Understanding Zombie

Not an easy story, but an important one.
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Written as a response to the violence of The Troubles, Zombie is a raw, intensely emotional look at the damage and pain caused by these sorts of conflicts. It's a plea for humanity, and one that still resonates today, decades after the end of the specific conflict it was written for. It was a hard song to spend this much time with, but it remains an important piece of art, and I hope I did it justice.
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[@12tone]

Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) I want to clarify that, as someone who isn't Irish, I tried to be as respectful as I could when telling the story of The Troubles because it's not really my story to tell. It's a particularly difficult subject to engage with using my usual, cartoony aesthetics, but I did my best to avoid making light of what are, at their core, incredibly serious tragedies. Hopefully I did that successfully, but if not, I apologize in advance to any Irish viewers who were upset. I know this is a sensitive part of your history, and I did not in any way intend to trivialize it, but if you feel that I did I'll take that criticism. 2) In the intro I mentioned that O'Riordan was herself Irish, which affected her experience of The Troubles, but to be clear, the rest of the band is Irish too. She was just the one who wrote the song. 3) You can check out my video on the Axis Progression here if you want: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmWZmIJre7qbY8k 4) I attributed most of the guitar stuff I talked about to O'Riordan, which may be a little surprising because to the best of my knowledge Noel Hogan is the official lead guitarist for the band, but I'm doing that based on who appears to be doing what in the various pieces of live performance footage I found. (Mostly at Woodstock '94, 'cause that's the earliest one I could find and thus most likely to reflect the original arrangement, but also some supplemental sources when the camera wasn't on the guitarists at the right moment in that one.) I don't have official, labeled stems, so it's possible they did things differently in the studio, but as far as I can tell she played those parts live, and I have no particular reason to doubt that they did the same thing while recording. I don't know that for sure, though, so I wanted to acknowledge the ambiguity. 5) I think in the D major voicing in the intro, she also leaves the G string open? At least for the first attack, anyway. Dunno, it's a weird chord. 6) I should note that, when I say the verse melody sounds hopeful, I don't mean it in an immediate sense. The events she's describing are tragic, and the line captures that, but in comparison to the guitar riff, it feels like it leaves space for a brighter future, as reflected in the second line of each verse calling for action against the violence. 7) Technically, for the first line of each verse, she skips the first accented syllable in her trochaic septameter structure, so maybe it's trochaic hexameter with a pick-up instead. Don't really care, though, the number of feet wasn't really my point, and the second line clearly has 7. (Also I think it's actually heptameter? Don't care.) 8) Amphimacers are also called cretics, which is probably a more normal-sounding word, but why would I use a normal-sounding word when I can instead use the word "amphimacer"? 9) There's actually another small difference between the walk-down and the ending lick: In the end, she lets the C sustain for longer, shortening the rest between it and the A. Unfortunately, I had to use a professional recreation for that particular line 'cause I couldn't isolate just that one single guitar part, and that recreation doesn't quite do the sustain correctly, so I couldn't demonstrate it. (I tried stretching it with melodyne but it didn't sound good.) It's not hugely important anyway, but for the sake of completeness I figured I'd put it here. This is also why I used the semi-isolated clip for the solo: the recreation played the rhythm wrong and it bothered me enough to not want to use it. 10) I said the Troubles "officially" ended in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, but of course history is more complicated than that. The violence didn't just end overnight or anything, but as far as I can find, that's broadly where historians draw the line, so it's what I went with as well. (Also in case it wasn't obvious, when I mentioned that this was a couple years after the song was released, my point was to situate the two events in their historical context, not to imply that the release of Zombie directly led to the Good Friday Agreement. They happened in that order, but causality doesn't work like that.) 11) I didn't realize until far too late in the process that releasing a video about a song called Zombie in late October might look like a Halloween video, so if you came here looking for content on, like, ghosts and goblins or whatever then I'm sorry, that's not what I made and it's not what I wanted to make. Maybe next year.

[@ragnkja]

It's far more common for a "non-standard" band-member to play an instrument in the studio version but leave it to the one who usually plays that instrument when performing live than the other way around, so it's very likely that O'Riordan played the guitar in the studio as well.

[@beatrixwickson8477]

Ha! Didn't even think about the Halloween connection or lack thereof. But yeah, classy move not to go there for the lulz.

[@Marklennon]

It may not be your story to tell but telling history is important. What if an entire population were to be wiped out? We shouldn’t tell the history of what happened?

[@talideon]

As an Irishman, I can say you did a fine job on the history.

[@wyattstevens8574]

I've noticed that in the first line or two of each verse, the song sounds more like "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" or "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

[@PassiveSmoking]

I wish you'd mentioned the keening, as that's such an important element of the song. Keening is a style of Gaelic singing used as a lament, which Dolores uses here at the end of the chorus to lament the state of affairs the song was written in response to.

[@davidddaniels8416]

I was hoping he would have mentioned it as well, especially in the context of both how it fits the song and the theory of it.

[@spiderine1prime]

I was thinking this exact thing. The cultural importance of keening is integral to the musicality of this song.

