The Cranberries - why not popular in Ireland?

sushmita

When I moved to Ireland, more than 16 years ago, I was surprised that I never heard songs of The Cranberries on the radio. During all these years I probably heard them twice or three times. I vaguely remember asking an Irish person once, I was told that Dolores O'Riordan wasn't very appreciated as being a strange person. However, I had asked only one person.
In the Country where I am originally from they were very popular. I had to travel very far to another city because the closest concert was completely sold out and it was in a very large venue. So far I have met people from other Countries where the band was and still is very popular.
Now, with the sad loss of Dolores, it made wonder again, why in Ireland they haven't been popular?

I have to say I was pretty shocked to see how big they are here (Canada) during this last week.

Heres Johnny

They were pretty popular alright. I would have never bought an album or anything (from them or anybody really) but there would be plenty of their songs I'd know off by heart.

Zombie obviously, Linger, Ode to my family, Dreams to name a few.

Well respected band alright. Started listening on Spotify recently again

seamus

Genuinely don't know. There was definitely interest in them - the first album did well, as did the second and Zombie was an absolute smash hit which resonated with the whole country.

But there was never any major "buzz" around them, and after the second album interest in them really faded away.

I always got the impression that they had decided that rather than try to become huge in Ireland, they spent the bulk of their time marketing and touring in the US and the UK, like U2 had done previously.

And in the absence of any major marketing in Ireland, they weren't really kept in the public consciousness. Instead bands like Oasis, Take That, and dance tunes filled the Irish charts while The Cranberries were enjoying their US success.

beauf

Its interesting isn't it.

My thinking on it, there were a lot of Irish Bands back then, a lot never really made it big. I don't think the Cranberries stood out. Also Irish bands didn't really have an chart hits in Ireland over the time Cranberries came to fame in other countries. Looks like we were more interested in music from the UK and USA. The Cranberries also really became a hit on MTV in the mid 90s. We didn't have an MTV channel in Ireland still 2004. We only had MT-USA which was a TV Show only on for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. I'd say in most house people didn't watch it, as people would have watched football etc.

Maybe I'm wrong.

noby

As Johnny said they were very popular back in the mid-90s.

The first album, and singles were pretty big, but I remember with Zombie they seemed to cross-over to 'mainstream' if you like, and that was huge.

The next couple of albums got airplay, but I reckon by the time you arrived here, in the early 00's things had gotten quiet from them.

America was where the debut album took off, and they were probably always bigger there, but they certainly were pretty popular her too.


Personally speaking each successive album did less for me, as they went down a more guitar rock/slick production sound.

Sad news this week. RIP.

Sleeper12

We tend not to appreciate our own in Ireland. Thin Lizzy were far bigger outside of Ireland until Phil Lynott died. Bono & Bob Geldof are constantly mocked in Ireland and yet they are giants on the world stage.

If it's Irish why knock it?

dasdog

beauf wrote: »

We didn't have an MTV channel in Ireland still 2004.

MTV was on Cablelink at least in the cities from 1990/1.

noby wrote: »

The first album, and singles were pretty big, but I remember with Zombie they seemed to cross-over to 'mainstream' if you like, and that was huge.

This I think. The first album was great but when the distorted guitars came in they seemed a bit over produced or had lost some of the originality or something like that.

Sleeper12 wrote: »

We tend not to appreciate our own in Ireland. Thin Lizzy were far bigger outside of Ireland until Phil Lynott died.

They played the first big open air rock festival at Dalymount Park in 1977 and headllined the first ever Slane when they were in decline in 1981.

Zaph

beauf wrote: »

We didn't have an MTV channel in Ireland still 2004. We only had MT-USA which was a TV Show only on for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.

MT-USA only ran from 1984-87, long before The Cranberries were around.

Clonmel1000

beauf wrote: »

Its interesting isn't it We didn't have an MTV channel in Ireland still 2004. We only had MT-USA which was a TV Show only on for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. I'd say in most house people didn't watch it, as people would have watched football etc.

Maybe I'm wrong.

You are wrong on all of this anyway.

