Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? is the debut studio album by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries. Released on 1 March 1993 through Island Records after four EPs, it is both the band's first full-length album and major label release. The album was written entirely by the band's lead singer Dolores O'Riordan and guitarist Noel Hogan and contains the band's highest charting US single, "Linger". However, it was delayed until late 2018, following the death of O'Riordan.
Release
The song "Sunday" was released as a promotional single in the US in 1993, before Island Records decided to opt for a re-release of the band's first two European singles, "Dreams" and "Linger", in 1994.
A demo version of "Sunday" was featured on the band's 1990 EP cassette Water Circle. An acoustic version was released on the KCRW 1995 compilation Rare on Air, Volume 2. A live version of "Sunday" was included on one of the band's "Free to Decide" single. The performance was recorded at The Point in Dublin, Ireland, on 2 June 1995. Another live version was featured on the band's live compilation Bualadh Bos, released in 2010. The performance was recorded at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Michigan, on 18 August 1996 during the Free to Decide World Tour.
Critical reception
Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? received generally positive reviews from music critics. Ned Raggett of AllMusic praised O’Riordan’s “undisputed vocal ability”, writing "the two best cuts were the deserved smashes: 'Dreams,' a brisk, charging number combining low-key tension and full-on rock, and the melancholic, string-swept break-up song 'Linger.'" Mario Munoz of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "O’Riordan’s arresting voice is the driving instrument in this beautifully understated debut, painting stark and vivid images of pain and self-denial executed with confessional, hymn-like humility." In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, the author noted the music "delights in its own sound."
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! scope="row"| Rolling Stone
| Essential Recordings of the '90s
| align="center"| *
| align="center"|
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! scope="row"| Slant Magazine
| 50 Essential Pop Albums
| align="center"| *
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|}
- denotes an unranked list.
Commercial performance
The album reached number one on the UK and the Irish albums charts. On 24 June 1994, it became the fifth album in rock history to reach number one more than a year after release. At the end of 1995, it ranked as the 50th best selling album in Australia. It reached number 18 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and stayed on the chart for 136 weeks. Worldwide, the album sold six million copies.
| all_lyrics = Dolores O'Riordan, except for "(They Long to Be) Close to You" written by Hal David
| all_music = O'Riordan and Noel Hogan, except where noted. All songs produced by Stephen Street, except where noted.
| total_length = 40:54
| title1 = I Still Do
| length1 = 3:16
| title2 = Dreams
| length2 = 4:32
| title3 = Sunday
| length3 = 3:30
| title4 = Pretty
| length4 = 2:16
| title5 = Waltzing Back
| music5 = O'Riordan
| length5 = 3:38
| title6 = Not Sorry
| length6 = 4:20
| title7 = Linger
| length7 = 4:34
| title8 = Wanted
| length8 = 2:07
| title9 = Still Can't...
| length9 = 3:38
| title10 = I Will Always
| music10 = O'Riordan
| length10 = 2:42
| title11 = How
| music11 = O'Riordan
| length11 = 2:51
| title12 = Put Me Down
| length12 = 3:33
2002 release
The 2002 re-release included additional tracks.