[@dextrodemon]

yeah that was weird, i clicked on the video mainly looking forward to an explanation of the irish singing style

[@somniloquous0]

Is that the upward leaps at the end of lines? I didn't know it was called that, but yeah I kept waiting for him to mention it. It seems strange to transcribe the vocal melody without including, or at least mentioning, those vocal leaps

[@cpt.arctourus7950]

I knew it was different somehow and call to my inner Irish but I couldn't work it out

[@TazTheYellow]

On the subject of poetry, one could make a whole extra video about the multifaceted nature of the "zombie" metaphor. I'll spell out one of those facets here and now: Tim Parry did not die instantly in the bombings. He died five days later, at the hospital. This is what was meant by "child is slowly taken." Zombies here represent a slow, creeping sort of death.

[@polarnaut9645]

I think it's more of a indictment of the perpetrators of the crime. A zombie is a mindless monster that destroys without purpose or instigation. That's why she sings "What's in your head, Zombie?"

[@rubywest5166]

I always figured the "Zombie" represented how long conflicts had been taking place in Ireland over the same factors for centuries. "Since 1916" was not even a quarter of that history, merely one important year in a struggle that had existed over centuries, with the long dead ghosts of the 1600's still looming large in a world about to enter what it called a new milennium. A war driven by the zombies of battles, oppression and uprisings past

[@GirtheAlienGoldfish]

@@polarnaut9645 I think that it's also a reference to how numb people had become to the violence and how indifferent people started to get. After a while, you just stop thinking too hard and go about things as normal because it didn't happen to you or your own, why should you be upset or angry? So the "zombies" aren't just the terrorists, it's the people who won't react or speak up against the violence because they stopped caring.

[@SmellsLikeBrass]

all responses further prove your point of the multifaceted metaphor. Kudos!

[@supremegroden3021]

​@@polarnaut9645ah yes fighting against an apartheid regime that despises every fibre of your being means your a mindless zombie. Let's just forget the ethnic cleansing against Irish catholics and how the UK showed full blown support towards neo nazi loyalist paramilitaries that started the troubles and murdered unarmed civilians as a favourite pass time.

[@hanna-liminal]

I'm not Irish, but I was born when my country was in a civil war and one of the most foundational parts of my life was when the sectarian conflict set off again when I was a young adult. I say all this to support my idea that the true power of this song is how PAINFULLY accurate it feels towards all civil war situations, and especially ethnic/sectarian ones. It's just vague enough, and just harsh and *real* enough. Yes, the Irish musical culture is embedded in it, but different aspects of it can also call to (for example) Arabic musical culture. The song will never not make me weep.

[@canaan4037]

Defo Lebanese

[@CortexNewsService]

I've noticed that similarity with several aspects of music from different areas. Not just between Celtic and Arabic, but also Slavic, Greek and Sami joik. The melodies, rhythms and emotions also seem to be similar. Each form is of course very distinct, but you can hear it in a few songs, especially with the vocals. Compare Zombie to Touched by Vast, which has a sample of Bulgarian choral music. They're all in much different areas and environments. But, they're also all at the periphery of Europe and have historically had to fight back the big European powers.

[@bmac4]

Grunge-era rock was a style that predominately featured men singing about personal troubles which much of it feels like it was from a specific point in time, so it's fascinating to see the power this song by a band that didn't even typically employ that sound managed to capture in this song sung by a woman singing about a conflict like the Troubles which vastly transcends the era Zombie was performed. It captures that raw emotion but turned it into something timeless and relatively unique, both for the band and for the era.

[@sasentaiko]

Yes! I never thought of it that way because I was a child, but you’re so right. To me it just felt effortlessly cool and heroic.

[@DylanMatthewTurner]

I never interpreted it as anger, but rather more desolation and grieving, crying out "why? how could you?" rather than "screw you!" In the context of a protest song it gave me more of a vibe of "This is painful. Stop what you're doing; it's wrong" rather than "We're going to make you stop what you're doing bc we're angry."

[@amoureux6502]

I agree with you but anger is also quite a powerful emotion in response to tragedy, and can easily tie in alongside grief. Sort of an "I've had enough" kinda deal

[@GnarledStaff]

Grief can still contain anger. Its pain, and the emotions that glow from pain.

[@MrFelblood]

When violence around you is in your village (in your heade) and seeping into your mind (in your head) and that's a pain, it can be tempting to lash out at the people hurting you as you beg them to stop. The trauma of trying to get on with life in a warzone creates a confusing stew of emotions and this song captures that aspect of it.

[@adamgillespie3393]

It's in a keening style which is generally angry about events that have past and cannot change (the death of loved ones for instance). So the anger is about lamenting the past rather than changing the future

[@privateprivate3767]

same bro

[@Magnymbus]

One other important thing to mention. The fact that this song came from THE CRANBERRIES makes it all the more heavy. When literally every other song is light pop-rock, this song feels like the most optimistic and friendly kid in school is finally angry. I don't know if anyone else had that sort of kid in school. But for me, there was a girl that never got upset, saw the best in everybody, was a wholehearted and sincere hopeless-romantic, and above all, abhorred violence... And one day she used her fists where her words held no power. She screamed and cried and even though she was pretty short, it felt like she filled the entire hallway. The girl that always kept the peace and actively stopped fights. And when we found out the reason why... Classes were pretty quiet for a few months. It was powerful enough that it makes me hesitate to explain what actually happened, but it involved five or six people, and one of them never came back to school... She was one of the only people that even knew he existed.

[@rosykindbunny1313]

That sounds heartbreaking. I hope she's ok.

[@informitas0117]

@@rosykindbunny1313 she is literally dead.

