers Noel Hogan and Mike Hogan, descendants of the nineteenth-century Irish poet Michael Hogan, met Fergal Lawler in the mid-1980s.[23][24] The young kids who grew up together in Limerick, Ireland also shared their love of '80s English/indie music and were "galvanised by punk's DIY ethic".[25][26] Lawler received his first drum kit as a Christmas present when he was about seventeen; two months later, Mike Hogan received his first bass and his brother his first guitar.[24] Niall Quinn who lived in the region already played with his own group called Hitchers and occasionally came often to share his experiences with the trio.[26] Thereafter, they were leaning towards the idea of a four piece ensemble and Quinn stayed with them.[26]

In mid-1989, brothers Mike, 16, and Noel Hogan, 18, formed the Cranberry Saw Us with drummer Fergal Lawler, 18, and singer Niall Quinn.[27][28] In early 1990, Quinn left them to return to his previous group, although they remained on good terms.[29][30] Despite this unexpected break up, the three musicians became an instrumental group during several months, continuing to improve ideas and song structures of instrumental pieces.[26] Lawler and the two Hogan brothers then placed an advertisement for a female singer.[26][31] Subsequently, Quinn suggested to introduce the trio to a friend of his girlfriend's sister, mentioning that she was a singer-songwriter looking for a group who would compose originals.[26][25]

On a Sunday afternoon in mid-1990, 18-year-old Dolores O'Riordan cycled to the audition at Xeric Studios dressed in a tracksuit and with a broken Casio keyboard under her arm.[32][33] O'Riordan said of the first encounter "I really liked what I heard; I thought they were very nice and tight. It was a lovely potential band but they needed a singer - and direction".[30][32] Noel Hogan gave her a rough cassette demo incorporating chord sequences of indie-jangly guitar sounds, then O'Riordan took home Hogan's tape and began writing lyrics and overlaying melodies which would underpin the group's future material.[33][25] Within a week she returned to the musicians with whom she sang along a rough version of "Linger".[33] Mike Hogan later described it as "we were immediately blown away, her voice was something special".[30] Noel Hogan elaborated, "she was so small and quiet... then she opened her mouth and this amazing voice, this huge voice came out for the size of her";[34] and then acknowledged: "how come she's not already in a band? [...] that day changed our lives".[26][25] A musical relationship rapidly developed between O'Riordan and Noel Hogan who had enough songs to design a demo.[35] The fledgling band recorded a four-track demo EP called Water Circle, released in cassette format by local record label Xeric Records.[36][37]

In July 1990, the group performed their first gig with O'Riordan at an hotel basement called Ruby's Club, Cruises Hotel, Limerick, performing six original songs to an audience of 60 people including three others local groups.[38][32] The Cranberry Saw Us moved to Xeric Recording studio and recorded Nothing Left at All,[39] a first commercial three-track EP released on tape in 300 copies by Xeric Records, which sold out in local record shops in Limerick within a few days.[40][41] The owner of Xeric Studios, Pearse Gilmore, became their manager and provided the group with studio time to complete a demo tape, which he produced.[35] It featured early versions of "Linger" and "Dreams", which were sent directly to record companies in London by Noel Hogan, determined to leave the underground circuit of small Irish clubs and pubs.[25][42] Rough Trade label founder Geoff Travis immediately gave his approval, although the Cranberries did not sign on his label the demo continued to earn the attention of both the UK press and record industry and sparked a bidding war between major British record labels.[25][42]

On 18 April 1991, the group played a decisive show in their hometown at Jetland Center as part of the University of Limerick's RAG Week to 1,400 students.[30] In attendance was record producer Denny Cordell who was then A&R for Island Records, and thirty-two other A&R men who flew from London.[30][25] Shortly thereafter, the band changed their name to "The Cranberries".[43] Nothing Left at All began to circulate in the UK with the support of John Best PR agency.[23] Then, they performed their first UK tour opening for the British band Moose throughout a series of three weeks.[23] The Cranberries received more letters expressing interest from Virgin, EMI, Imago, CBS, and Warner, which led Hogan brothers to quit their jobs.[35] Eventually the group signed to a six albums deal with Island Records who won the battle.[44][23] In mid-1991, the Cranberries headed back into the studio with Gilmore as their producer to record "hastily" their first EP Uncertain and created a music video for the title track, which was not released.[35] Gilmore, in an incoherent gesture, made various alterations to the album's rough cuts.[45] 5,000 total copies of Uncertain were printed and released in October 1991 by Island Records under the Xeric name.[35][46] The EP received poor reviews in the press and led to tension between the group and Gilmore.[45] By this time, Gilmore began restricting information to the Cranberries and made separate arrangements with Island's U.S branch.[35] In October 1991 the Cranberries performed at Underworld in London during a UK and Ireland tour.[35] Adding to this period of doubt, touring conditions and money were lacking with maximum earnings of $25 a day.[44] On 9 December 1991, the Cranberries was supposed to support Nirvana in Belfast's Conor Hall, but Nirvana canceled their tour at the last moment as well as the five remaining shows due to ill health of Kurt Cobain.[47][48]

