"Ridiculous Thoughts" is a song by

The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...

, released as the fourth single from their second studio album ''

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. It is the band's best selling album, and has sold 17 million copies worldwide as of 2014. It contains the band's most suc ...

''. In North America, it was the third single of the album, as "

I Can't Be with You "I Can't Be with You" is a song recorded by Irish band the Cranberries. It was the third single from their second studio album, ''No Need to Argue'' (1994), except in North America, where it was released as the fourth and final single of the alb ...

" was released only in Fall 1995 in this territory. In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped-down version on the band's '' Something Else'' album.

Background and writing

"Ridiculous Thoughts" was recorded at The Manor Studios, Oxford and

Townhouse Studios The Town House (also known as Townhouse Studios) was a recording studio located at 150 Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush in London, built in 1978 under the direction of Richard Branson for Virgin Records. The studios changed ownership and eventuall ...

, London, during the 1994 sessions for ''No Need to Argue''. The music for "Ridiculous Thoughts" was written by Dolores O'Riordan and

Noel Hogan Noel Anthony Hogan (born 25 December 1971) is an Irish musician and record producer best known as the lead guitarist and co-songwriter of the Irish alt-rock band the Cranberries. The Cranberries Hogan formed the Cranberries with his brother Mi ...

. The lyrics were written by O'Riordan about her problems with British press and journalists. It was produced and engineered by

Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths, The Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album ''Viva Hate'' following the spl ...

Single release and chart performance

"Ridiculous Thoughts" was released as a single in July 1995. It had mild success in Ireland reaching #23 and some success in both the UK and the U.S. As most of

the Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...

' singles in the United States, a physical CD single was not released commercially, so it did not chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It did peak at number fourteen on the US

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, and number twenty in the UK.

Track listing

; CD single UK, Australia, Spain # "Ridiculous Thoughts" (Album Version) – 4:31 # " Linger" (Album Version) – 4:34 # "Twenty One" (Live at The Point, Dublin) – 3:05 # "Ridiculous Thoughts" (Live at The Point, Dublin) – 6:08 ;CD single France, JapanDiscogs
Ridiculous Thoughts France/Japan CD single
854 423-2. # "Ridiculous Thoughts" (Album Version) – 4:31 # "

I Can't Be With You "I Can't Be with You" is a song recorded by Irish band the Cranberries. It was the third single from their second studio album, ''No Need to Argue'' (1994), except in North America, where it was released as the fourth and final single of the alb ...

" (Live at The Point, Dublin) – 3:10 # "Twenty One" (Live at The Point, Dublin) – 3:05 # "Ridiculous Thoughts" (Live at The Point, Dublin) – 6:08 ; 7" single # "Ridiculous Thoughts" (Album Version) – 4:31 # "Linger" (Album Version) – 4:34

Music video

The video clip for "Ridiculous Thoughts" was directed in May 1995 by

Samuel Bayer Samuel David Bayer (born February 17, 1962) is an American visual artist, cinematographer, and commercial, music video and film director. Bayer was born in Syracuse, New York. He graduated from New York City's School of Visual Arts in 1987 with ...

and later redone by the band, using the pseudonym "Freckles Flynn". The band was shown in front of the freaks of a circus signs (monkey rodeo, rubber skin man, etc.) on a deserted location. It features a young

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012). Wood ...

, who tries to follow some kind of radio signal (which seems to be guided by O'Riordan's voice), all around the ruins of a building. O'Riordan stated that the band did not understand or identify with the concept that Bayer had shown in the video, and thus, they decided to redo it, mixing the original tape with live footage from their American Tour. The original version of the video was later included on '' Stars: The Best of Videos 1992–2002'' DVD.

Charts

References

{{Authority control The Cranberries songs 1995 singles Songs written by Dolores O'Riordan Songs written by Noel Hogan Song recordings produced by Stephen Street