No Need to Argue
No Need to Argue is the second studio album by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries, released on 3 October 1994 through Island Records. It is the band's best-selling album, and has sold 17 million copies worldwide as of 2014.[7] It contains one of the band's most well-known songs, "Zombie". The album's mood is considered to be darker and harsher than that on the band's debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, released a year prior.
No Need to Argue
3 October 1994
November 1993–August 1994
- The Magic Shop, (New York City) (composition of six demos)[1]
- The Manor Studio, (Oxford)[1]
- Townhouse Studios, (London)[1]
50:30
Composition[edit]
In some of the songs, the band decided to take on a rockier and heavier side, using distortion and increasing the volume. Drummer Fergal Lawler said the musical change happened because after two years of touring to promote their debut album, "we had been used to hearing ourselves loud on stage and everything, so maybe that's a natural thing that happened then." During a week off in New York City, the band decided to record demos for the upcoming album, and after calling producer Stephen Street and having him fly in from London, recorded early versions of six songs in the studio The Magic Shop.[8]
The song "Yeat's Grave" is about William Butler Yeats, and quotes one of his poems, No Second Troy.
The O'Riordan written track "Zombie" is, according to her, about the Warrington IRA bombings in 1993 that resulted in the death of two children.[9] "The Icicle Melts" a track written by O'Riordan, she states in a 1994 issue of Vox magazine[10] as well as a 1994 Hot Press article [11] that the song was written about the case of James Bulger and her reaction. O'Riordan also states in the 1994 Hot press article that the original title of the song was "The Liverpool child" a reference to where James Bulger was murdered.
Cover art[edit]
For the sleeve design, art director Cally re-enlisted photographer Andy Earl and hired the same sofa that featured on the debut album. The sofa was transported by hand to many locations in and around Dublin including Dalkey Island, coming to rest in a photo studio in Dublin where the white room had been constructed for the cover shot. The band, somewhat influenced by a recent Blur photo, decided to dress up and wear suits. The hand lettering was by Charlotte Villiers, video coordinator at Island Records and distant relative of the Villiers engine manufacturing family.[12]
Each single sleeve featured the band on the sofa in a different location. These images also appeared in the album's booklet. The disc itself featured a photo of just the sofa in the same room. The sofa later appeared in the video for "Alright" by the British band Supergrass in 1995.[13]
Legacy[edit]
On 5 August 1995, Billboard stated that No Need to Argue was the largest seller of albums since its release, with 5.1 million copies sold in six months.[26] On 10 March 1996, the Cranberries won a Juno Awards for Best-Selling Album.[27] In 2009, No Need to Argue was ranked No. 90 on Billboard magazine: "300 Best-Selling Albums of All Time".[28][29] In July 2014, Guitar World placed No Need to Argue at No. 41 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[30]
Personnel adapted from No Need to Argue liner notes