We did not expect it until Friday, but The Cranberries are a box of surprises. “Why” is the first single chosen from Something Else, a song that brings together both their essence and their evolution. Today we have had the pleasure of listening to it for the very first time on BBC Radio 2.

Producing the music we love costs a lot of effort, sacrifice and money. The only thing an artist or group deserves in return is respect to the fruit of their work. Unfortunately, in the internet age, premiering your own single has gone from being a right to being a real challenge. This was confirmed in the last week, after we saw how a private individual filtered the demo version of “Why”, the first single extracted from Something Else, uploading it into their own youtube channel. Today we can eventually express the sensations we have experienced while listening to this wonderful song, and in the best possible way, because The Cranberries have managed to recover that component of surprise that we thought had been robbed, by presenting today, in BBC Radio 2, a different version from the song we knew; the definitive version of “Why.”

With “Why”, The Cranberries get the perfect balance in a single that sounds like evolution, but taking a look back so as to not to leave their purest essence and roots behind. They experiment with new sounds and play an incredibly beautiful guitar plucking with what seems to be either a 12-string guitar, a mandolin or the harmonics of an acoustic guitar; However the guitar intro could have been taken from the Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? era, as well as Dolores’ backing vocals, which may have reminded many nostalgic of “Put Me Down”.

Perhaps one of the deepest and most reflective songs despite the apparent simplicity of its lyrics, “Why” reflects the questions and thoughts that went through Dolores O’Riordan’s mind right after her father died, in what she describes as “the most difficult time.” A clear and concise message, or how to say much with very little, these verses sink into the soul and touch the heart, because everyone, sometime, has wondered “why”.

“Why” is the cover letter of Something Else, which will be released next April 28^th. You can listen to the podcast again (from the minute 48’16) in the link below: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08j256q