Prior to this project I had never paid much attention to watch genre certain songs were considered by people. To me the genre rarely makes a difference when it comes to the song or band because many artists don’t like to be pigeon held into one category and break out into other genres. The zombies are no exception to this concept.
Many people have listened to the original version of the song “Zombie”, the alternative rock-celtic vibe the song emits is very pronounced from the first few seconds of the song. The acoustic version is somewhat unknown, the song was originally written as an acoustic piece of music but the lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan, felt that the song would hit a harder punch with the popular rock version. From a quick search the song (acoustic and rock) are categorized as alternative rock, post-grunge, adult contemporary, alternative/indie rock.
When I listen to the acoustic version of the song I feel as if the song is categorized as indie pop/rock. The sound of the vocals comes through as soulful and light but very independent of the instruments in the background. The lyrics are very distinct that makes the song stand out and resonates with the indie/rock vibe it gives off. The lyrics are also very unique makes makes the song lean more towards indie.
But you see, it’s not me
It’s not my family
In your head, in your head, they are fighting
With their tanks, and their bombs
And their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head they are crying
These lyrics can be applied to any tragedy in the world but if listeners know a little bit about the band and their origins they know exactly what horrific event they are talking about. These events really impacted the bands sound and caused them to stray from their typical genre to reach a deeper message.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42702781
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Indie_music
https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-the-cranberries-zombie
Leave a Reply