If you know one song by the Goo Goo Dolls, odds are it’s “Iris” from their 1998 album Dizzy Up the Girl. There was a period of time in my life when, if you asked me what my all-time favorite songs were, “Iris” would be listed among them. Since then, I’ve listened to much more music, and while my answer to that question might be different now, “Iris” still stands out to me as a truly great song. I was reminded of this when I heard it on the radio the other day, and decided to jump into Dizzy Up the Girl this week to explore what else the record has to offer.
It starts off with an upbeat, post-grunge sound with “Dizzy.” I’m not a huge fan of the conversational tone of the verses, but it has a simple and effective chorus, as well as an appealing instrumental backing, that saves the song. “Slide” is another one of the Goo Goo Dolls’s more popular songs besides “Iris.” Here, lead singer John Rzeznik’s voice is the perfect balance of softness to grunge. Interestingly, the meaning of this song often gets lost in the shuffle — according to Rzeznik, “the song is actually about these two teenage kids and then the girlfriend gets pregnant…they’re trying to decide whether she should get an abortion or if they should get married or what should go on.”
The guitar completely steals the show in “Broadway,” but aside from that, it’s a significant track because it introduces one of the album’s central themes: Buffalo, New York (where the band originated). The song focuses on Rzeznik’s observation of the repetition of certain behaviors from generation to generation in his hometown. “Broadway” is followed by “January Friend,” one of the album’s few slumps, where the lyrics get lost in the music.
“Black Balloon” is a more somber track about “seeing someone you love that is so great just screw up so bad.” “Bullet Proof” returns to that post-grunge sound found in “Dizzy” but shakes up the album a bit — Rzeznik seems to be challenging himself more vocally during the chorus than we’ve seen in the other tracks, and it makes for a refreshing change. “Amigone,” sung by bassist Robby Takac, has a more traditional grunge sound and is also connected to the band’s hometown: “Amigone” is the name of a funeral home chain in Buffalo. Cheerful!
“All Eyes on Me” is one of the catchier songs on Dizzy Up the Girl and actually sounds ahead of its time — the guitar in the outro positively screams early 2000s. The Goo Goo Dolls toy with punk in “Full Forever,” which can only be described as the soundtrack to a montage of that one emo teenager in any given ’90s movie. “Acoustic #3” is yet another change in pace and acts as somewhat of a palate cleanser before “Iris,” undoubtedly the album’s high point.
In addition to being the most well-known Goo Goo Dolls song, “Iris” has also won the very important award of being my personal favorite Goo Goo Dolls song … there’s a reason it’s so beloved. It was written for the Nicholas Cage film City of Angels. Rzeznik explained that when he wrote it, he thought about the position of Cage’s character in the film: “This guy is completely willing to give up his own immortality, just to be able to feel something very human. And I think, ‘Wow! What an amazing thing it must be like to love someone so much that you give up everything to be with them.’”
The Goo Goo Dolls try out the punkier sound again in “Extra Pale,” a pretty redundant track that I don’t particularly enjoy. They redeem themselves with “Hate This Place” which has a fun-to-sing chorus and exhibits their chemistry with their new drummer at the time, Mike Malinin.
Dizzy Up the Girl might have gained much of its recognizability from “Iris,” but the entire album is definitely worth a listen. It’s a brilliant fusion of different types of rock that has something for just about everyone.
Test Spins is a weekly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].