Synopsis

The Cranberries perform "Ridiculous Thoughts" amid giant circus sideshow advertisements in a barren, deserted landscape. Intercut with the band's performance is a young Elijah Wood wandering through the ruins of a damaged city while trying to follow a mysterious radio signal. The surreal imagery gives the song's tense, confrontational mood a strange, post-apocalyptic setting. Dolores O'Riordan appears in several stylized performance shots, while the band's energetic playing contrasts with Wood's isolated search through the abandoned surroundings.

Factoids & Trivia

• There are two versions of the music video. The Cranberries were unhappy with the concept of the initial version and reworked it, combining the Elijah Wood footage with live material from their American tour.

• The band's revised version was credited under the pseudonym "Freckles Flynn."

• Elijah Wood is identified in the video's credits as the "Boy with Hearphones." His appearance came several years before his international breakthrough as Frodo in *The Lord of the Rings*.

• The original version was later included on *Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002*, allowing both the initial concept and the band's revised interpretation to remain part of the Cranberries' video catalog.

• The song was released in 1995 as a single from *No Need to Argue*. Dolores O'Riordan later recalled that it reflected the pressure and expectations surrounding the band's sudden success.

• Noel Hogan said that the song became much heavier and more powerful in concert than its comparatively restrained studio recording, helping make it a live favorite.