[@rosykindbunny1313]

@@informitas0117 Oh. Well, I hope she's in a better place.

[@LifesGuardian]

Good insight. I've listened to this song literally thousands of times, but never really got into their other work, so this really helps to understand it even more.

[@nicoledoubleyou]

@@informitas0117 wait how do you know you're not OP.

[@BobDerGute84]

It's such a shame that the "outro" solo part often doesn't get played out on the radio. Such a powerful emotional piece of art.

[@shawnreap]

"Works of art like Zombie will be there to remind us of everything and everyone lost along the way" ...including Dolores O'Riordan herself. 😔 Such a powerful voice in every meaning of the phrase gone far too soon.

[@brandonhey7797]

taken too soon... RIP Dolores O'Riodan

[@ncc74656m]

I'm so glad her pain is over, but I wish we'd been able to keep her longer. Hopefully the memory of everything she gave to us keeps us from holding onto that sort of pain, too.

[@nursebridgie]

❤

[@charlesmartin1972]

When you isolated that bass flourish, I recognized "dies irae". Genius

[@frankiapples]

I was thinking this as well, I can also hear reference to the Dies Irae in the vocal line "what's in your head?"

[@duckraft]

Oh wow, yeah. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@brianhotaling5849]

But which dies irae? From which version of the mass?

[@charlesmartin1972]

@@brianhotaling5849 ...the medieval plainchant version, the one quoted by literally every composer; the *motif itself* iii-II-iii-I-ii-vii-I do-ti-do-la-ti-sol-la

[@brianhotaling5849]

@@charlesmartin1972 Aha. Thanks for the clarification.

[@GrimmFLawless]

Isn’t it strange how often a band’s biggest song is uncharacteristic of their extended catalogue. Such a great band.

[@jackroutledge352]

Blur says hi.

[@mihailmilev9909]

Right

[@mihailmilev9909]

​@@jackroutledge352watM

[@mihailmilev9909]

​@@jackroutledge352wat?

[@mihailmilev9909]

90 5

[@rmdodsonbills]

There's another interesting lyric choice that I think adds to this discussion. I was introduced to a song in high school when I sang in the All-State Chorus, Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye. I don't know which came first, but it's the same tune as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again." The latter is very much a joyful homecoming song from the US Civil War while the former is a graphically morbid homecoming song. Where "Marching Home" talks about church bells ringing with joy and getting ready for the jubilee, "Hardly Knew Ye" asks where are your eyes, where are your legs, I hardly recognized you, you're "so low in flesh so high in bone," but "I'm happy for to see you home." The reason I bring it up is that the chorus of "Knew Ye" is "with your guns and drums and drums and guns, the enemy nearly slew ye" which is clearly (I think) the reference of "tanks and bombs and bombs and guns." There have been several versions of "Knew ye" released by Irish groups, so I feel like there's a clear Irish history to the song such that it's not weird to think O'Riordan would have known of it. Invoking the horrible costs of war that way seems very in keeping with your analysis. I'm also a little surprised you didn't mention the connection of zombies to mindless destruction, but maybe that's just a little too obvious.

[@ssatva]

Interesting background bit! 12tone can't cover everything in a reasonably focused video, but that's one reason the comments section here is often worth a read, and thank you for contributing to that! One thing that struck me when I heard the lyrics enough to wonder what zombie meant was 'in your head' leads into it... and that made me think of ideas and feelings just running on automatic, destructive and unchallengeable, 'dead' but deadly. Art's a funny thing. (edit for formatting)

[@mattdeblassmusic]

That's one of the things I noticed about it too. I play folk music and have even recorded a version of "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" and the "Tanks and your bombs and your bombs and your guns" definitely seemed to be a callback to that. I also think the zombie thing not only refers to the mindless destruction, but the idea that the violence of the troubles should have been long dead, but kept coming back to do more damage. Either way, it's powerful stuff.

[@RalphLindsen]

@@ssatva I understood it as the effect of war/violence and it's trauma on people, the zombiefication from the outside perspective (1000 mile stare etc.) while internally they are haunted by their trauma of violence and war.

[@ssatva]

@@RalphLindsen Oh I think that's very apt, and powerful. I'm adopting it along side my take. Another reason art is a funny thing, that both ideas matter to me hearing it now. I will say if we're pretending to unravel authorial intent, your take seems so natural and apropos that it's likely some of what was on O'Riordan's mind, but that 'some' there is also why multiple angles on art work so well.

[@VTimmoni]

The line is a deliberate reference to Johnny I hardly knew ye but it also references the Irish Rebel song The Men Behind the Wire (armored cars and tanks and guns came to take away our sons) as a deep, pointed and specific criticism of the violence.

[@Hughes81]

A friend of mine is from Palestine and a few years ago I played this for her as it's one of my favorite songs. She actually had trouble listening to it and started to tear up cause it brought up so many memories for her without me even telling her the origin of the song

[@galenhanlyhefferman8764]

this is what’s bringing me back to this song right now

[@t3hjnz]

I used to play this song pretty regularly with a cover band I played guitar in. I had to fight to keep it together almost every time I played that devastating (perfect word) G live. That walk-down that is desperately trying (but failing over, and over, and over) to be a walk-up is one of the best rock guitar phrases of all time, in my book. Thanks for this, such a meaningful song, and such a moving and thorough analysis. As per your usual.

