The Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls an illustrious alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York by guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik and bassist/vocalist Robby Takac. They gained fame due to their hit number Iris, featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 film City of Angels and on their triple platinum album Dizzy Up the Girl.Mike Malinin, who manages the drums, was hired in 1995, made official member in 1998)

The Goo Goo Dolls initially comprised of the two originators - Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac, with George Tutuska on drums. The band named themselves at the request of a local club owner who refused to let them play otherwise. They were originally signed by the short-lived indie label Mercenary Records and they released their self-titled debut album in 1986. Later, a Los Angeles performance brought the them in focus of Metal Blade Records, who would later distribute their first wide release.

In their earlyyears, they were often dismissed by critics as derivative of The Replacements. While they were embraced by college radio and the local punk, especially after the release of their third album, Hold Me Up (1990), by this time, the Goo Goo Dolls had appeared with their own sound with heavy metal, pop rock, and punk elements in-built. In 1991, the song I'm Awake Now was recorded for the soundtrack of Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, the video for which featured a cameo of Robert Englund in character as Freddy and was played on the major video channels of the time.

Superstar Car Wash was released in 1993, earning earth-shattering success. The critical accomplishment and encouraging sales of the last album resulted in a larger budget from Metal Blade. The single We Are the Normal received a major push toward college and independent radio, while its video was displayed on MTV's 120 Minutes program. Fallin' Down made it onto the soundtrack of Pauly Shore's hit film Son In Law.

Their sequel - A Boy Named Goo, was their last song with the drummer George Tutuska, as he was dismembered due to some personal dispute with Rzeznik. For several months, the album sold discreetly, while the band, with newly-hired Texan Mike Malinin on drums, toured rigorously. It was not until the release of their single Name from the same album that the Goo Goo Dolls acquired commercial success. A Boy Named Goo became the first album in Metal Blade history to achieve double platinum status. Their mainstream success, however, was bittersweet as they faced a lengthy legal battle with Metal Blade Records, hence, the Goos eventually switched to Metal Blade's parent company, Warner Bros. Records. The acknowledged achievement of Name marked an elementary change in the band's sound toward a more refined and cultured commercial orientation.

In 1998, Iris was released on the City of Angels soundtrack, and the Goos were lifted to glory and unprecedented eminence, as the song stayed on the Billboard charts at #1 for 18 weeks and was nominated for three Grammys that year. The song was also included on their sixth album, Dizzy Up the Girl, which was released that same year and spawned single hits Slide, Iris, Black Balloon, Broadway and Dizzy. The album's slick production and dismal edge put off many long time fans, feeling the Goo Goo Dolls had abandoned their college/indie rock roots. However, they were replaced with legions of new fans, a result of the band's mainstream exposure. Although the lyrics to Black Balloon are vague and unclear, as this is an essential aspect of Rzeznik's manner of writing, the song, according to the vocalist himself, regards drug abuse and the emotional consequences of indulging in them. It is widely believed that the song was written for Robby Takac's wife who was once caught up in drug abuse but who has fully recovered today; Rzeznik now refuses to comment on the identity of the song's persona, simply stating that the song is about a close friend who was once a drug addict, but now has recovered.

In 2001, the Goos released their first ever compilation CD, What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce. Next, Gutterflower (2002) - with dark lyrical undertones from Rzeznik's divorce - achieved gold certification, producing the hits Here Is Gone, Sympathy, and Big Machine. 2004 saw the release of the Goo's Live in Buffalo: July 4th 2004 which propelled Give a Little Bit to #1 on the US Adult Top 40 chart.

In 2006, the Goo Goo Dolls marked their 20th anniversary with their new album Let Love In, which included the studio recording of Supertramp's Give A Little Bit as well as other top 10 radio singles Better Days, Stay With You, and Let Love In. With the their third successive single (Let Love In) from the album, the Goo Goo Dolls hit a record 12 Top 10 hits in Hot AC history, beating Matchbox Twenty and Sheryl Crow.

April 13, 1996 and July 4, 2004 were proclaimed Goo Goo Dolls Day in their hometown of Buffalo, New York.