Late Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan apparently approved of Bad Wolves' cover of the Cranberries' 1994 hit “Zombie” and was even scheduled to record a guest vocal for it on the day she died. But the surviving members of the group now say they were disturbed that Bad Wolves released their version just four days after O'Riordan's death in January 2018.
Speaking with ABC New Radio, Cranberries drummer Fergal Lawler admitted, “(I) didn't really like it. It wasn't my cup of tea.” Guitarist Noel Hogan, meanwhile, said that he thought the cover was released “a bit too soon. For my liking, anyway. The whole thing seemed insensitive or something.”
Bad Wolves released their version of “Zombie” on January 18th, 2018, three days after O'Riordan was found dead in a London hotel room. The track would later be certified platinum in the U.S. and elsewhere, making Bad Wolves into an instant success. The band would later donate at least $250,000 from the proceeds of the song to O’Riordan‘s family.
Bad Wolves frontman Tommy Vext told us at the time that donating the money to O'Riordan's family was an easy decision: “If we didn't do that, we were shelving the song and it would never have seen the light of day. It's not like some cash grab. We're not here to capitalize on something. It was a tragic thing. What better way to pay tribute to her, you know, and then try to give back.”
“Zombie” surfaced on Bad Wolves' debut album, Disobey. The band is currently touring behind its second LP, N.A.T.I.O.N., which came out late last year.