[@TheSpartanFactor]

Honestly, the song as a whole betrays a great deal of guitar mastery. There are no virtuoso licks and sweeps, and whatnot, but EVERY SINGLE NOTE hits EXACTLY how it needed to for the piece. O'Riordan and Hogan are both USING their instruments in service of the song, and not the other way around. It's a stunning and beautiful piece of music that appears, at first glance, to be very simple, but the use of tone, dynamics, harmony, and movement are so, so powerful in the intentionality behind whatever simplicity may be apparent.

[@op4000exe]

Breaking down this tune without talking history, was never going to happen, so I am glad that you chose to do so. And therefore thanks for chosing to do so anyway. Edit: Reworked my statement to being clearer about my intention.

[@randomassortmentofthings]

This reads like he didn't talk about the history?

[@op4000exe]

@@randomassortmentofthings I suppose that's true, thanks for pointing it out, that wasn't my intention. My intention was, that it is great hat he DID talk about the history, 'cause many others might've not.

[@collinmc90]

really? cause I know tons of people who trash talk this shitty song and don't know anything about the history cause ya know... it sucks.

[@ikepigott]

I am not a musician. I am not a music theorist. But I do appreciate great analysis, well-explained. You succeeded in allowing me to understand how the deliberate construction of the song made me “feel” truths that weren’t spoken directly. So thank you.

[@adriatic.vineyards]

I can't imagine what this video must seem like to someone with zero background...

[@Doo_Doo_Patrol]

@@adriatic.vineyards Easy, it is instinctual, and the analysis is not.

[@collinmc90]

hahahahaha

[@danielleohallisey4218]

In your section about her vocals, I was surprised you didn’t even mention her characteristic upward inflection at the end of each phrase when she is “distorting“ her voice. I don’t know if that has an official name in Irish singing or anything, but I always thought of it as a sort of anti-Grace-note. It’s an incredibly powerful addition to all of her songs, but particularly adds an intense sort of grief to these lines…

[@ayvee8003]

It resembles a voice crack, like shes crying while singing. Its like shes fighting tears to get those words out

[@katherineheasley6196]

It's called keening, a style of Irish singing used in laments. You obviously caught the right meaning, even without knowing what it is.

[@danielleohallisey4218]

@@katherineheasley6196 ah but look at my last name. It's in the O'Hallisey blood to understand these things!

[@stephennettles2309]

The vocal style she uses in this song is unmistakeably Irish.

[@fernandomontesvera]

Excellent video!!! Let's talk about the yodels! Many people are talking about Dolores employing keening, and that's a myth. This is not keening. It's her own use of yodeling which she learned from her dad, a fan of US country music. From an interview with Paste magazine: [Paste: What inspired you to incorporate yodeling when you were developing your singing style? O’Riordan: My father loved to yodel, and he sang a song called “The Lonesome Cattle Call.” [To Noel] Do you know that? Hogan: No. O’Riordan: You might know it if you heard it. I think Marty Robbins sings it, it’s a pretty famous cowboy song [Editor’s note: Dolores is referring to “The Cattle Song” by Eddy Arnold.] He was always yodeling, and I was very little and I was like, “How do you do that, Dada?” I just kept with my father all the time, just copying him and eventually I learned how to do it. Then over the years there were artists like Sinéad O’Connor and Siouxsie from Siouxsie and the Banshees and even Peter Harvey was doing it. It was something that you could work into The Cranberries’ format because a lot of that was used in religious Irish music.] This sound is not traditional nor "Irish" at all. In an interview with Liam Ó Maonlaí, Irish singer who dated Dolores in the early 90s, they talked about it and mentioned that Dolores incorporated the yodel via country music. I can't find the complete episode from 2018, but here's a link to an article www.rte.ie/radio1/marian-finucane/#102707997 Also, the syncopation and silences seem to prefigure the yodels she employs to stress the "tail" of her notes on weak beats. Ano(-)ther hea(-)d hangs lo(-)wly... etc. It's hinted right from the beginning so once it happens in the chorus it feels liberating.

[@sasentaiko]

Oooh good catch on the "tails" marking the silent downbeats! Thank you for bringing the evidence from interviews about how she saw country music yodeling as the source. But even with her own words in hand, I'd caution against interpreting that as, "she's not keening; it's not Irish, that's a myth." Culture is more fluid and bi-/multidirectional than we think, and it certainly doesn't respect geopolitical boundaries. It can also be so transparent that your own analysis of your preferences and inspirations (especially when you're younger) can miss some things. Why was her father drawn to yodeling? I think "you could work it into The Cranberries' format", "a lot of that was used in religious Irish music", and the fact that another Irish singer was doing it all argue against your hardline stance there. Just a thought.

[@fernandomontesvera]

@@sasentaiko in the interview with her former boyfriend they (all irish) mention that it's not Irish at all let alone keening. its exotic to Irish ears. i think she meant ornamentation in general is used a lot in Irish singing and hymns.

[@paddleduck5328]

Oh interesting

[@Birkguitars]

A covers band I was in decided a few years ago that we would play this. Our office was next to London Bridge and between making the decision to add it to the set and performing it the attack at Borough Market occurred. One of our colleagues was badly injured in the attack. Although thst incudent arose from a different origin playing this song in that context made it even more moving. I think you handled the complexity and pain of the backstory superbly. Some years ago the father of one of the boys who died invited Martin McGuiness to speak at a rally in Warrington organised for reasons connected with the peace process. When asked how he could share a stage with a man who had been actively involved with the IRA he responded simply "we don't make peace with our friends". I doubt that I would have been capable of that but I am so glad that he was. Without that perspective from so many of the people affected by the Troubles the GFA might never have happened.

