"When We Were Young" is both Are You Listening?'s second track and its second single (as well as its final single, as the album unfortunately only spawned two singles). Heavier than the opening track, the song is a high-energy rock song with amped-up guitar and O'Riordan's signature yodeling-esque chanting. I remember watching countless interviews that were conducted with O'Riordan during this album's era, and she had said that touring and having to be away from her family was difficult. (Another song on the album, "Apple of My Eye," also addresses this.) I believe "When We Were Young" to be at least partially addressing her longing for her family when she had to be away from them. The catchy chorus pleads, "I wanna get out. I wanna go home. Is anything better than you on the phone?" It's also about nostalgia, wanting to go back to a time when things seemed simpler. The album's third track is titled "In the Garden" and is most definitely one of the highlights on the album. When I first listened to Are You Listening? in its entirety, this was one of the first songs with which I fell in love, especially since it reminded me a lot of Evanescence with its haunting piano melody, dark and dramatic sound, and strings (which are even more pronounced in the demo version). Although I have nothing to prove it, I think that this song might have been written about O'Riordan's sister; the song definitely seems to be about negative feelings toward a family member, and another song from the album, "Sisterly Love," is about negative feelings toward her sister. We will unfortunately probably never know for sure, however, since as she sings in the song, "I'll keep my secret with me until I die," and she has very sadly done just that recently. (Other fans have posited the theory that the song is about cyclical child abuse, which I think is also definitely valid, especially since a song by The Cranberries titled "Fee Fi Fo" deals with that, as well.) I just love the dark and dramatic sound as well as the bitter lyrics of "In the Garden."
"Human Spirit" is a great song because it sounds very Celtic, which makes sense given that O'Riordan is Irish and given that The Cranberries definitely dabbled in Celtic rock more than once. The introduction, which is repeated a couple more times throughout the song, is played on what I read is a tin whistle. (As you can see here, she actually played the part herself when she performed the song live, which is very impressive. It leads me to believe that although I don't know for sure, she also probably played it in the studio for the album version.) The way that I personally interpret the song's lyrics is that the speaker is encouraging the targeted listener not to give in to the darker aspects of human nature and to not allow life's hardships to corrupt them: "Don't let life consume you," she warns. "It could eat you upside." She also goes on to ask the listener if they have seen loneliness and emptiness inside the human spirit. It's a great song and is definitely memorable, especially because of its beautiful tin whistle part. The fifth song is not necessarily an absolute favorite of mine, but it is catchy, and O'Riordan seemed to like it enough to record it not only once but twice. (It was recorded a second time during the sessions for her second solo album, No Baggage.) It is a heavy rock song, but it is a lot more playful and upbeat than most of the other heavy rock songs on the album like "In the Garden," "Stay with Me," and "Black Widow." The song is a very angry song targeted toward someone who has wronged the speaker somehow, featuring one of my favorite lyrics from the album: "A two-watt light-bulb is brighter than you." Talk about savage. Who knows, however, who the target was, if anyone? O'Riordan seemed to occasionally write from other people's perspectives, and the ability to do that is partially what made her so great.
"Stay with Me" is another one of my favorites on Are You Listening? (although so much of the album is so fantastic, so I feel like saying that weakens a little bit in potency after being said so many times). It is dark and heavy, and O'Riordan even said herself that the song was intended to sound dark with dark chords. It begins softly on acoustic guitar with high notes being played softly on piano, but it becomes much heavier by the song's chorus, with electric guitar taking over and O'Riordan's voice becoming much louder and more aggressive. O'Riordan described the song's chorus as being unpredictable, and I can definitely agree with that. Even though it is not unpredictable lyrically as it really just keeps repeating "stay with me," it is unpredictable melodically as its notes waver and quiver. It is very difficult not to feel your heart breaking as you listen to O'Riordan's tortured cries begging a loved one not to leave her. (The words "stay with me," interestingly enough, pop up in O'Riordan's songs pretty frequently, as they can be heard in songs such as "Promises" and "Ecstasy," and the word "stay" is repeated many times in "This Is the Day.") Although a listener can interpret the song and relate to it in their own way, O'Riordan actually wrote it about her father having had cancer and how she was afraid of losing him. "Apple of My Eye" (another song that was recorded a second time for No Baggage) is much lighter, both in sound and in lyrical content. It was written about her husband and children and how she missed them when she had to be away from them. It is a beautiful acoustic love song, featuring a pretty simple message: I am in love with you, and I miss you when I am away from you. As previously stated, it is featured on both her first solo album and her second solo album, so it was probably an important song to her.
