Introduction
Music revolution came in America in the mid-sixties till the eighties. Bands and singers have joined the line later as well, but the emerging talent was evidently present previously. The class of American music has been unmatched due to a mix of compelling genres and music defining different cultures such as African, American, Irish, and addressing sensitive subjects as well like sex, drugs, and crime. The Goo Goo Dolls has been one of such bands which has been popular among the youth for its exceptional rock music. Although the band was formed in 1986, it still remains popular today for its modern approach towards rock music.
Who is The Goo Goo Dolls?
Goo Goo Dolls is a band that has been creating rock songs, hip hop music, and a mix of jazz since 1986. The band consisted of three members initially namely Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac, and George Tutsuka. However, with some contradictions arising later on, George Tutsuka left the band. With more than 12 million album sales worldwide, and many popular hit songs that have stayed on the Billboard charts, a common garage band has now emerged to be an impact on the global audience.
The band was based in New York and gained its initial fame by performing in the openings for the different bands which included Gang Green, Big Drill Car, Bad Religion, and others as well. For the initial four years of the band, it only caught rare attention because it was not performing on a large scale in any way possible. Let us have a look at some of the famous songs by the band
Iris
The top song of the band since its creation was “Iris” which was released in 1998. The lead singer and composer of this song was Johnny Rzeznik. This was the biggest hit single of the band and was on the Billboard Charts for 12 months straight. For a whole year, there was not a song that became more popular than it. Moreover, the song was popular in Australia, Canada, and Italy as well on the first position while it got the third position in the United Kingdom.
This was a revolutionary moment for the band since following this song, it was able to gain offers from different recording studios, production companies, and were invited to many other global concerts as well. On Billboard’s List of Top 100 songs between 1992 and 2012, the song was ranked on first position. Critics regarded this song to be the “ubiquitous” staple for the band’s live sets.
Fallin’ Down
A song that got the band fame even before Iris was Falling’ Down. It was from the famous album Superstar Car Wash and the reason why this song got famous was due to the song becoming the film soundtrack of the “Son in Law”.
Dizzy Up the Girl
In 1998, the album Dizzy Up the Girl was released which was featured by Warner Bros Records. The album is another reason for the success of The Goo Goo Dolls along with their single song “Iris’ ‘. This album was the first one to feature the new drummer, Mike Malinin, and it was also having a unique upbeat composition of songs that were different compared to the previous songs.
Name
Perhaps the song that helped out the band in significant earnings was the song called “Name” after the album “A Boy Named Goo” was released in 1995. Based on catchy rock genre with music, this song was a bit unique compared to other songs by the band because it was based on adult-oriented direction as well as a shift from alternative rock to a much more mainstream rock. Name was the first song in the band’s history that led to a legal lawsuit between the company Metal Blade Records and The Goo Goo Dolls.
This was because the band alleged that the company did not give the band members a fair share of the royalties. This also led to the production company being changed from Metal Blade to Warner Bros, Records. The original fans of the band were not quite happy with “Name” because it appeared to be somewhat a different approach to rock music. However, the new audience liked the song. It also led to the guest appearance of the band on Beverly Hills, Charmed, and also helped the band present an award to Michael Jackson.
Let Love In
In 2006, the band released the famous album, “Let Love In”. This album is significant for The Goo Goo Dolls because many of the different songs from this album such as “Better Days”, “Stay With You”, and “Let Love In” became highly popular and were among the top 10 radio singles as well. All these songs were more directed towards the adult rock genre.
Before It is Too Late
The famous movie Transformers also featured a song by The Goo Goo Dolls. The song was “Before It’s Too Late”. It was the 25th single released by the band on June 5, 2007. The song was quite popular among the youth. On charts, the song got 86th position on Billboard top 100 while on Hot Adult top 40, the song got 9th position. It was also a part of the Volume One of the Band’s Greatest Hit Singles.
Home
The song Home was released by the Goo Goo Dolls from their studio album, something for the Rest of Us and was released in June 2010. In the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard), the band got weekly position on 10th and on US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) at 9th. On the other hand, in yearend charts, the US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) one, it got the 32nd position. Following the release of Home, the band was able to create a new record, 14 top ten hits at Hot AC Radio format which was more than any other artist.
Rebel Beat
Rebel Beat was a song released by the band from their studio album named “Magnetic”. It was a song that debuted on several different radio stations within the US even before its official release on January 18, 2013 as well. In the weekly charts of Australia, it got the rank of 94 while for Billboard Rock Songs it got 20th position. In the year-end charts of 2013, US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard), the song got 63rd position.
Famous Album – Boxes
One of the most important reasons as to why the band has been so famous and popular among the industry is that it released new albums in a very short period of time. Every year or two, a new album was being released by the band. In 2015, the band had spent its majority time in recording the eleventh album named Boxes.
The eleventh album of the band had eleven songs, two of which had Robby Takac as the lead vocalist as well. In 2016, the album was released. Two of the most popular songs from this album were “ Over and Over” and “Souls in the Machine”. The Japanese Bonus Track of Walk Away was also released as a part of this album.
Five Song EP
The Five Song EP with the name of “You Should Be Happy” was released in May 2017. The EP had four original songs while it also contained a remix of the title track named “Boxes” in their last album as well. In summer 2017, “Long Way Home” tour also took place which had performances of The Goo Goo Dolls in their hometown.
The band has been consistently celebrating its success after anniversaries of its songs and albums as well as the fact that they have been on major tours.
Conclusion
The Goo Goo Dolls has remained an all-time popular rock band in the US as well as in other parts of the world. Although, the band does not produce much in the present times, yet the fans still like the band for the previous songs. The era of the rock genre is towards its decline now which means that The Goo Goo Dolls now need to come up with something new. Collaborations with other bands and top rock artists such as Eminem and K-pop are also expected if the band stays popular and on its track of alternative rock music.