FrancieBrady

I think this whole 'they were not popular in Ireland' thing is overblown. I know a lot of their stuff really really well and I never bought one of their albums. So it was being played regularly somewhere.

millie35

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I think thIis whole 'they were not popular in Ireland' thing is overblown. I know a lot of their stuff really really well and I never bought one of their albums. So it was being played regularly somewhere.

I totally agree with you! I never bought any of their albums but I knew and liked some of their songs.

beauf

Clonmel1000 wrote: »

You are wrong on all of this anyway.

I was going on this...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Ireland

beauf

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I think this whole 'they were not popular in Ireland' thing is overblown. I know a lot of their stuff really really well and I never bought one of their albums. So it was being played regularly somewhere.

I knew of them but wouldn't have been my thing back then...

Sleeper12

dasdog wrote:

They played the first big open air rock festival at Dalymount Park in 1977 and headllined the first ever Slane when they were in decline in 1981.

It was a very small Slane. It was nothing like any Slane after. Very small numbers compared to all other Slane gigs.

sushmita

sushmita wrote: »

When I moved to Ireland, more than 16 years ago, I was surprised that I never heard songs of The Cranberries on the radio. During all these years I probably heard them twice or three times. I vaguely remember asking an Irish person once, I was told that Dolores O'Riordan wasn't very appreciated as being a strange person. However, I had asked only one person.
In the Country where I am originally from they were very popular. I had to travel very far to another city because the closest concert was completely sold out and it was in a very large venue. So far I have met people from other Countries where the band was and still is very popular.
Now, with the sad loss of Dolores, it made wonder again, why in Ireland they haven't been popular?

Popular in what way? Album Sales? Plays on radio?

Irish radio stations in general don't tend to play Irish artists to the degree that foreign radio stations might. Maybe it's an unwritten rule- people in Ireland know these songs so well, that they want something different.

They were 11 weeks in the Irish singles charts with both Zombie and Linger- both reached number 3 in the charts I think.

Zaph wrote: »

MT-USA only ran from 1984-87, long before The Cranberries were around.

Just to add a bit of trivia, Fannings Fab 50 was the 80's equivalent of MT USA- but without the video/visual aspect though:P

GetWithIt

They weren't huge in Ireland because they were already big in the States before many here had heard of them.

We don't like that. On a number of levels.

The music scene is, or was, about local heroes. Hearing someone before they're big, that's what everyone wants. "Oh you've already sold a million records? I see. So you won't be playing in the Roisin Dubh then?"

Sesame

I had MTV in the 90s on Sky. It used to have actual music videos with the odd show back then. Ray Cokes show, can't remember the name sticks in my memory, would have been around 1994.

bluefinger

I remember reading something about island records being in financial trouble or something around the time zombie broke and they focused all their resources on making it in the US. This eas something the band was on board with too. I might have misremembered this though. 🙂

dasdog

Sleeper12 wrote: »

It was a very small Slane. It was nothing like any Slane after. Very small numbers compared to all other Slane gigs.

Slane is a bit of a step up from the Gaumont Theatre in Ipswich.

http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/tours/year/1981.htm

Rockpalast might compare but that band were completely acknowledged here. They resonated for about a decade and did their homecoming concerts. With The Cranberries it was about a year and only the fans cared.

adrian522

Sesame wrote: »

I had MTV in the 90s on Sky. It used to have actual music videos with the odd show back then. Ray Cokes show, can't remember the name sticks in my memory, would have been around 1994.

Most Wanted?

Dutchy

With naughty nympho Nina!

Lorelli!

I wasn't a huge fan but i always liked them. I was only around 10 but I remember seeing the Zombie video on MTV. Later when I started buying cds myself as a teenager, I bought "No need to argue" and "Everybody else is doing it..." and my neighbour lent me "The faithful departed" after I heard him blaring "When you're gone" one day

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

They're pretty big in New Zealand, couldn't go a day without hearing one of their songs, mostly on the rock stations but you'd hear Zombie being played in bars etc.

worded

dasdog wrote: »

They played the first big open air rock festival at Dalymount Park in 1977 and headllined the first ever Slane when they were in decline in 1981.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slane_Concert#List_of_Slane_lineups

They didn’t headline Slane in 81 Lizzy did and u2 we’re support

They didn’t even play there in 81 at all as far as I know

worded

Deleted User wrote: »

Popular in what way? Album Sales? Plays on radio?

