“Salvation” was released as the lead-off single from The Cranberries’ 1996 album, To the Faithful Departed. The single was only released as a promo in 1996. Since there wasn’t a commercial single released, this made “Salvation” ineligible to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 due to the chart rules that were in effect at the time. However, the song did peak at number 33 on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 chart.
I was 21 years old and in my third (and final year) of college when “Salvation” was released as a single. I loved this song from the very first time I heard it. It was upbeat, catchy, and it rocked. I also liked the message that this song was conveying. All these years later, and it still ranks among my favorite songs by The Cranberries.
The music video features footage of the band performing the song, intercut with footage of a clown who seems to be a hybrid of Freedy Krueger, Pennywise, and Pinhead). There’s also shots of a couple trying to wake their comatose daughter. The imagery in this video seems to indicate the thralls of drug addiction. The video is definitely on the strange side, but it does capture the message of the song in its own way. I should also point out that this video features the overlit trope I’ve mentioned several times, but in this case, this actually seems to enhance the video. This is one of those rare occasions where I can actually say that.
