B-side Go Your Own Way Length 2:24 | Released 6 April 1996 (UK) Label Island | |
Recorded November - December 1995
Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin Genre Alternative rock, new wave, indie rock | ||
"Salvation" is the lead single for The Cranberries third studio album To the Faithful Departed. The single had some success in the US (where it was #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart for four weeks), it reached number 8 in the Irish charts and had success in the UK, and it showed the true colours of the new album having a darker and rawer sound than the group had previously showed.
Contents
Content
It talks about drug abuse, and how one should refrain from falling into it. The directness of the song was regarded as bland and too preachy by the media and critics, but Dolores O'Riordan said that it wasn't supposed to tell people what to do, but it was rather a personal reflection.
Track listing
- Salvation
- I'm Still Remembering
- I Just shot John Lennon (Live)
- Go Your Own Way
Music video
The music video for "Salvation" was directed in March 1996 by Olivier Dahan in France, for the company Bandits Productions. It features French comedy duo Éric and Ramzy.
It is one of the most acclaimed videos by the band's fans. It has a bizarre mood, and notorious references to drug use and abuse. It shows a clown with needles instead of hair, a confused girl whose parents are being held by the clown, all in a torn house at the top of a hill.
The bizarre images are supposed to represent the effects drugs have on people. The clown jumping on the teddy bear is a symbol of the loss of innocence, and the trapped parents show how drugs are a problem that affect not only the consumer, but also his or her close relatives/friends.
Cover versions
Earthsuit, a Christian group performed a live cover of this song during their last few tours.
Senses Fail covered this song as a bonus track on their album Still Searching.
Prayer For Cleansing, a vegan straight edge hardcore band covered the song on their EP The Tragedy released in 2004.
Silent Majority recorded and released a cover version on the obscure Dynamite Rose comp 7".
Dylan Sizemore, an indie artist from Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, recorded and released a cover of the song on his album released March 19, 2011.
Chart performance
It was released as a single in April 1996. A hit in the US, the song also crashed into the UK charts at #13, making it the band's second biggest hit. There was no CD single issued in the US, and thus, it didn't make it into the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It reached number-one (and stayed there for 4 weeks) on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the UK, the single peaked at number 13. In the Irish Singles Chart it got to number 8, making it their third biggest hit on their home soil.