The Cranberries – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?

The debut album from Irish pop-rock band The Cranberries is a vulnerable classic featuring delicate songwriting from Dolores O’Riordan and dreamy jangle pop instrumentation from guitarist Noel Hogan. O’Riordan’s Gaelic-inflected vocals is of course a defining element of the group’s sound. The story goes that she sang a rendition of Sinéad O’Connor’s “Troy” while auditioning for the band, and was handed a demo tape of what would become “Linger.” She wrote about the deeply personal heartbreak and rejection of her first kiss, a story which she thought people would find too emotional. “The music was so emotional I found that I could only write about personal things….I was sure that it would be considered soppy teenage crap, especially in Limerick, because most bands are really young (men), and their lyrics are humorous or mad. They don’t go pouring their hearts out.” The other highlight on this album “Dreams,” would be famously covered in 1994 by Cantonese pop diva Faye Wong, and featured in Wong Kar-wai’s cult classic film Chungking Express, starring Faye Wong herself.