Cristina, Stefano and Mattia share their favorite songs

from the album “No Need to Argue” by The Cranberries.

🎤 Cristina: No Need to Argue, an album full of precious pearls

At the risk of sounding obvious, my favorite song by The Cranberries is “Zombie”.

Why “Zombie”?

Not only for its fame, but for the dense meaning it brings with it. Every time I play it or listen to it again, I feel that rough and visceral power, like a collective cry against violence and injustice.

A timeless scream

It is a piece that does not age, which continues to shake and make us think, just like it did in the 90s. Behind the distorted guitars and Dolores O’Riordan’s unmistakable voice there is a clear anger, a pain translated into pure energy. It is impossible to remain indifferent.

“Daffodil Lament”: Fragile and decisive

But if “Zombie” is my scream, “Daffodil Lament” is my pause. It is a song that seems to breathe: in the first part it is reflective, almost fragile, and then it transforms, as if a decision has finally been made. Music follows the flow of emotions, grows, opens up, accompanies you on a small inner journey.

“Ode to My Family”, the need to be understood

And then there are those pieces that I learned to love slowly, almost without realizing it, like “Ode to My Family”. Perhaps because it talks about roots, about identity, about that need to be understood. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to specific moments, to deep memories that are intertwined with its melancholy melody.

🎸 Stefano: the memories linked to No Need to Argue

The album “No Need To Argue” binds me to beautiful memories of a holiday. During the winter after the “Zombie” boom, I rented the CD and took it to the mountains with my family and some family friends.

The right atmosphere

They were truly beautiful days, in which, in addition to being in a beautiful place, the daily anxieties were elsewhere. One of those moments when you feel in a comfort zone and are calm. And there could only be the music of The Cranberries as the soundtrack.

Nostalgia and “Ode to My Family”

The whole collection reminds me of that period, but if songs like Daffodil Lament took me into slightly more melancholic territories, “Ode to My Family” simply made me feel good. The song talks about family so it was also fitting.

🎸 Mattia: My first trip to discover The Cranberries

I’m not ashamed to admit that my first encounter with The Cranberries’ most iconic song came through a remix. I first approached the band thanks to a childhood friend of mine. In the summer of 1995 he passed me the cassette of “No Need to Argue”.

The incredible discovery through the “Zombie” remix

In the first months of that year I had been literally bombarded by Zombie’s remix version of A. D. A. M.feat. Amy. Having revealed this little gem, I must say that the song that struck me the most, especially for Dolores’ voice, is “Ridiculous Thoughts”.

“Ridiculous Thoughts” and Dolores’ voice

Apart from the global hit, I believe that this song best encapsulates the most beautiful sounds of that album and highlights the extraordinary peculiarity of Dolores’ voice: from the sweetness of her initial vocalization to a crescendo that explodes in the impetus of the chorus and in the powerful final closing

🎶 Check out the video of us playing Zombie at Dolan’s in Limerick