"Linger" is a song by Irishalternative rock band The Cranberries from their debut studio albumEverybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?. 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 23 February 1993, by Island Records. It was later re-released worldwide on 17 February 1994. "Linger", which has an acoustic arrangement featuring a string section, became the band's first major hit, peaking at number three in their native Ireland, number eight in the United States, and number 14 in the United Kingdom. The single remained on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks. "Linger" was voted by Triple J listeners as number three 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.
Background
Originally, the lyrics to "Linger" were written by Cranberries' first singer Niall Quinn. After O'Riordan was auditioned as the lead singer for the band, she wrote her own set of lyrics, turning it into a song of regret based on 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. 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 New Musical Express, 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". The song ranked at number 86 on Vh1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.
Music video
The music video for "Linger", shot in grayscale, is a tribute to Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 science fiction noir filmAlphaville. In one of the rooms of the hotel a silent film is being shown which features 1950s stripper Blaze Starr.
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 movie Click, starring Adam Sandler. It first played during the flashback first kiss scene between Sandler's character and his wife ; in addition, Dolores O'Riordan made an appearance performing a swing-style arrangement of the song at Sandler's character's son 's wedding reception scene towards the end of the movie. The song was heard on the television show NCIS. 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 the singer Kasey Truman, who goes by the stage name Deerheart.
Covers
Brazilian TV hostAngélica sang a cover version titled "Se A Gente Se Entender", which also received a music video.
Chicago punk band Screeching Weasel covered the song on their album Emo.