Irish radio stations in general don't tend to play Irish artists to the degree that foreign radio stations might. Maybe it's an unwritten rule- people in Ireland know these songs so well, that they want something different.

They were 11 weeks in the Irish singles charts with both Zombie and Linger- both reached number 3 in the charts I think.





Just to add a bit of trivia, Fannings Fab 50 was the 80's equivalent of MT USA- but without the video/visual aspect though:P

Ah the nostalgia
Used to record it on tape .... fannings top 50
Can still hear the intro now ....

worded

worded wrote: »

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slane_Concert#List_of_Slane_lineups

They didn’t headline Slane in 81 Lizzy did and u2 we’re support

Dasdog was referring to Thin Lizzy.

Sleeper12

dasdog wrote: »

Slane is a bit of a step up from the Gaumont Theatre in Ipswich.

http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/tours/year/1981.htm

Rockpalast might compare but that band were completely acknowledged here. They resonated for about a decade and did their homecoming concerts. With The Cranberries it was about a year and only the fans cared.

Slane had a turnout of 17K. It also had acts like U2 & Hazel O Connor. Not a massive crowd. The stones pulled in 80K the next year & Sprintsteen over 120K on his own with no support.

I'm not saying Thin Lizzy wern't popular in Ireland it's just most didn't latch on till Phill passed & they were much bigger outside of Ireland.

https://www.independent.ie/life/flashback-1981-thin-lizzy-headline-slane-31446407.html

worded

worded wrote: »

Ah the nostalgia
Used to record it on tape .... fannings top 50
Can still hear the intro now ....

Wish I had kept my radio/tapped cassettes - they'd be magic to listen back to them now.

worded

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Slane had a turnout of 17K. It also had acts like U2 & Hazel O Connor. Not a massive crowd. The stones pulled in 80K the next year & Sprintsteen over 120K on his own with no support.

I'm not saying Thin Lizzy wern't popular in Ireland it's just most didn't latch on till Phill passed & they were much bigger outside of Ireland.

I was there at that concert in 81 and 82. Swan in the Boyne at the back of the stage and was told to get out by a security fellow with a dog :-) People swam in free from the far side of the Boyne. Slane was always blessed with hot summer days and it was sweet to cool off.

I digress but .... It always strikes me even now how the media gives very little cover to festivals, they love misery. One photo there of Phil Body and soul hardly got a mention in the papers after the weekend, instead all the usual murders and depressing sh1t was there. A happy weekend festival doesn’t sell papers it seems ... it they don’t want to pay journalists for the photos, who knows.

worded

Deleted User wrote: »

Wish I had kept my radio/tapped cassettes - they'd be magic to listen back to them now.

.... and at number 12 this year ....

I had a cable running out the window hat was wrapped around the antenna to get a better receiption. Waiting around to hear a click to flip over the tape and hit record for the other 45 mins

After listening to the tapes a few times I got to like a lot of new bands.

Does Dave fanning still do a top 100 as voted by the listeners?
The rock show is gone ..

Harry Palmr

The Cranberries were an archetypal "college" band, I dunno what that scene is like now but in the late 80s and 90s the American college arena/radio scene was pretty big and could springboard an act into the MTV/VH1 mainstream. Obviously they'd hardly be the first act to be very successful (for a while) outside their own country - in the 80s there was a whole sub-genre of "indy" British bands who struck MTV gold in the states but who didn't do much at home - The Fixx, The Outfield, A Flock of Seagulls, Billy Idol, The Psychedelic Furs etc. I think the Cranberries were just a 90s version.

Mr.Nice Guy

I listened to Dave Fanning touch on some of this when speaking about the band last week on Good Morning Ulster after her passing.

"Britain was getting involved in its Britpop with Suede this, Blur that, and Oasis etc. and in the middle of all this, while Suede went to America as the most hyped band - they were on the cover of seven or eight of the British music magazines before they even released anything - 'the greatest band ever, they'll conquer America', who was the support band? The Cranberries. And who won out if you like, in terms of popularity? Suede did nothing and The Cranberries became absolutely huge. There was a few reasons for that: one was the single Linger. And the other one was MTV, and an old fashioned phrase now but 'heavy rotation'; MTV got behind The Cranberries and really, really helped them.