"Black Widow" is definitely the darkest song on the album, as it is very eerie and dissonant. It has, for one reason or another, always reminded me of the Henry Selick movie Coraline, especially of the character the Other Mother (which is probably, at least in part, due to the fact that the character turns into a spidery creature near the end of the movie). O'Riordan once said that the song was written about her mother-in-law who was slowly dying of cancer. In that sense, the song is somewhat similar to "Stay with Me," not only because both songs are very dark but also because both songs are about a family member suffering from cancer. It is yet another song that I adore because of its dark and heavy sound. "October" is yet another highlight on the album, as it has a bit of an industrial sound to it. It's an upbeat alternative song with a vehemently powerful chorus, and I interpret its lyrics to be about having to let someone go and be on your own. "Accept Things," Are You Listening?'s tenth track is a bit of a dip on the album. As I said, the album is nearly flawless from start to finish. It is such a fantastic album that rarely dips, but if I had to pick a song that is my least favorite, it would probably be "Accept Things." It is much lighter in tone than most of the songs on the album (returning, perhaps, to the more acoustic rock sound of the opening track, "Ordinary Day") and is more in the same vein as that of Alanis Morissette or early Avril Lavigne. "Angel Fire" is also a softer song but brings in a bit more energy in its catchy and melodic chorus. While not strictly a Christmas song, O'Riordan first performed the song at the Monte Carlo Christmas Concert in 2006, which does makes sense because the song does feature some Christmasy lyrics: "Another lonely night in December... It is the time of year people remember."
The closing track on most versions of the album is "Ecstasy," a song that grew on me, starting off as one of my least favorite songs from the album and eventually becoming one of my absolute favorites. Somewhat similarly to "October," the song has somewhat of an industrial sound to it, but it's much softer than "October." In fact, "Ecstasy" is definitely one of the album's softest songs. The song is sang in a very morose fashion and, to me, is from the perspective of someone dealing with the immediate aftermath of separating from an unfaithful partner and the grief and pain that that is causing. The line that says that to me most prominently is my favorite line from the song: "Still, I can't shake her; get out of my mind." O'Riordan once said that the song is about dealing with depression, suicidal thoughts, and drug addiction, but I think that my interpretation is still valid, especially since all of those things can be pretty relevant to grieving the end of a relationship. It is a beautiful song that I have, on more than one occasion, listened to to help me get through a difficult situation or difficult emotions. Although most editions of Are You Listening? end with "Ecstasy," the Japanese edition of the album features three extra tracks - "Letting Go" (which reminds me a lot of The Cranberries' song "Empty"), "Forever," and "Sisterly Love" - and the international iTunes edition features one extra track - "Willow Pattern." Among all of these bonus tracks, "Sisterly Love" and "Willow Pattern" are definitely my favorites. "Sisterly Love" is a piano-driven and almost cabaret-like song that reminds me a bit of Amanda Palmer about a strained relationship that the speaker has with her sister (hence why I interpret "In the Garden" the way that I do), and "Willow Pattern" is an epic anthem heavy in guitars and strings offering sage advice to listeners: "You should never take a thing for granted; you only miss it when it's gone, and it's stupid to be holding grudges because we only got so long."
Are You Listening? is one of my favorite albums of all time and, in my sincerest opinion, most definitely showcases some of Dolores O'Riordan's best work. Since her tragic (although still unexplained) passing on January 15, 2018, many people have been coming forth paying tribute to the late Irish musician, which is beyond touching and memorable, but many of them are doing so by sharing their love for songs such as "Zombie," "Linger," "Ode to My Family," "Dreams," and so forth. While I do not challenge the quality of such songs, nor do I challenge the impact that such songs have had on music (especially "Zombie," a song that I personally love and am very emotionally moved by), I find it somewhat tragic that O'Riordan seems to be remembered by many only for her popular hit songs, whereas many of the more obscure songs go unnoticed and even ignored. Many fans of The Cranberries, for example, hadn't even been aware that she released any solo material. Considering how (at least in my opinion) good that Are You Listening? is, that is truly tragic. I, in fact, came into brief contact with a fan of The Cranberries shortly after O'Riordan's death, and after I told him about Are You Listening? and encouraged him to listen to it, he thanked me for pointing it out to him because of how much that he loved it: "I... never knew it existed until you mentioned it days ago. It's fantastic. I would like to extend to you a firm internet handshake. Made my weekend. Thanks." (I had been hoping that the brief conversation would lead to a new friendship, but my friend request unfortunately went ignored.) I think that gratitude such as that is a testament to how strong and memorable that Are You Listening? is and is definitely a testament to the fact that it showcases the real talent that she has sadly left behind, talent that will likely never be forgotten by those who truly love(d) her music.
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