[@sebastianquintana5412]

I first heard this song when i was a kid before i could understand english and the sheer atmosphere already communicated everything the band was feeling. Incredible music writing

[@TheDarlingDeer]

As a child with C-PTSD who grew up abused in the mid 90's to early 2000's, I find the fact that I could relate to this song on a personal level quite devastating. To me, it not only is cry to stop the violence but also the pain of reliving it constantly. Not just in a "history repeating itself" sort of way but in a very Post-Traumatic Stress kind of way. I didn't know of the meaning behind the song until the mid-2010s but the feeling of being a "zombie," less of a person, reliving violence "in your head" through flashbacks and nightmares is something that resonates with my soul. An important aspect of this song also speaks to the mental state of survivors and I don't hear people talk about it often.

[@Gurlzup123]

The vocal adlib solo part kinda reminds me of a baby or child just ugly crying, which fits with the songs background. It's almost like symbolically putting those children's cries in the piece as well. I'm sure the families of those lost children appreciate the gesture of this track.

[@northstarjakobs]

I'm late but the vocal style that Dolores uses in that part of the song is called keening, and it's a form of traditional Irish sean-nós singing that is specifically used in laments for the dead. So beyond being just an expression of grief, it is a uniquely Irish expression of grief to highlight the Irish pain and loss experienced by those who lived through the Troubles.

[@TheKingOfToast]

Whelp time to listen to Zombie on repeat for the whole day. Such a good song.

[@nuberiffic]

amazing how you didn't mention how Delores' vocal in the song mimic the style of keening. The traditional irish funeral mourning vocal. ...like, seriously. That's the most iconic art of the song, and kind of the entire point of it.

[@impishDullahan]

We just finished talking about The Troubles at the end of the Irish segment in my Celtic Cultures class and the song really hits different with that added context and now this deep dive. 'Sé g'an-láidir.

[@muffinthefennec]

As both a historian and a musician, the link between the two is an amazing thing to see you break down. Thanks for such amazing content, keep it up :)

[@rmdodsonbills]

I am also both and I agree whole-heartedly. The historical context is important to understanding the song and the song is helpful in understanding the history. We do ourselves a disservice when we over-compartmentalize.

[@muffinthefennec]

@@rmdodsonbills It especially helps that recently I’ve been looking pretty deeply into the subject matter that is the Irish Rebellion and The Troubles, its such an overlooked and interesting part of modern history just because it all happens alongside the two most major events in world history. It really is one of the greatest portions of history, and having that immortalized in one of the most famous rock songs ever by someone so closely attached really makes the song just that much more interesting to someone like you or I

[@lilybeejones]

I love when he started adding the history to the songs. Made these videos even better.

[@muffinthefennec]

@@lilybeejones And they’re already awesome videos, they’re only improving

[@oldmanfran5523]

"The Troubles"is the world's biggest understatement. But what an amazing song in an outstanding album. Anger, pain, shame, sadness, longing. It's proof it's not the number of chords that necessarily makes a good song. And Dolores OMG what a voice!

[@cacamilis8477]

I think "the Emergency" or "The great hunger" are massive understatements too. Maybe we take "sure it'll be grand" to the extreme?

[@rfmee]

Zombie is such a powerful song. I was on a trip over the summer with my parents and we went to (among other places) Belfast. Sitting in a pub in Belfast and hearing it play over the in house music system was a bit... surreal, to say the least.

[@hiccupattack3220]

As a person from Warrington who knew what this song was about, I thank you for breaking it down so well.

[@markuswong]

As someone who is just a casual pop listener to music... This breakdown really helps me to appreciate how much thought and intentionality that is applied to creating music.

[@misterthegeoff9767]

As someone who grew up during the troubles in London the Troubles had a profound effect on my childhood. My school was one attended by the children of both Labour and Conservative MPs and we had bomb scares in the same way and the same sort of frequencies as kids in US schools today have active shooter drills. My best friend's dad came into work at Canary wharf one morning to find his office had lost all its windows in the blast and my own dad, being someone who delivered fruit and veg into the London markets at night, got stopped and search every night to make sure his transit van didn't have a bomb in it. I am glad that you approached this subject in a respectful and neutral manner and reminded people that the people impacted by the troubles were innocent bystanders, both in Ulster and on the British mainland. At a time where relations between the UK and Eire are being strained by Brexit it's important we remember what we have to lose and what we need to do all we can to avoid going back to.

[@fearmorpiercemacmaghnais7186]

Innocent People in the Republic of Ireland were also heavily affected, like when ulster unionists set off a bomb in Dublin City centre killing around 30 people , and bombings in Monaghan. Not just ulster and Britain. If you think it was scary being British around that time just think how it feels being within an hours drive of that violence

[@vamisk]

@@fearmorpiercemacmaghnais7186everyone talks about how they were affected by the troubles seemingly without caring how the Irish were affected. My Grandparents were in Armagh most of their life and wouldn’t talk about it

[@BJWFenix]

Bit of context on that first lyric: Tim parry (corrected from johathan balll did not pass immediately in the bombing, he was mortally wounded by shrapnel and died about a week later being cradled in his fathers arms as he passed: "Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken"

[@DizzyEyes94]

The electric guitar riff sounds like a siren affected by the doppler effect. Chilling once you hear it.