"Not to get in any way sexist about Rock, but Britpop and Grunge, I would say 70 per cent of people who were into that kind of thing at the time were males; whereas go to a Cranberries gig, especially outside Ireland - and frankly I think they were much bigger in America and elsewhere than they ever were in Ireland - I'd say 60 per cent of the people there were female, and 40 per cent male. It was a real kind of couples Rock thing. People looking for something else. High school people in America of that age will remember The Cranberries forever, they were the sound of that, and not just the visuals in terms of MTV as well. Absolutely huge.

"It's really funny when you think about that because if you're talking '92 to '95 there, we used to put on these gigs - 2FM - around the country, like in Cork and Galway and Dublin and put on a thing called Cork Rocks, and it was brand new six bands, demo tapes kind of thing, they hadn't anything released or anything, and one of the bands we put on had just changed their name from The Cranberry Saw Us to The Cranberries - what a terrible name, The Cranberry Saw Us - and there was a girl singing in front of the band and she never once looked at the audience for the whole gig. And that was Dolores. Within a year she was playing to, like, fifteen thousand people in America."

sushmita

Deleted User wrote: »

Popular in what way? Album Sales? Plays on radio?

All of them. They always played in big venues and most of their gigs were sold out.
I don't think they ever played in Ireland in places like Croke park or Slane, have they?

sushmita

GetWithIt wrote: »

They weren't huge in Ireland because they were already big in the States before many here had heard of them.

We don't like that. On a number of levels.

The music scene is, or was, about local heroes. Hearing someone before they're big, that's what everyone wants. "Oh you've already sold a million records? I see. So you won't be playing in the Roisin Dubh then?"

And who cares? If you like their music...

rayray2002

i can understand were u ar comin from i was in slane last year for guns 'n' roses and the place hasnt changed over the years. yeah i agree with what francie brady originally posted "they were not popular in ireland" back then . we knew they were around but there was just too much competition for them back then so they got aknowledged in the u.s and canada ,as there were not that many popstars there. the cranberries music from back then is even more unique now for the younger generations as they are use to the likes of tecno and artists doing cover versions of songs rather than coming up with their own words ,melody and harmony.
anyway Dolores O' Riordan was and is still an epic role model for young girlz .
may she rest in peace XD. after bringing irish female singers culture and representation to the highest level that there is.

truelly one of the greatest in irish histiory along with Thin Lizzy

Mossy Monk

beauf wrote: »

I was going on this...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Ireland

That was only when MTV UK & Ireland split for advertising reasons. The only difference programming wise that I can recall was when MTV showed Big Brother in the UK and something else here in Ireland as TV3 owned the Big Brother rights for this country. MTV was available for a long time before then on cable and satellite.

worded

worded wrote: »

..

Does Dave fanning still do a top 100 as voted by the listeners?
The rock show is gone ..

No idea and I didn't try googling it as not really interested these days:P

I remember though that U2's "Bad" featured in the top 10 for a lot of the 80's - was it No 1 on a number of occasions- nearly sure it was, probably spurred on by LiveAid's performance.

Moving slightly back on topic, IMHO, if Cranberries were around for Fannings Top 50 they would have scored highly in the ratings- definitely top 10.

I didn't listen to the show in the 90's so not sure what the rankings were there or if The Cranberries featured but I'd lay a bet they did, but just because a band isn't played on radio constantly, doesn't mean they're not popular- and when it comes to Fanning fans, they're a discerning bunch of people

Effects

Sesame wrote: »

Ray Cokes show, can't remember the name sticks in my memory, would have been around 1994.

He got caught slagging off Ramenstein fans on a hot mic before being sent out over the crowd in a crane. They all spat on him, he shouted profanities, which ended with him getting immediately fired. Or so I think.

lordgoat

They never did much for me musically. Amazed they were as popular as they were.

Effects

lordgoat wrote: »

They never did much for me musically. Amazed they were as popular as they were.

People like crap music. Pretty simple.

