1994 studio album by The Cranberries
No Need to Argue alternative rock bandthe Cranberries , released on 3 October 1994, throughIsland Records . It is the band's best-selling album, and has sold over 17 million copies worldwide as of 2014.[ 7] Zombie ". The album's mood is considered to be darker and harsher than that on the band's debut albumEverybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?
In some of the songs, the band decided to take on a rockier and heavier side, using distortion and increasing the volume. Drummer Fergal Lawler said the musical change happened because after two years of touring to promote their debut album, "we had been used to hearing ourselves loud on stage and everything, so maybe that's a natural thing that happened then." During a week off inNew York City , the band decided to record demos for the upcoming album, and after calling producerStephen Street and having him fly in from London, recorded early versions of six songs at theMagic Shop recording studios.[ 8]
The song "Yeats' Grave" is aboutWilliam Butler Yeats , and quotes one of his poems,No Second Troy .
The O'Riordan written track "Zombie" is, according to her, about theWarrington IRA bombings in 1993 that resulted in the death of two children.[ 9] Vox magazine [ 10] Hot Press article[ 11] James Bulger and her reaction. O'Riordan also states in the 1994 Hot press article that the original title of the song was "The Liverpool child" a reference to where James Bulger was murdered.
For the sleeve design, art director Cally re-enlisted photographer Andy Earl and hired the same sofa that featured on the debut album. The sofa was transported by hand to many locations in and around Dublin includingDalkey Island , coming to rest in a photo studio in Dublin where the white room had been constructed for the cover shot. The band, somewhat influenced by a recentBlur photo, decided to dress up and wear suits. The hand lettering was by Charlotte Villiers, video coordinator at Island Records and distant relative of the Villiers engine manufacturing family.[ 12]
Each single sleeve featured the band on the sofa in a different location. These images also appeared in the album's booklet. The disc itself featured a photo of just the sofa in the same room. The sofa later appeared in the video for "Alright " by the British bandSupergrass in 1995.[ 13]
Dylan Yadav of Immortal Reviews wrote: "No Need To Argue , their 1994 record that cemented their importance in Irish music". Yadav described that the "rustic upbringing" of O'Riordan's childhood—reflected on "Ode to My Family", "gives credence to the rest of the album and it's personal, grassroots presence". "Yeats' Grave", in "similar fashion" of "Zombie", "is dark and describes those struggles", Yadav opined. He finished the retrospective review by stating that "the Cranberries turned their struggles to art inNo Need To Argue , an album that helped bring to light what the culture of Ireland was. Dolores O'Riordan made it all happen with her voice, and that's not to discredit the rest of the band; but that voice is what made the Cranberries stand out amongst the rest. She voiced the struggle of a whole country".[ 26] J. D. Considine wrote that some songs reminded the vocal styles of other artists like "Ridiculous Thoughts" recallingSinéad O'Connor , "particularly the way O'Riordan handles the phrase 'Twister, aow' and "Zombie" is a bit too much like earlySiouxsie and the Banshees ". Though Considine positively added, "neither song makes that debt seem especially problematic". The reviewer praised O'Riordan for her performance; "the most memorable thing about her delivery is its unvarnished emotionality".[ 27] AllMusic noted a progression in O'Riordan's way of singing: "No Need to Argue starts to see O'Riordan take a more commanding and self-conscious role", notably on the heavy rock track "Zombie". However, reviewer Ned Raggett stated; "whereNo Need succeeds best is when the Cranberries stick at what they know, resulting in a number of charmers like "Twenty One," the uilleann pipes-touched "Daffodil's Lament," [...] and the evocative "Disappointment"."[ 23]
On 5 August 1995,Billboard No Need to Argue wasPolyGram 's highest selling album of the year to date, with 5.1 million copies sold in six months.[ 28] Juno Awards for Best-Selling Album.[ 29] No Need to Argue was ranked No. 90 onBillboard magazine: "300 Best-Selling Albums of All Time".[ 30] [ 31] Guitar World No Need to Argue at No. 41 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[ 32]
