{"id":30133,"date":"2025-12-11T05:30:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T10:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=30133"},"modified":"2025-12-12T13:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T18:51:28","slug":"the-lingering-legacy-of-dolores-oriordan-and-the-cranberries-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/11\/the-lingering-legacy-of-dolores-oriordan-and-the-cranberries-part-1-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lingering Legacy of Dolores O\u2019Riordan and the Cranberries (Part 1 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celebrated Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries recently released a deluxe and expanded 30th<\/sup> anniversary reissue of their landmark second album, 1994\u2019s No Need to Argue<\/i>. The new release appends the brilliant 13-track album with a bounty of bonus tracks: demos, live recordings and inventive remixes.<\/p>\n

The return of The Cranberries\u2019 best-selling album presented an opportunity to catch up with the group’s drummer, Fergal Lawler, and their producer, Stephen Street; both reflected on the band\u2019s legacy and the tragic loss of lead vocalist Dolores O\u2019Riordan, who died in 2018 at age 46. Shortly before O\u2019Riordan\u2019s death, Goldmine<\/i> editor Pat Prince interviewed the singer-songwriter for the magazine\u2019s podcast. With his kind permission, excerpts from that conversation are woven into this feature as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Early Days<\/b>
\nThe Cranberries\u2019 history actually predates O\u2019Riordan\u2019s involvement by several months. Originally calling themselves The Cranberry Saw Us, the band formed in 1989 in the Western Ireland city of Limerick. Hogan brothers Mike (bass guitar) and Noel (guitar) were joined by drummer Fergal Lawler; all were still in their teens. \u201cWe had been playing with another guy for a while,\u201d recalls Lawler. \u201cWhen he left, we just continued as an instrumental band for a few months.\u201d The trio wrote songs and played them without vocals.<\/p>\n

Dolores O\u2019Riordan auditioned for the group in mid-1990; within a week, she was in. Lawler and his band mates knew right away that when their newest member came on board, everything changed. \u201cDolores had an unmistakably unique voice. It was something she was very grateful for. She was conscious of not being constrained by technical rules,\u201d he says. Lawler relates a story from O\u2019Riordan\u2019s youth that illustrates both her gifts and her understanding of their importance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer piano teacher suggested she try singing lessons,\u201d he recalls. \u201cShe sang some parts for the teacher who said, \u2018Oh, you can\u2019t do that<\/i>!\u2019 Dolores replied, \u2018But why not? I should be free to use my voice to express myself in any way I choose.\u2019 She never went to another vocal instructor again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singles Success<\/b>
\nWhen O\u2019Riordan joined the group, her evocative lyrics and distinctive vocals quickly became a centerpiece of the band\u2019s approach. The Cranberries\u2019 first single, \u201cDreams\u201d signaled the arrival of a major creative force. The single was well-received by critics and record buyers alike. Reflecting on the song more than 15 years later, O\u2019Riordan admitted to Goldmine<\/i>\u2019s Pat Prince that it was indeed something special. \u201cI think you only write a song like \u2018Dreams\u2019 once in your life,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was like the first love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then \u2018Linger\u2019 is like the first time you really get your heart broken,\u201d she added. Another of O\u2019Riordan\u2019s early efforts with the group, \u201cLinger\u201d came about when she added lyrics to one of the band instrumentals. \u201cLinger\u201d would eventually become The Cranberries\u2019 second single, a No. 3 track on Ireland\u2019s chart, and a Top 40 single in five other countries including the U.S. (No. 8 on the Billboard<\/i> 100, No. 4 on its Alternative Airplay chart). Just a few years after forming, the band had arrived.<\/p>\n

Creative Collaboration<\/b>
\nMost of the group\u2019s songs would be credited to O\u2019Riordan (lyrics) and Noel Hogan (music), but in practice \u2013 and from the very start \u2013 songwriting was a collaborative endeavor. \u201cDolores or Noel would come up with an idea on guitar, keyboard or whatever, and say, \u2018I have a few chords here. I have an idea for song,\u2019\u201d Lawler recalls. \u201cThey\u2019d start playing. We\u2019d listen, and then join in and start jamming.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says that the music would sway one way and then another, developing as it went. \u201cIt became an organic thing; we didn\u2019t ever say, \u2018We want to sound like this<\/i> or sound like that<\/i>.\u2019\u201d It was more a case of, \u201cYeah, that’s working,\u201d or, \u201cNo, maybe that one isn\u2019t working,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was a magical process that took place intuitively for all of the band members.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cranberries played live dates and built a following. Their road commitments meant that many of the songs that would appear on their debut album, 1993\u2019s Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can\u2019t We?<\/i> were written while on tour, \u201cin dressing rooms and hotel rooms,\u201d Lawler says. \u201cAnd then at sound check, we\u2019d run through ideas. And then we\u2019d stay onstage for a little while longer, just playing around as if it was a rehearsal room.\u201d that spontaneous and informal approach yielded a strong set of songs.<\/p>\n

Studio Savvy<\/b>
\nProducer Stephen Street had already earned well-deserved fame for his work on sessions for The Smiths and other artists. \u201cI was asked by Island Records to come in and have a listen to their demos,\u201d he says. Street played the cassette and immediately thought, \u201cYeah, this is something I could work with.\u201d It was the beginning of a long, close and creatively fruitful relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the first gig I saw the band, Dolores was so nervous that she sang sideways onto the audience,\u201d Street says. \u201cNo one had any idea that she would turn into the powerful stage performer that we all came to know and love.\u201d He recalls witnessing all of the band members \u2013 but especially O\u2019Riordan \u2013 gain in skill and confidence, early on during their time working together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were recording the first album, Dolores was very nervous, and was keen on having her boyfriend there to oversee her recording her vocals,\u201d Street says. He put a stop to that, explaining that the only person judging her vocal takes would be him in his role as producer. O\u2019Riordan took the direction well. \u201cWe soon developed a great working relationship,\u201d Street recalls. \u201cDolores was very receptive to input from me, and she was full of ideas herself. So the recording of her vocals was a dream!\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaping Forward<\/b>
\nStreet would produce The Cranberries\u2019 first two albums, and two more later in their career, so he has a keen and unique perspective on the development of the band as a whole, and its individual members. He says that time spent on the road promoting their debut album made The Cranberries a far better band.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d done so much playing that they became much better at their instruments; they became much better musicians.\u201d Coupled with a continuing emphasis on songwriting, the group that showed up in the studio to make No Need to Argue<\/i> was poised to create something truly special. \u201cIt was the touring between albums one and two where I think the change happened,\u201d Street observes. \u201cDolores really learned how to use the stage and how to perform; that informed her writing as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

They again worked closely with Street, who sometimes helped the band add subtle enhancements to the songs. \u201cThey weren\u2019t filling in gaps just for the sake of it,\u201d he emphasizes, \u201cbut [some songs] did need a little bit of embroidery, as it were.\u201d Chiefly, though, Street says that a major objective was to capture recordings that showcased The Cranberries\u2019 rock-solid rhythm section, \u201cjust making sure that Mike and Ferg were as tight as possible,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Click here to continue<\/a>\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrated Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries recently released a deluxe and expanded 30th anniversary reissue of their landmark second album, 1994\u2019s No Need to Argue. The new release appends […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,51,62],"tags":[3860,5730],"class_list":["post-30133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-pop","category-rawk","tag-cranberries","tag-the-cranberries","cat-41-id","cat-51-id","cat-62-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30133"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30545,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30133\/revisions\/30545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}