NewbridgeIR

Deleted User wrote: »

I remember though that U2's "Bad" featured in the top 10 for a lot of the 80's - was it No 1 on a number of occasions- nearly sure it was, probably spurred on by LiveAid's performance.

Bad (Live) was #1 1985 - 1989 anyway.
Caused by its appearance on Wide Awake In America.

trashcan

lordgoat wrote: »

They never did much for me musically. Amazed they were as popular as they were.

Yeah, thought they were pretty awful. Don't like to speak ill of the dead and all that, but I could never stand Dolores voice. Incidentally, their first hit, Linger really reminded me of an English indie band called the Sundays.

Horizon2011

In the imortal words of the Lady herself "the play bubble gum music on irish radio. All that's on Irish tv is Louis Walsh acts. O'riordan was not a celebrity in Ireland and rarely appeared on Irish tv as she valued her privacy. Everything she did was the opposite of what the music industry tells their artists. O'riordan kept her own name, accent and never adopted a pet charity for promotion, she was pure class pure talent.

Effects

Horizon2011 wrote: »

Everything she did was the opposite of what the music industry tells their artists.

Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan fined for head-butting police officer in air rage incident

lordgoat

Horizon2011 wrote: »

In the imortal words of the Lady herself "the play bubble gum music on irish radio. All that's on Irish tv is Louis Walsh acts. O'riordan was not a celebrity in Ireland and rarely appeared on Irish tv as she valued her privacy. Everything she did was the opposite of what the music industry tells their artists. O'riordan kept her own name, accent and never adopted a pet charity for promotion, she was pure class pure talent.

Wasn't she a judge on one of those Louis Walsh band producing shows?

And I don't get praising someone for keeping their own accent or name?

Ralf and Florian

beauf wrote: »

Its interesting isn't it.

My thinking on it, there were a lot of Irish Bands back then, a lot never really made it big. I don't think the Cranberries stood out. Also Irish bands didn't really have an chart hits in Ireland over the time Cranberries came to fame in other countries. Looks like we were more interested in music from the UK and USA. The Cranberries also really became a hit on MTV in the mid 90s. We didn't have an MTV channel in Ireland still 2004. We only had MT-USA which was a TV Show only on for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. I'd say in most house people didn't watch it, as people would have watched football etc.

Maybe I'm wrong.

We had MTV Europe, or at least those with the Sky subscription did. The Cranberries got pretty heavy rotation on that from what I remember.

Sheridan81

I think the novelty value of the pronounced Irish accent was a big help in them gaining popularity abroad.

It's not the same when you can hear the same thing walking down the street.

MikeyTaylor

I always thought the Cranberries were huge in Ireland. Interestingly they never had a UK top 10 single - their highest peaking songs there were Salvation and Promises, both of which reached #13, but that was only one place higher than both Linger and Zombie. Dreams only reached #27.

Laois_Man

lordgoat wrote: »

Wasn't she a judge on one of those Louis Walsh band producing shows?

And I don't get praising someone for keeping their own accent or name?

It was The Voice which was nothing to do with Louis Walsh - although your point stands, it was still that "type" of thing, and a bit gimmicky, although nowhere near as absurd and disingenuous as The X Factor.

Now that 2-months+ has passed since her death, is it safe to say I could only ever take her voice in small doses?

Having said that, I'm sorry she's gone. I liked her. Although I didn't like her on The Voice - particularly her egotistical battles with Kian Egan, dressed up as "banter". But he's a massive wally so she's excused somewhat!

maccored

beauf wrote: »

Its interesting isn't it.

My thinking on it, there were a lot of Irish Bands back then, a lot never really made it big. I don't think the Cranberries stood out. Also Irish bands didn't really have an chart hits in Ireland over the time Cranberries came to fame in other countries. Looks like we were more interested in music from the UK and USA. The Cranberries also really became a hit on MTV in the mid 90s. We didn't have an MTV channel in Ireland still 2004. We only had MT-USA which was a TV Show only on for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. I'd say in most house people didn't watch it, as people would have watched football etc.

Maybe I'm wrong.

eh? mtv was being broadcast in ireland long before 2004. MTV Ireland appeared in 2004 alright, but you could watch the european channel for years before then