When I say Goo Goo Dolls, the majority of you probably immediately think Iris and I’d forgive you for that. Iris topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Charts for a record 18 weeks, and was nominated for 3 Grammy’s the year it was released. But for me, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Behind that huge song is a band that is full of the crucial qualities required for success not only in terms of album and ticket sales, but in every band’s effort to create music that will stand the test of time and live on long after they’ve gone. Almost any song of the Goo Goo Dolls’ contains feeling and issues that are easily related to, and expressed with the help of, in my opinion, some of the most amazing melodies in music. And I think the main reason for this is the variety of feelings that these songs provoke. For example, if you listen to Black Balloon, I think you could describe it as rousing, uplifting, consoling… The list goes on.
If you listen to Black Balloon enough, you’ll realize that it’s not a complex song. The genius of it lies within the lyrics and the amount of thought that has gone into writing a combination of relatively simple components that evokes what it does across such a large and varied audience. I’d definitely check out the Goo Goo Dolls if you don’t already know their stuff, and here’s a live performance of the song:
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