[@robertmyers6518]

This one really packs an emotional wallop. Thanks for not shying away from that.

[@blueredlover1060]

I want to point out that the original by the Cranberries is even more devastating than either of the covers I heard in 2018. Both covers, by Bad Wolves and Jonathan Young, feature male lead vocals, which lack the impact of the female vocals of the original. You can almost picture her as a mother sitting outside one of these terrorist attacks and finding out that her child was killed in it. The covers hit a similar tone and use the same notes, but neither of them evoke such imagery as the original.

[@deprivedoftrance]

Hits even harder when you realize that she was supposed to sing the vocals for the Bad Wolves cover. It's a good cover but would have been infinitely better with her in it.

[@anfearaerach]

I wish people would stop calling the IRA terrorists. Unless you're calling the British terrorists as well.

[@blueredlover1060]

@@anfearaerach I never called the IRA terrorists. However, bombings, like those featured in the intro, could certainly be classified as such an attack. Plus, it's likely an accurate description from news around the time.

[@anfearaerach]

@@blueredlover1060 news at the time was deeply biased against the IRA. I'm glad we agree that both sides are terrorists though! One funded by the British state.

[@ebonychan]

i'm still furious the bad wolves cover changed some of the lyrics and in doing so removed explicit context relating the song to The Troubles. like... you missed the literal and actual point of the fucking song, and the song centers real-life children who died. that's crossing a line. it's just not okay

[@flaviojosefo7130]

Dolores O'Riordan is simply a magical artist, she is my favourite musician ever. I just love everything about her

[@redkefka]

Good job (other than the pronunciation of bodhrán :), which is more like wow lawn [bow-rawn]). Its quite a powerful song about a recent part of our long long history. Kudos for an enjoyable analysis.

[@daniellescrochet]

I cannot listen to this song without tearing up or crying. Every time it starts to play I try to mentally prepare myself for what's coming, and it never works. It's an amazing song.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci beaucoup for this. My Mom's Mother was affected by the Troubles and so it affected me. The only very small correction I'd like to make is that it wasn't decades, it was centuries.

[@violet7773]

The British occupation of Ireland started in around 1167, and has existed up until now with the existence of Northern Ireland. But The Troubles specifically refers to a period of time from 1971/72 to 1998 where the British army ordered their soldiers to commit acts of terrorism to start a sectarian war between the protestants and catholics in order to legitimise British rule over the region

[@supremegroden3021]

​@@violet7773 it started in 1966. It wasn't sectarian.

This is a song I can't listen to without crying. The music (even without lyrics) reflect the endless sadness and the anger for the causes of that so well I.. just can't.

[@benjamindesjarlais5713]

Just finished watching on Nebula, I just *had* to come here and praise your work on this one. I knew the analysis and discussion were going to be as thorough as it was artful, and I was still blown away. I went to listen to the original after watching this, and consciously hearing all these elements bring the song to life even more, was like watching a galaxy form. Thank you.

[@richardm7480]

I always likened the staccato drum riff to a machine gun in my head. Devastating song and wonderful analysis sir! RIP Dolores

[@duckraft]

Same. Closing out the song with gun shots. 💔

[@LinkinPark1871]

Hi, i'm from Warrington, from Irish family. We have a fountain in the spot the bomb went off, I wasn't alive at the time but I was told the story from a young age, it was an ingrained part of the town. This song means a lot to me, I just wanted to thank you for doing this.

[@markjames8664]

The drums in this song are a great example of what you can do with a fairly simple beat, it’s exactly right for the song.

[@user-el2nh5uo1w]

When they’re performing live, the drums remind me as much of sporadic gunfire as anything.

[@Piemesan]

I can't express how thankful I am for this breakdown of one of my favorite sings.

[@Flargenyargen]

Wow. I always knew this song was heavy but I had no idea the gravity of it. It's almost too much. What a beautiful song.

[@davidwalker41]

When I see a video like this I wonder how much of the intricacies of the song, the music, the harmonic structure, the integration of melody with story etc., was intentional by the artist and how much was happy coincidence...or maybe unintended but with the artist recognizing on some level that something they were doing sounded "right" for the song and stuck with what worked. Like, was Dolores thinking about receding bouts of hope and how to capture that with the melody line that goes up then down, then up a little less and down a little more, etc.?

[@FraserHealVideo]

I been watching for years and I think this might be your best video. Thank you.

[@DominoPivot]

Dang. I don't always understand or see exactly what you see in the music you analyse, partly because I've not received much music education outside of watching KZbin videos and partly because I have not listened to a lot of American and European music, but for this one I was absolutely with you all the way, completing your sentences. Thanks for sharing that analysis, I'd heard the song in very non-serious contexts before but it deserved a closer look.

[@scarfboy]

From the first time I heard this, it was pretty clear it was a plea with a complex history behind it. It's really cool to see why it evokes that.

[@morganleanderblake678]

This is one of the fastest subscribe buttons I've ever hit. Fantastic explanation methods.

