This Forgotten Cranberries' Track Rivals Their Greatest Hits and Is Their Most Beautiful Song

Throughout The Cranberries’ eight studio albums, from 1993 to 2019, there have been countless memorable songs that casual listeners remember. The conversation regarding the Irish rock band’s best songs usually circles back to the same roster of classics, including songs like “Linger,” “Zombie,” “Dreams,” and, for some, “Ode to My Family.” These songs encapsulate what kind of band The Cranberries — fronted by the late Dolores O’Riordan — truly is. However, these songs often overshadow what turned out to be a beautiful discography full of underappreciated songs. Often hidden in plain sight is a track from their 1999 fourth studio album, Bury the Hatchet. That song is “Dying in the Sun” — a piece so criminally underrated, yet one that stands as their most beautiful song ever.

"Dying in the Sun" Stands Out as a Uniquely Intimate Song From The Cranberries’ Catalog

Compared to other songs from the band, “Dying in the Sun” arguably stands as one of their most subdued compositions, with its slower, piano‑driven arrangement — a clear contrast to the band’s often high‑energy alt‑rock anthems. It almost feels like a whisper, inviting the listener to actually listen to every word rather than sing along (or maybe bang their heads to the beat). To be fair, the band has never been afraid to explore softer, more introspective territory in their sound, but “Dying in the Sun” feels especially profound. The song’s restrained sound, almost ethereal in nature, lends it an intimate and introspective quality, allowing O’Riordan’s vocal delivery to take center stage. The Cranberries have made a name for themselves as a band with politically charged songs, some even deeply emotional. And it wouldn’t be called a Cranberries track without O’Riordan’s signature yodel. But “Dying in the Sun” breaks from that mold entirely, immediately setting it apart from the rest of the band’s catalog.

The song is lyrically simple, yet somewhat ambiguous — it is like fragments of thoughts woven into a song rather than a whole, linear story, which, in turn, allows listeners to project their own interpretations. The lyrics go, "Do you remember / The things we used to say? / I feel so nervous / When I think of yesterday, How could I let things get to me so bad? How did I let things get to me?" A bit depressing, as some would put it, but its melody gives off a relaxing feeling. A song that feels sonically intimate and deeply personal, the lyrics are just as raw and true to the singer’s lived experience. Written by O’Riordan herself during her pregnancy with her first child, “Dying in the Sun” is a reflection of her struggles with sadness and her desire to move toward happiness. Before her first child was born, she suffered from severe depression, which having a baby helped alleviate. She said: “The first time I felt the baby in my stomach I was so moved, it was such a beautiful feeling, that I sat down and wrote a song.” In a separate interview with Launch back in 1999, Dolores shared:

“So we went off and discovered our own lives. I got pregnant, and then I started writing songs. I remember writing the first song at the piano. It was really beautiful; it was called “Dying In The Sun.” It’s the last track on the [new] album. I remember that I was teary and kind of happy because I could write again, because I wanted to write again. I think I was about four months pregnant; it was around that time that the baby moved, and the inspiration just came out. I was really happy, because it was really scary to hate music and hate singing.”

Although Bury the Hatchet received mixed reviews upon its release, it is now considered a hidden gem. The album, with all tracks written by O’Riordan herself, is a cohesive work as a whole. But it was “Dying in the Sun” that most quietly captured the album’s emotional core. O’Riordan sadly died at the age of 46 on January 15, 2018, but she left behind a legacy that will surely endure for generations, through the tracks she helped create and bring to life with her distinctive voice, including, of course, "Dying in the Sun" — an underrated gem that arguably stands as the band's most beautiful song.