“And I miss you, when you’re gone…”
Dolores O’Riordan, the vocalist of the Irish band The Cranberries, shocked the music world on January 15, 2018. She suddenly passed away at the hotel she was billeted in, in London, England. She was 46. Apparently, she was in the English city for a recording session. However, her enduring battle with depression and mental illness, compounded by her failed two-decade-long relationship, was not a secret to the world. Sadly, she lost her battle. At least, in consolation, with due respect to her memory, she had left the music scene with beautiful and compelling music, both with her band The Cranberries and as a solo artist. She is definitely another loss to the music community, following the wake of Pop/Rock’s casualties in the recent years—whom included David Bowie, Glenn Frey, (The Eagles), Keith Emerson and Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Prince, George Michael, Leonard Cohen, Caroline Crawley (Shelleyan Orphan), Walter Becker (Steely Dan), Tom Petty (& the Heartbreakers), Malcom Young (AC/DC), Gord Downie (Tragically Hip), Craig Gill (Inspiral Carpets), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park).
Formed in 1989, in Limerick, Ireland, The Cranberries surged into commercial popularity in the early ’90s, amidst the well-regarded Alternative Rock explosion. Especially because of the charismatic voice and presence of their vocalist O’Riordan, the band immediately became darlings not only of the press but also of the music fans themselves. In their on-and-off career as a band, The Cranberries had seven studio albums:
Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993)
No Need to Argue (1994)
To the Faithful Departed (1996)
Bury the Hatchet (1999)
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001)
Roses (2012)
Something Else (2017)
As a solo artist, O’Riordan released two studio albums under her name:
Are You Listening? (2007)
No Baggage (2009)
Songs that endeared her especially to enthusiasts of Alternative Rock music included “Dreams,” “Linger,” “Ode to My Family,” “Zombie,” “When You’re Gone,” “Free to Decide,” “Animal Instinct,” “Just My Imagination,” “Analyse,” “Dying Inside,” “Tomorrow,” and “Raining in My Heart.”
Final Note
Sadly, there could be no longer new music by O’Riordan nor the group; unless there remain previously unreleased tracks in the recording vaults. Nonetheless, the music that O’Riordan left will serve as her legacy to the Alternative music world.
Goodbye, Dolores! Your music will linger on…
“Tomorrow could be too late
I wish I could change the date
Tomorrow could be too late
If only you had some faith
Too young, too proud, too foolish….”