After a difficult recording session, intended for their first album on Island Records in January 1992, the band scrapped their work and fired Gilmore.[45][31] Noel Hogan stated "we didn't have a problem with each other, we had a problem with this guy".[35] During that time period the Cranberries toured in Ireland and the UK as opening act for TOP, getting more attention of the British press.[49] Subsequently, they hired Geoff Travis as their new manager,[25] The Cranberries headed back into the studio in Dublin in March 1992 to restart working on their first LP with Stephen Street, who had previously worked with the Smiths.[50][31] The Cranberries began a UK and Ireland headlining tour during the last four months of 1992 to promote the subsequent release of Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?.[23] In October 1992, "Dreams" was released in the UK, becoming Melody Maker's Single of the week.[51] In November 1992, they performed at the emblematic Royal Albert Hall supporting Miercury Rev and the House of Love.[23] Between 1991 and 1993, the band also recorded several studio and live sessions intended for Irish and British radio and television shows, including 2fm's The Dave Fanning Show in Dublin and BBC Radio 1's John Peel Show.[52][43]

O'Riordan singing onstage at the height of their fame, 1995

Their first full-length album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? was released in March 1993.[31] Neither the album nor the single gained much attention, nor did a second single, "Linger".[50] When the band embarked on a tour supporting Suede, they caught the attention of MTV, which put their videos into heavy rotation.[50] The defining moment occurred when mid-way through the tour running order was reversed and the Cranberries replaced Suede as the tour headliners.[50][53] During the U.S. tour, Linger received heavy rotation on college radio stations across the country.[50] Although "Linger" was first released in the UK in February 1993, peaking at 74, it was later re-issued in February 1994 peaking at 14. "Linger", the band's first big hit, peaked at number three in Ireland and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 list for 24 weeks.[54] This was followed by "Dreams" released again in May 1994 peaking at No. 27 on the UK charts and top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, which helped their debut album to top both the UK Albums Chart and Irish Albums Chart in June.[55] In January 1994, Dolores injured her knee when skiing in the Swiss Alps.[56] By 1994, the Cranberries world tour averaged 13,500 attendees at each performance.[50]

The group reunited with Street for No Need to Argue, which was released in late 1994. It would go on to peak at No. 6 on the US charts and eventually outsold its predecessor. Within a year it went triple platinum, spawning the number one hit "Zombie" and the No. 11 "Ode to My Family" on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[10] By March 1994, the Cranberries won the Top International Act of Music Week (UK).[57] On 13 August 1994, during their US tour, the Cranberries performed at Woodstock II festival, Saugerties, New York.[58] In 1995, the band continued to tour, and released two more singles "I Can't Be with You" and "Ridiculous Thoughts". The album went 5× platinum in Canada, platinum in Switzerland, and 7× platinum in the United States.[59][60][61]

Crowd scene before riot broke out during the Cranberries concert in Washington, D.C., 1995

On 20 February 1995, the Cranberries received a nomination at the Brit Awards in the International Group category, at the 15th edition of the annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom.[62][63] In mid-1995, the Cranberries had broken the American market, at that time the band was Ireland's biggest musical export since U2.[64] On 15 May 1995, the Cranberries had planned an impromptu free acoustic set for 3,000 people at National Sylvan Theater, Washington, D.C., United States.[65][66][67] The show was orchestrated by radio station WHFS, which had paid for the use of five U.S. Park Police officers.[65][66] Before the show began, the organizers promptly realized how erroneous their original crowd estimates were when a frenzied crowd of over 10,000 devotees appeared.[65][66] The Cranberries show started 40 minutes late, while stage diving started before the first guitar note was played.[65][66] Park Police officers established that they couldn't control the crowd and stopped the show after one song and a half.[65][66] The crowd were told the Cranberries would not be returning and the raging crowd sparked riots throwing rocks, food and beer bottles at the Park Police officers in riot helmets, some jumped onstage and O'Riordan's acoustic guitar was stolen.[65][66] More Police officers in riot gear came in, dozens of mounted horse patrols established a perimeter and cleared the south quarter of the Washington Monument grounds as a helicopter circled overhead while the fracas continued outside.[65][66] On 23 May 1995, at London's Grosvenor House, the Cranberries were nominated for Best Contemporary Song at the Ivor Novello Awards.[68] In 1995 they performed "Ode To my family" at the World Music Awards, winning the Award for Best Irish Recording Artists.[69] The Cranberries were named Best Irish Recording Artists at the 10th annual Irish Music awards, held at Dublin's Burlington Hotel.[69][51] On 23 November 1995 the Cranberries won the "Best Song" award for "Zombie" at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards, beating out Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone".[70][51] During the No Need To Argue European tour '95, the Cranberries performed to more than 500,000 people,[6] with peak attendance reaching 20,000 people per night in United States.[71]

