My Top 3 songs from Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls Photo from www.crypticrock.com

Sometimes when there is a lack of new foreign mainstream rock bands to listen to, the tendency is to go back to the past to remember bands that offered everything, quality-wise, by recalling their “best” songs.

The Goo Goo Dolls is one of those seemingly forgotten bands now but yet worth revisiting. During the height of their popularity, in my opinion, they displayed just the right mix of aggression in their performances, edginess in the lyrical department, and to back up those, the raw musical talent each of the members had. They were neither corny or dull; in fact, I saw them as those who straddled the classification of being called from “good bands to great bands.”

In my latest installment of “My Top 3…” , let us take a stroll down memory lane with the Goo Goo Dolls who were one of the most awesome bands to have ever come out since the time that they had become a household name in the 90s , thanks largely to their popular hits like “Name,” “Iris,” and “Slide.”

While the band’s popularity peaked several years ago already–and perhaps, many do not even remember this band anymore–but just maybe, after checking out the songs listed below, it may bring back some fond memories to them and even rekindle interest in once-upon-a-time fans to listen to the Goo Goo Dolls again.

Here are my Top 3 songs from Goo Goo Dolls:

1) “Long Way Down” – Before I say why I choose this to be the Number 1 song from the Goo Goo Dolls, let me just say that I first remember hearing this song as part of the OST of a thrill ride of a movie called “Twister” in the mid – 90s.

From the intro with its crunchy guitar riff, that shifts quickly to a sonic assault with frontman John Rzeznik’s guitar blazing away, for me, this sequence displayed the punk-roots of the band and the very reason, too, that they soon became afterwards a force to be reckoned with in the mainstream rock scene back then.

Recently, and thanks to YouTube, I have been watching the live performances of this song that have been uploaded over the years. I will always associate this kick-ass of a song to the Goo Goo Dolls each time the name of the band is brought up or mentioned anywhere.

2) “Slide” – This was  the most popular song to have been taken from the band’s sixth studio-release entitled “Dizzy Up the Girl.” It is one of those singles from the Goo Goo Dolls that most listeners who are familiar with this song are also most likely not even aware that it was the Goo Goo Dolls, in fact, who had created this very popular summer hit.

I remember that this song came out before the year 2000 as it got heavy airplay on numerous FM stations and the music video was on regular rotation for sometime in the two music channels available at the time.

While the band convinced us that they had practically “washed away” any punk-roots they had remaining in them when this song was released into the market, on the other hand, it also showcased how melancholic the band could be and how capable frontman and guitarist John Rzeznik was as a composer when it came to the lyrics and his choice of arrangement that went with “Slide.”

Recently when I started listening to this song again, it still speaks of volumes of the caliber of the musical talent the Goo Goo Dolls had displayed in their heyday.

3) “Iris” – How can I not include this song in my countdown? It is arguably the most recognized song from the band if not the only song some people know of from the Goo Goo Dolls.

It was practically inescapable then in that whole year when this song was featured in a movie called “City of Angels” when it was included in its OST and later on, due to public demand, in the band’s sixth studio-release “Dizzy Up the Girl.” While I certainly enjoyed this song more than the actual movie itself, with “Iris,” it effectively increased the band’s global fan base by leaps and bounds and I remember how almost every girl in class would be singing this song and playing it anywhere they could in school.

At the time, nothing could make a song accessible unless you had with you a cassette tape or a CD which had the track. So, historically speaking, I find it amazing now how extremely popular “Iris” was back then. Because it was literally a different time in those days when not everything could be readily had in a click of a button or a touch of a screen as is enjoyed by all nowadays. So, you actually had to purchase the album if you wanted to listen to a song anytime you so desired–a practice that is sadly getting lost these days.

Until now, most people only know of one song coming from the Goo Goo Dolls, and this is it. In my book, “Iris” stands the test of time of being one of the best romantic rock-influenced songs to have ever come out in the last 30 years.

Forget the chick flick, this song, “Iris,” is worth remembering more.