"Ode to My Family" is a 1994

1994 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

 song recorded by the Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 band The Cranberries

The Cranberries

The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...

. It was the second single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from their second studio album No Need to Argue

No Need to Argue

No Need to Argue is the second studio album by Irish rock band The Cranberries, released in 1994. It was the band's most successful album, and has sold about 17 million copies worldwide. It contains the band's most successful single to date, "Zombie". The album's mood is darker than that on...

. It was released in 1994.

The song was a hit in most of the European countries where it was released, peaking at number four in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, its highest position in the various international charts. This ballad was nevertheless less successful than the previous Cranberries' single, "Zombie

Zombie (song)

"Zombie" is a protest song by the Irish band The Cranberries from the 1994 album No Need to Argue. The song, which laments The Troubles in Northern Ireland and in particular the killing of two children in an IRA bombing in Warrington, England, was written by Dolores O'Riordan, singer of the band...

".

The song is about Dolores's

Dolores O'Riordan

Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She led The Cranberries to worldwide success and fame for 13 years before the band took a hiatus in 2003. Her first solo album Are You Listening? was released in May 2007...

 yearning for her simple life as a child after having achieved success, and includes a string arrangement composed by O'Riordan.

Track listings

7" single

1. "Ode to My Family"
2. "So Cold in Ireland"

CD single

1. "Ode to My Family"
2. "So Cold in Ireland"
3. "No Need to Argue" (live on the "Later with Jools Holland" BBC TV Programme)
4. "Dreaming My Dreams" (live on the "Later with Jools Holland" BBC TV Programme)

Limited Edition CD single

1. "Ode to My Family" (live at Feile, Tipperary, 30th July 1994)
2. "Dreams" (live at Feile, Tipperary, 30th July 1994)
3. "Ridiculous Thoughts" (live at Feile, Tipperary, 30th July 1994)
4. "Zombie" (live at Feile, Tipperary, 30th July 1994)

CD single - Canada

1. "Ode to My Family" (album version) - 4:32
2. "So Cold in Ireland" - 4:43
3. "Dreaming My Dreams" (live on the "Later with Jools Holland" BBC TV Programme) - 3:52
4. "Zombie" (live at Feile, Tipperary, 30th July 1994) - 5:17

Peak positions

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	5
Dutch Mega Top 100	22
French SNEP Singles Chart	4
German Singles Chart	29
Irish IRMA Singles Chart	16
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	8
UK Singles Chart	26
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	35
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	38
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	11

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
French Singles Chart	28