On 10 March 1996, the Cranberries received the Best-Selling Album Award for No Need to Argue at the 26th Annual Juno Awards.[72][51][73] The band's third album To the Faithful Departed peaked at No. 2 in the UK and No. 4 on the Billboard 200.[10][74] To the Faithful Departed sells to 4 million copies in six weeks.[75] Despite favourable reviews, the album did not match the sales of No Need to Argue. The album went double platinum in the US and Gold in the UK.[59][76] The first single from the album was "Salvation" which topped the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.[10] The second single from the album was "Free to Decide"; the single's peak in the UK was 33[74] and placing on the Billboard Hot 100. In September 1996, the Cranberries' video for "Salvation" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.[77][78] In November 1996 "When You're Gone" was released as a single in the United States, peaking at 22 on the Hot 100.[10] In late 1996, the group cancelled their Australian and European tour, O'Riordan re-injured her knee during a concert in Cairns.[79]

The Cranberries performing in Milan, 1999

On 9 March 1997, Bruce Fairbairn and the Cranberries were nominees at the Juno Awards for their work on "Free to Decide" and "When You're Gone".[80] The band received an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement, on 19 May 1997, at London's Grosvenor House.[81][82]

On 12 November 1998 Dolores O'Riordan and Fergal Lawler made an appearance at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards in Milan and presented the award for best song.[83][84] The band played "Dreams", "Promises" and "Linger" at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert 1998, on 11 December at Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway. "Promises" was performed live for the first time, four months before the release of the album Bury the Hatchet.[85][86][87]

In 1999, the Cranberries released Bury the Hatchet. The first single "Promises" was released in February. "Promises" would be the only single from the album to chart in the US and last single before their hiatus.[10] The album peaked at 7 in the UK and 13 in the US[10][74] and was certified gold in the US.[59] The second single from the album was "Animal Instinct", which did not chart in the UK, although it did chart in France, Austria and many others.[88] The third and fourth singles were "Just My Imagination" and "You & Me", respectively. The band had a guest appearance on popular television series Charmed, performing "Just My Imagination" on the fifth episode of the second season, "She's a Man, Baby, a Man!". The group started a world tour in April 1999 and it finished in July 2000. The group partnered with Ticketmaster.com to be the first artists to sell tickets for a national tour exclusively online.[89] It was the biggest and most successful tour of the Cranberries' career.[90] The tour brought them back to Ireland for their first date since May 2000. They performed at Millstreet in County Cork. As the tour rolled on, the band released Bury the Hatchet – The Complete Sessions, a double CD featuring B-sides as well as live tracks taken from a show in Paris.[91]

In October 2001, the album Wake Up and Smell the Coffee was released.[90] The band's old producer Stephen Street returned to produce the album.[90] The album peaked at 46 on the US Billboard 200,[10] and No. 2 on the Spanish, Italian and French album charts. It went to No. 8 on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart and reached No. 61 in the UK.[92][74] The first single released from the album was "Analyse", which charted in the US Adult Top 40 at a peak of 26.[10][74] In January 2002, they released the second single "Time Is Ticking Out", and some months later another one, "This Is the Day". The Cranberries were managed by Timeless Management in London.[90]

The following year a greatest hits album was released entitled Stars: The Best of 1992–2002, which was released alongside an eponymous DVD of music videos. The album peaked in the UK at 20.[74] The song "Stars" was released as a single from that album. They started a European tour in mid-October 2002 and ended in December.

