The Cranberries have long been synonymous with their biggest hit, 1993’s single ‘Zombie’ has now hit 1 Billion views on YouTube. They are the first Irish band ever to hit this milestone. The bands original label UMe/Island Records, ‘Zombie’ joins a small club of iconic artists to reach this landmark and the video is the fifth most viewed rock video of all time globally according to Louder Sound. From their album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, and written by Dolores O’Riordan as a protest song after IRA bombings in Warrington killed two children and injured 56 others in March 1993, “Zombie” was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin and was produced by long time Cranberries collaborator Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur). The official video directed by Samuel Bayer – who now notches his second billion viewed clip following Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. O’Riordan passed away in 2018. ‘Zombie’ went on to top the singles charts in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland and was #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US. In 1995 it was awarded ‘Best Song’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and was voted #1 on Australia’s Triple J Hottest 100 chart in 1994. On January 16th, 2018, Colin Parry – father of Tim Parry, the twelve-year-old victim of the Warrington bomb – thanked Dolores O’Riordan for the ‘majestic and (also) very real lyrics” in the track.
Fergal Lawler, The Cranberries drummer said of the achievement, “We are so delighted with the news that ‘Zombie’ has reached 1 billion views on YouTube. We are sure Dolores has a big, proud smile on her face too. Thank you so much to all our fans around the world for supporting us over so many years. Hopefully you are all safe and well and managing to find some hope and positivity in our music.”
Noel Hogan, The Cranberries guitarist continues, “For ‘Zombie’ to reach 1 billion views has been a long road and another milestone for the band. Little did we think twenty something years ago that this song would stand the test of time and mean so much too so many. All we can say is thank you to the fans for all they have done for us.”
Bassist Mike Hogan concludes, “I can still remember making such a great video and seeing the impact that it had – and still does – on people. Big shout out to all The Cranberries fans around the world – thanks so much.”