Songfacts®:

• Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan wrote this song after her grandfather died. Over the years, it took on different meanings for her. "Later on, on tour, when I'd be on the road, I might think about my kids when I was singing it or I might think about my father who passed away," she said in a Songfacts interview. "So, when you're singing a song about loss and then if you're going through bereavement it can take on a new meaning and you think about what you're going through at that particular time with that song."
• The group recorded this with a doo-wop feel, complete with "Doo-be-da" vocals and finger snaps.
• The video was directed by Jake Scott, son of Ridley Scott of Alien fame.
• "When You're Gone" plays in the 2025 season 2 series Bad Sisters in episode 5, where it's used in a scene where the sisters sing it using a home karaoke machine. One of the sisters uses the opportunity to break some major news (we won't spoil it) before returning to the song. The show is set in Ireland, where The Cranberries formed and the song is very popular.