In January 2003, following advice from their legal advisors, the Cranberries parted ways with record label MCA, due to the band's dissatisfaction with the promotion of Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.[93][94] Noel Hogan observed "with little effort from our label, we have been pleased to see top-10 sales in many countries".[93] Despite comments from MCA regarding that the album did not reach the Billboard 200's top 30, the 2002 concerts drew an average audience of 10,000 people, with many of the dates selling-out.[95][94] O'Riordan told Billboard: "since we were signed in 1991 by Island Records, we have gradually seen our label dissolve from a pioneering independent spirited label into a corporate monolith that completely lost touch with the group's creative vision".[93] The Cranberries signed in 1991 with Island Records America, which was transferred to MCA in 2000 following a contract renegotiation.[94][93]

At the end of February 2003, the Cranberries started working with Stephen Street and debuted their work for the first time in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 29 May 2003, performing the songs "Astral Projection" and "In It Together".[96][97] In September 2003, the band announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers, as well as concentrate on family, and scrapped sessions for a sixth studio release.[98] Initially, a two-year sabbatical was confirmed, while O'Riordan assured that the group would just take a hiatus, she said "we've been together for 13 years; it's a much needed break. It was getting predictable and lacking in a challenge; time to experiment".[98] Although a spokesperson for the Cranberries announced a "temporary shutdown in activities", the four members remained on good terms and in regular contact with each other.[98]

Between 1994 and 2003, the Cranberries undertook several world tours and performed in front of crowds of 10,000 to 20,000 each night.[51][6][71]

O'Riordan singing solo, 2007

Dolores O'Riordan started collaborating with other musicians in 2004 before launching her solo career with the album Are You Listening? in 2007 and a world tour, following it with No Baggage in 2009.[99][100][101] Dolores O'Riordan performed "Linger" in the 2006 movie Click.[102]

Noel Hogan started a new project called Mono Band, writing all instrumentation in his own studio and developing a "new way of working" with programmer Matt Vaughan.[103][104][96] The project, whose first full-length self-titled album saw a limited release in 2005, also featured diverse guest musicians, including Oxford singer-songwriter Richard Walters.[104] Subsequently, Hogan decided to work mainly with Richard Walters, then Mono Band became Arkitekt whose two EPs were released in 2007 and 2009.[105][106][107] He has also been working as a producer with Supermodel Twins, from his native Limerick and Remma.[108][109]

In April 2006, Mike Hogan and his wife Siobhán opened a café called The Sage Café, on Catherine Street in the heart of Limerick City.[110] The award-winning café closed on 25 September 2017.[111] Mike Hogan also played bass with Mono Band.[96]

Fergal Lawler was a member of the Low Network, whose first album was released in 2007.[96][105] He has also worked with Walter Mitty and the Realists as well as Last Days of Death Country as both producer and musician.[112][113][114]

The Cranberries reunited in January 2009 to celebrate O'Riordan becoming an Honorary Patron[115][116] of University Philosophical Society (Trinity College, Dublin). The group indicated at the time that this did not signify an official reunion, but on 25 August 2009, in anticipation of the release of No Baggage, O'Riordan announced that the Cranberries would be reuniting for a North American and European tour.[117] O'Riordan indicated that the band would be playing songs from her solo albums and a lot of the Cranberries' classic hits as well as some new group compositions.

The Cranberries reformed in 2012, from left to right: Fergal Lawler, Dolores O'Riordan, and Mike Hogan (Noel Hogan off camera)

At this point of their career, the Cranberries were managed by Danny Goldberg, former Nirvana and Kurt Cobain manager.[118][119][120] In 2011, the actual Water Circle demo tape emerged, widely assumed to be the first appearance of the Cranberries with the vocal of Dolores O'Riordan. A private collector from United States submitted the bid to US$1499.95 via eBay store; the offer was eclipsed later.[121][122]

The Cranberries recorded Roses at the Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Canada, from 18 April[123] to 15 May[124] 2011 with Stephen Street,[123] who previously collaborated with the band on their first, second and fifth albums. The Cranberries worked on 15 tracks during the Roses session, although not all were included on the album.[125] Roses was released on 27 February 2012.[126] The sixth studio album Roses peaked at 51 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieved numerous placements on other Billboard charts, such as No. 4 on the Independent Albums, No. 6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, No. 9 on the Alternative Albums, No. 10 on the Rock Albums and No. 20 on Tastemaker Albums chart.[127]

On 18 February 2012 the Cranberries returned to the stage of the Ariston Theatre where they presented their new single "Tomorrow" in Sanremo at the 62nd Song Festival di Sanremo, Italy. They performed "Tomorrow" and "Zombie", having been invited on more than one occasion to the festival.[128]