The Complete Sessions 1994–1995 (2002)No. Title Writer(s) Length 14. "Away" 2 :38 15. "I Don't Need" 3 :32 16. "(They Long to Be) Close to You " 2 :41 17. "So Cold in Ireland" 4 :45 18. "Zombie" (Camel's Hump mix) 7 :54 Total length: 73 :50
25th Anniversary Edition (2020) No. Title Length 14. "Yesterday’s Gone" (fromMTV Unplugged ) 4:01 15. "Away" 2:40 16. "I Don’t Need" 3:30 17. "So Cold in Ireland" 4:44 18. "(They Long to Be) Close to You" 2:41 19. "Zombie" (A Camel’s Hump Remix byThe Orb ) 7:52
[ edit ] Magic Shop demos No. Title Length 1. "Song to My Family" 4:34 2. "So Cold in Ireland" 4:38 3. "Empty" 3:23 4. "Ridiculous Thoughts" 4:11 5. "Everything I Said" 3:57 6. "Yeats’ Grave" 3:07
Demos No. Title Length 7. "Serious" 2:41 8. "Away" 2:26 9. "I Don’t Need" 3:22
Live at the Liverpool Royal Court, 14 October 1994 No. Title Length 10. "Dreaming My Dreams" 4:28 11. "Daffodil Lament" 4:55 12. "The Icicle Melts" 3:25 13. "No Need to Argue" 3:07 14. "Empty" 3:36
Live at the National Stadium, Milton Keynes, 30 July 1995 No. Title Length 15. "I Can’t Be with You" 3:18 16. "Ridiculous Thoughts" 6:32 17. "Zombie" 5:51
Personnel taken fromNo Need to Argue liner notes.[ 33]
The Cranberries
Dolores O'Riordan – vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards, string arrangementsNoel Hogan – electric & acoustic guitarsMike Hogan – bass Fergal Lawler – drums, percussion Additional personnel
Stephen Street – production, engineeringJulie Gardiner – production and engineering assistance Edward Douglas – recording and mixing assistance ("Everything I Said", "Yeat's Grave") Andy Earl – photography Cally – design, art direction Chart performance forNo Need to Argue upon Dolores O'Riordan's death Chart (2018) Peak Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI )[ 54] 67 Irish Albums (IRMA )[ 55] 16 Irish Albums (OCC )[ 56] 16 Italian Albums (FIMI )[ 57] 50
Chart (2025) Peak Croatian International Albums (HDU )[ 58] 37 Greek Albums (IFPI )[ 59] 8
1994 year-end chart performance forNo Need to Argue Chart (1994) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[ 60] 25 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM [ 61] 47 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[ 62] 84 Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)[ 63] 36
1995 year-end chart performance forNo Need to Argue Chart (1995) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[ 64] 3 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[ 65] 6 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[ 66] 5 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[ 67] 2 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM [ 68] 7 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[ 69] 11 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[ 70] 1 French Albums (SNEP)[ 71] 2 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[ 72] 2 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[ 73] 1 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[ 74] 4 Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)[ 75] 17 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[ 76] 3 UK Albums (OCC)[ 77] 24 USBillboard 200[ 78] 12
1996 year-end chart performance forNo Need to Argue Chart (1996) Position European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[ 79] 98 French Albums (SNEP)[ 80] 49 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[ 81] 34
Certifications and sales [ edit ] Certifications and sales forNo Need to Argue Region Certification Certified units /salesArgentina (CAPIF )[ 82] Platinum 60,000^ Australia (ARIA )[ 84] 5× Platinum 400,000[ 83] Austria (IFPI Austria)[ 85] Platinum 50,000* Belgium (BRMA )[ 86] 2× Platinum 100,000* Canada (Music Canada )[ 88] 5× Platinum 900,000[ 87] Denmark (IFPI Danmark )[ 89] 5× Platinum 100,000‡ Finland (Musiikkituottajat )[ 90] Gold 31,876[ 90] France (SNEP )[ 92] Diamond 1,500,000[ 91] Germany (BVMI )[ 93] Platinum 1,000,000[ 83] Indonesia combined sales of first two albums — 170,000[ 83] Italy (FIMI )[ 94] since 2009 Gold 25,000‡ Malaysia combined sales of first two albums — 150,000[ 83] Mexico combined sales of first two albums — 200,000[ 83] Netherlands (NVPI )[ 95] Platinum 100,000^ New Zealand (RMNZ )[ 96] Platinum 15,000^ Poland (ZPAV )[ 97] Platinum 100,000* Spain (PROMUSICAE )[ 98] 3× Platinum 300,000^ Sweden (GLF )[ 99] Platinum 100,000^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[ 100] Platinum 50,000^ United Kingdom (BPI )[ 101] 3× Platinum 900,000^ United States (RIAA )[ 102] 7× Platinum 7,000,000^ Summaries Europe (IFPI )[ 104] 5× Platinum 5,500,000[ 103] Worldwide — 17,000,000[ 7] * Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
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