Linger (The Cranberries song)
"Linger" is a song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries from their debut studio album, "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?" (1993). Composed by band members Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan, and produced by Stephen Street, "Linger" was first released as the second and final single from the album on 15 February 1993 by Island Records. It was later re-released on 29 January 1994. "Linger", which has an acoustic arrangement featuring a string section, became the band's first major hit, peaking at number 3 in their native Ireland, number  8 in the United States, and number 14 in the United Kingdom. The single remained on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 for 24 weeks. Additionally, "Linger" was voted by Australian Triple J listeners as number 3 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993 chart. In 1990, "Linger" was released on a demo tape with "Dreams" in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. In 2017, an acoustic, stripped-down version of "Linger" was released as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album "Something Else". "Linger" is written  in the key of D major. Background. When O'Riordan was auditioned as the lead singer for the band, she wrote the lyrics, turning it into a song of regret based on an experience with a 17-year-old soldier she once fell in love with. Drummer Fergal Lawler recalled the process in an interview, saying: In the documentary "", O'Riordan says that the song is about her first serious kiss. "Linger" has since become one of the band's most famous songs, though O'Riordan noted that the band did not expect the song to reach the level of commercial success that  it did. In a 2012 interview, O'Riordan commented, "I remember when MTV first put 'Linger' in heavy rotation, every time I walked into a diner or a hotel lobby, it was like, 'Jesus, man, here I am again'. It was trippy, like Jacob's Ladder. I didn't even have to take drugs". In an interview for "NME", guitarist Noel Hogan said of the song: Critical reception. Jason Elias of AllMusic described "Linger" as "a song of regret, epic in scope and sweeping", praising the instrumentation and O'Riordan vocals: "While this isn't lyrically novel, the full-on emotionality of  lead singer Dolores O'Riordan makes this stand out. Singing in a strong Irish brogue she comes off both needy and detached here. It's that emotion that powers this track". A reviewer from "Music & Media" wrote, "Currently on tour with the Hothouse Flowers, these fellow Irishmen deserve your attention. Don't hang round the bar, but move forwards to the stage to check out their alternative pop with shades of folk." Martin Aston from "Music Week" rated it four out of five, adding that it "combines a gorgeous, melting vocal from Dolores with a delicate folky melody." Another editor, Alan  Jones deemed it a "delightful single", noting that "floating in on a breeze, it has a haunting, fragile quality and an almost country feel." Amanda Petrusich of "The New Yorker" described the song as "a hazy, sentimental song about realizing that you're on the bummer end of a lopsided relationship". "Linger" was ranked at number 86 on Vh1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s. Music video. The accompanying music video for "Linger", shot in grayscale, was directed by Melodie McDaniel and based loosely on Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 science fiction noir film "Alphaville"—a "film that considers the  potency of desire". In one of the rooms of the hotel, a silent film is being shown which features 1950s stripper Blaze Starr. "Linger" received heavy rotation on MTV in 1993. Usage in media. The song was used in episode 18 of the second season of ABC's show "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" where one of the main characters June called it "her breakup song". "Linger" also appeared on an episode of "Hindsight". The song was also used in the 1994 movie "Camp Nowhere" and twice in the 2006 film "Click", starring Adam Sandler. It first  played during the flashback first kiss scene between Sandler's character and his wife (Kate Beckinsale); in addition, Dolores O'Riordan made an appearance performing a swing-style arrangement of the song at Sandler's character's son's (Jake Hoffman) wedding reception scene towards the end of the movie. The song was heard on the television show "NCIS" (S16 Ep 14 "Once Upon a Tim"). The song was used in the third episode of season two of Amy Schumer's "Inside Amy Schumer", during the "Calling the Cable Company" skit. The song was used in the first episode of season  two of "Community". In the episode, an Irish singer hired by Abed sang a revised version of the song as part of the episode's failed wedding ceremony between Britta and Jeff. The singer character was portrayed by singer Kasey Truman, who goes by the stage name Deerheart.