"Salvation" is the lead single for The Cranberries third studio album To the Faithful Departed. The single had some success in the US (where it was #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart for four weeks), it reached number 8 in the Irish charts and had success in the UK, peaking at #13. and it showed the true colours of the new album having a darker and rawer sound than the group had previously showed.

It talks about drug abuse, and how one should refrain from falling into it. The directness of the song was regarded as bland and too preachy by the media and critics, but Dolores O'Riordan said that it wasn't supposed to tell people what to do, but it was rather a personal reflection.

The music video for "Salvation" was directed in March 1996 by Olivier Dahan in France, for the company Bandits Productions. It features French comedy duo .

It is one of the most acclaimed videos by the band's fans. It has a bizarre mood, and notorious references to drug use and abuse. It shows a clown with needles instead of hair, a confused girl whose parents are being held by the clown, all in a torn house at the top of a hill.

The bizarre images are supposed to represent the effects drugs have on people. The clown jumping on the teddy bear is a symbol of the loss of innocence, and the trapped parents show how drugs are a problem that affect not only the consumer, but also his or her close relatives/friends.

Earthsuit, a Christian group performed a live cover of this song during their last few tours.

Senses Fail covered this song as a bonus track on their album Still Searching.

Prayer For Cleansing, a vegan straight edge hardcore band covered the song on their EP The Tragedy released in 2004.

Silent Majority recorded and released a cover version on the obscure Dynamite Rose comp 7".

Dylan Sizemore, an indie artist from Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, recorded and released a cover of the song on his album released 19 March 2011.

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