In a 2012 interview, O'Riordan commented, 'I remember when MTV first put 'Linger' in heavy rotation, every time I walked into a diner or a hotel lobby, it was like, 'Jesus, man, here I am again'. 'Linger' has since become one of the band's most famous songs, though O'Riordan noted that the band did not expect the song to reach the level of commercial success that it did. In the documentary '99 Love Life & Rock 'n' Roll, O'Riordan says that the song is about her first serious kiss. The following week she came back, and she had lyrics written out and melodies and she sang along to what we were playing, and it was like, 'Oh, my God. I gave her a lift up to the bus stop and I was saying, 'Will we see you next week?' We gave her a tape of the music for 'Linger', which she took with her. We couldn't really hear her because she was singing through a guitar amp or something. She arrived with a keyboard under her arm, just set it up and played a few songs. Drummer Fergal Lawler recalled the process in an interview, saying: When O'Riordan was auditioned as the lead singer for the band, she wrote the lyrics, turning it into a song of regret based on an experience with a 17-year-old soldier she once fell in love with. 'Linger' is written in the key of D major.

In 2017, an acoustic, stripped-down version of 'Linger' was released as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album Something Else. In 1990, 'Linger' was released on a demo tape with ' Dreams' in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. Additionally, 'Linger' was voted by Australian Triple J listeners as number 3 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993 chart. The single remained on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks. 'Linger', which has an acoustic arrangement featuring a string section, became the band's first major hit, peaking at number 3 in their native Ireland, number 8 in the United States, and number 14 in the United Kingdom. It was later re-released on 29 January 1994. Composed by band members Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan, and produced by Stephen Street, 'Linger' was first released as the second and final single from the album on 15 February 1993 by Island Records. ' Linger' is a song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries from their debut studio album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993).

Artwork for 1994 North American release (US vinyl and CD single pictured)

Dreams of desire video