Hot Press doffs its headphones tonight to our old pals The Cranberries, whose 'Zombie' video has passed the one billion views mark on YouTube.

“For ‘Zombie’ to reach 1 billion views has been a long road and another milestone for the band," Noel Hogan enthuses. "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.”

Adds Mike Hogan: “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.”

Concludes Fergal Lawlor: “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.”

Their label, Island Records, reminds us: "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). Containing the lyrics 'But you see, it's not me. It's not my family,' the band were adamant “Zombie” should be the lead single from their new album and resisted the suggestion to go with a less political track, such was their commitment to the song. The official video directed by Samuel Bayer – who now notches his second billion viewed clip following Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ – shows original footage of Northern Irish street scenes with children playing war games during The Troubles, including the now famous political and historical murals. In the video a gilded Dolores O’Riordan stands before a giant cross wearing a crown of thorns surrounded by silver cherubs, with cutaway shots of the band performing live outdoors.

"Their most commercially successful single, '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."

In his original review of the song, Hot Press' Patrick Brennan opined: "Staccato rhythms and subtle jerks and pauses in the music and the singing make this more than just business-as-usual for The Cranberries. A slow, brooding Siouxsie-like buzzing guitar melody and dirge-like bass and drums counterpoint the elliptical and impassioned vocals of Dolores O’Riordan as she works her way through the internal psychic and external human tragedies of The Troubles we’ve O.D’d on, on this battered little island of ours. ‘Zombie’ signals a growth in confidence, as The Cranberries experiment without discarding that unique form of understatement which distinguishes Limerick’s finest from all those other practitioners of Celtic soul."

He wasn't wrong...

"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." ❤️
- Fergal Lawler #ZombieToABillion pic.twitter.com/KXTRuo1s6I

— The Cranberries (@The_Cranberries) April 18, 2020