[@otakubancho6655]

We lost a true genius when she passed,a beautiful human being both inside an out! R.I.P Dolores,we love and miss you!😭😭😭

[@AnoraJohnson]

*THANK YOU* for closed captioning this video. Too many 🎶 creators either forget, or dismiss, the need to include everyone. You rock.

[@sethcunningham2138]

Rest in peace, Dolores. You are missed.

[@winespringinc.9447]

Thank you so much for this Video! This song has been with me, basicly since its release and might be one of my favorite songs of all time, but now I have a better understanding why it hits me the way it does

[@ShelBelSapphire]

This video for this specific song could not have come across my recommendations at a more personally opportune time. I have very personal ties to this song and it is incredible seeing an analysis of it in ways I hadn't thought of before. I have gained even more respect for this song. Thank you.

[@unfasten]

You've got your syllable stress notation reversed-stressed/long syllables get a macron (straight line) and unstressed/short syllables get a breve (curved line), so an iamb is ˘ ¯ and a trochee is ¯ ˘.

[@marinary1326]

This is perhaps the song that I have been most hopeful/eager to see you cover, both musically (cuz I am horrible at musical theory and musical listening and can't even tell what instruments are playing half the time but even I could tell there was some special stuff going on here) and in the historical context.

[@coldanimal5107]

This song presented a true dilemma when it came out. The distorted guitars, loud-quiet-loud dynamic, and big bashy drums, all sounded perfect for what was happening in early-'90s alternative guitar music. The trouble was, every other song they released was just so pop-radio friendly, and the battle-lines between pop and alternative were so culturally important, that it felt like a betrayal of something fundamental to even like one Cranberries song. How could they be any good, if you could hear them on the stations that played charting singles?

[@86pp73]

Which, in a very clever way, ties back to the social attitudes of the Troubles. For a pop group like The Cranberries to make a grunge/alternative song, about an Irish woman - of Catholic upbringing, no less - calling out the depravity and senselessness of an IRA bombing, and the wider conflict associated... simply unthinkable at the time.

[@custardavenger]

Channel popped up in my feed. Wow what an in depth analysis of a an amazing song. You get a follow my friend.

[@bravenotchontheinternethel6964]

Congratulation winners Inbox me for your price❤️📤📤

[@fenixmagicjd]

I really enjoyed your breakdown, and your focus on the tonality/vocal qualities in this video added a lot. I feel you haven't been as depth on in prior videos so it was a nice dimension to add. Also, don't think I didn't notice the Fire Nation emblem when you said everything changed. Brilliance!

[@BahamutBreaker]

If I had to list my favorite songs of the 90’s, I do think that Zombie would make the top 100. But it would have been toward the bottom of that top 100 songs. After watching this, I have a much greater appreciation for the artfulness involved in creating this track. I’ve probably listened to Zombie several hundreds of times in my life, on the radio, but I never owned a Cranberries album. Your analysis really brought out the specific elements that made this song iconic and I greatly appreciate the expertise and effort you put into this breakdown.

[@thnecromaniac]

I could tell, just by hearing this amazing song, that it was a protest agenst violence, but hearing the story behind it... I love it even more.

[@thomasmclaughlin3863]

In addition to being yet another of your masterful technical breakdowns, this presentation stands out as a highly empathetic interpretation of O'Riorden's intent. I found your analysis uniquely inspired and chillingly powerful. Very well done.

[@David_Axelord]

One of those songs I can't listen to without tearing up.

[@achijatheizzetbard]

This is the most powerful break down you've done. Thank you.

[@lukabearry1826]

Genuinely my favorite song ever, it's so frightening and haunting in its tone that the emotion hits harder than anything else I've ever listened to.

[@HamiltonMechanical]

My mom was big into Irish folk music growing up, when this song dropped, we were blown away. I was probably 9 yo at the time.

[@InterstellarNoa]

I’m pretty young, this song came out a few years before I was born. My parents used to play me this song, and I grew up loving it but never thinking what it actually meant. It was always weird to me that none of the other Cranberries song sounded like Zombie. Of course I was a child, and it never occurred to me to look into the history of the song or an analysis. Until now, that this video was recommended to me. It is so weird that after years and years I never thought of looking as to why. Mind you I like music but I know nothing about it myself. So the explanation as to why this song is so different from any other cranberries song is really interesting to me. And now I’ve learned and respect Dolores so much more. She was truly a big part of my childhood and seeing how she channeled her emotions into this. A true legend. Thank you for explaining this song, I’m truly grateful I stumbled upon this video.

[@Thekeytolifeismusic]

Holy wow. I’ve never cried during a musical analysis, and I’ve never given this song its due. I had no idea the backstory and don’t hear lyrics very well even without accents, so this song flew over my head entirely. Liked it, but didn’t know why. And then “…devastating.” Like…. YEAH. I’m shaken. This was brilliant. Thank you so much for this. And love and respect for Dolores. What a gem.

[@Kblmquist]

I am American and don’t even have a bit of Irish blood ( not that it matters since I didn’t grow up in Ireland). But I remember growing up and hearing the news stories all the time. Even as a child I found it just so sad and tragic. I know the healing process will be a long road, but I’m thankful that I don’t see those stories on the news anymore. I wish someday every country would find peace.

[@lanekarabani8084]

My life is full of strange coincidences. One of which is the fact that its 3:14 am and I just got home from a party at which I heard Zombie by The Cranberries for the first time since the lead singer died. And now I'm watching a video about the song. that came out yesterday. How crazy is that?