On 18 April 2013, the Cranberries album designer Storm Thorgerson died. The English graphic designer, mainly influenced by surrealism, designed Bury the Hatchet and Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. Thorgerson also created artworks for these two album's singles and Beneath the Skin – Live in Paris.[129][130]

O'Riordan started legal proceedings against Noel Hogan in October 2013.[131] The case was struck out in July 2015 and the cause was not divulged.[132]

O'Riordan began recording new material with D.A.R.K. in April 2014.[133]

O'Riordan performing during the Cranberries Summer Tour 2016

In October 2016, the Cranberries received a BMI Award in London for three million radio plays in the United States of their single "Dreams" taken from their debut studio album.[55][134] The award had been presented with a special citation of achievement.[55][134]

An acoustic Cranberries album titled Something Else was released on 28 April 2017, through BMG.[13] Something Else featured orchestral arrangements of prior releases, re-recorded in 2016 acoustically with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and three new songs: "The Glory", "Why", and "Rupture".[14]

With the release of the new album, the group announced a tour which was to include dates in Europe, parts of the UK, and North America. The shows were scheduled in smaller venues, with live orchestral accompaniment. However, in May 2017, shortly into the European tour, the Cranberries had to cancel the remainder of the European dates due to O'Riordan's health, with the band's website citing "medical reasons associated with a back problem".[135] The North American tour dates were cancelled in July when her recovery had not progressed enough for her to participate.[136]

On 15 January 2018, O'Riordan died unexpectedly in London, England.[137] The inquest into her death was adjourned until 3 April while the coroner awaited the results of "various tests".[138] On 6 September 2018, it was ruled that she had drowned in her hotel room's bathtub due to sedation by alcohol poisoning.[139]

On 7 March 2018, the band announced they were releasing a special newly remastered 25th anniversary edition of their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, with previously unreleased material as well as other bonus material from the time of the album. However, with O'Riordan's death it was delayed until 19 October 2018.[140] The band also decided to complete their new album underway at the time O'Riordan died, for which she had already recorded the vocals.[141]

In September 2018, Noel Hogan confirmed the Cranberries would not be continuing as a band, and their final album will be called In the End stating: "We will do this album and then that will be it. No one wants to do this without Dolores...[142] So there's a song called 'In the End', it's the last song on the album, and it just kind of summed up the whole album and the band. Because it's definitely the end of it for us. So we've called it that."[20] On 15 January 2019, one year after O'Riordan's death, the band released the first single from In the End, called "All Over Now".[143] The Cranberries released In the End on 26 April 2019. The album peaked at No. 8 in Germany, No. 5 in France, No. 4 in Italy, No. 3 in Ireland and charted in the Top 10 of the UK Official Charts. In the End also went to No. 7 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and No. 10 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart.[144] The band released the single "Wake Me When It's Over" on 19 June 2019.[145]

On 18 January 2019, Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler were conferred with honorary doctorates by University of Limerick (UL). The posthumous award was presented to Eileen O'Riordan, mother of Dolores O'Riordan. They were all presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters.[146]

On 24 April 2019, Saint Sister, a duo from Northern Ireland, performed an a cappella rendition of the song "Dreams" at Lyra McKee's funeral in Belfast,[147][148] who was murdered by the New IRA in April 2019.[147][148]

On 1 September 2019, Noel Hogan joined Kodaline on stage at the Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland, to play "Zombie" in tribute to Dolores O'Riordan.[149]

On 3 October 2019, the music video restoration campaign of the entire catalogue of the Cranberries on YouTube was launched,[150][151] twenty-five years after the release of the album No Need to Argue, with the debut of an early "Zombie" concert performance filmed in 1994 at London's Astoria and remastered in high definition.[150] "Zombie" is performed seven months before the song was released as a single.[150]

In 2019, in an interview for Rock Art Fashion, Fergal Lawler commented that the band would release a remastered edition of their album No Need to Argue as part of a 25th anniversary box set.[152]

On 20 November 2019, the Cranberries' final album In the End was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[153][154]

On 18 April 2020, the official music video for "Zombie" became the first song by an Irish band to reach over one billion views on YouTube,[155] becoming the third video from the 1990s,[156] and the sixth from the 20th century,[155] to reach the milestone on the video streaming service.[156][157] The Cranberries now joined a club of artists to reach this landmark including Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Queen and A-ha.[156][158] On 20 April 2020, the official music video of the Cranberries' "Zombie" remastered in 4K resolution was officially released for YouTube, with previously unseen footage from the original video shoot.[159]