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

"An anger that can't see the finish line." Nicely done!

[@Daniel_Trapp]

Its one of the strongest memories of songs on the Radio I have in my youth, I still absolutely love the song and only way later understood the lyrics or anything about the background about this awesome song.

[@206brokenbones]

the first episode to make me cry. this song never fails to do so. the music video is also devastating

[@SmitzPNK]

as someone who over listened too this song as a 12 year old(as most 12 year olds do) I have been quite jaded and disinterested with the track, but thank you for giving me reason to still appreciate the song

[@silqmist]

You did a fantastic job breaking this down. I loved it so much, but I couldn't help but laugh every time "change" was the Fire Nation symbol from A:TLA. Nice touch haha

[@lilywashere27]

Same. It came out of left field

[@cavecreaturenorth4840]

Even as a twenty something Canadian partly of Irish decent, The Troubles (and the events leading up to it) still have lasting effects both in my personal life and in the Irish diaspora who were dispossessed, disenfranchised, then swept up into England's colonial siege engine. Imperialism and colonialism are tough and raw topics to talk about, but the only way out is through.

[@SongsFromMyHead]

I'm always fascinated by your song analysis videos and they often get me to thinking about the composition process used by the artists, this one in particular. Do most artists really consider the technical theory aspects as they write the song and lyrics, as your analysis videos suggest, or are they following their gut instincts telling them what sounds good?

[@F2t0ny]

I think like 90% of this is over my head but this is my favorite of your videos I've consumed so far.

[@nitzan3782]

Just hearing Zombie was emotional. Knowing the background and what the work references is downright heartbreaking.

[@charlesgaskell5899]

Wow! An amazing video, that places music theory at the heart, to help explain why the music has the impact it does and show hidden depths to the music. Really very good. Makes me proud to continue to be a Patreon supporter of yours.

[@bymovingimages]

Damn this is a particularly intense and difficult song to really break down narratively, interested to see you cover it

[@MaladyKayjo]

Some of what I was hearing in The vocal subtly reminded me of The classic dies Irae motif often symbolizing death, so I thought I would mention that because that’s also kind of cool

[@xTerminatorAndy]

This is a great explanation for an amazing song. In school they used to call me "Zombie" because of my pale tint, and I developed something of a kinship with this song. Of course I didn't understand what she was talking about (English being my 3rd language)

[@jesseterpstra5472]

Hard to believe that was almost 30 years ago already

[@BradyPostma]

Music and lyrics aren't topics I know well, but you explained everything so convincingly that I feel educated and inspired by it. Thank you for giving me a new depth of understanding about a song I already intuitively loved!

[@bravenotchontheinternethel6964]

Congratulation winners Inbox me for your price❤️📤📤

[@FoxDr]

To me, the solo always felt like an attempt to fight or hold back the pattern set up at the intro, and the fact that it similarly ends up falling apart felt like just another defeat, but maybe I need some Xanax

[@0xTJ]

I've always liked Zombie, but never knew about the background behind it. As always, another very interesting video!

[@strawberry_shampoo]

one of the best songs ever made. I don't understand half of what you're saying but it's still entertaining

[@michaelbloomer451]

As someone from Warrington, the town lives with this memory, especially as there is a memorial in the town centre for the two boys around my age

[@andreagriffiths3512]

We had already moved when it happened but it still hit really hard. My brother was the same age. We’d likely have all been in town. Every time this song is played that’s what’s in my mind

[@bioalma1998]

As someone who is nearly tonedeaf, these kinda explanations bring me so much joy. It's like I'm finaly learning something everyone around me already knows. Keep it up :D

[@asdfghyter]

this was very moving and i started crying several times throughout the video! thank you for giving me a deeper appreciation for this song!

[@Gokou3036]

One of my favorite songs of all time, thank you

[@coldanimal5107]

The chord sequence in this song (and in other songs using a similar sequence, such as Smashing Pumpkins' Disarm) tells me it was written by someone simply putting their fingers on a guitar and listening, not by someone using music theory to select specific chords. It makes much more sense in relation to the geometric layout of a fretboard than in relation to anything inherent to musical notation.

[@SanDesigns]

This song, for me, started a life-long LOVE of The Cranberries. What an amazing video.

[@yelena86]

I don’t understand anything you’re saying, I just enjoy your passion for explaining music to dummies like me. I love this song so much it breaks my heart.

[@theholyduck5520]

I was working Halloween at Walmart a couple of years ago and the asshat Walmart DJ was doing a "Top 10 Halloween Countdown!" and Zombie was number two, because of course it was. I've died inside many times working at Walmart, but that one really stands out for me. Leo of Frog Leap Studios, by the way, does an amazing metal version of this song.

[@randalalansmith9883]

People only look at the titles when making playlists. So we'll have to endure this one following Black Magic Woman for a few decades more.

[@theholyduck5520]

@@randalalansmith9883 Weirdly enough, I don't think that one was on the countdown, and yet the "Number 1 Halloweeen Song" was "Demon" by Imagine freaking Dragons. I'm sure that made sense to somebody.

[@Yuukichan1888]

As a wire born and raised there are multiple monuments to this and multiple charities that aim to help disabled and disadvantaged children one of the major ones being the peace centre this tragedy as tragedies often do brought us together to protect and safeguard our children