The Goo Goo Dolls Are Still Going Strong
In the early 1990s, a Buffalo, New York trio formed in the wake of The Replacements’ breakup – guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik, bassist Robby Takac and drummer George Tutuska – began playing an intense blend of punk rock music that quickly gained mainstream appeal. Their hits featured catchy guitar riffs that cemented their place among pop music royalty.
Goo Goo dolls have achieved great success over three decades, boasting 19 top ten singles on various charts, selling 15 million records worldwide and garnering four Grammy nominations – and they’re still going strong!
“Iris” is the latest Goo Goo Dolls song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify, marking an incredible achievement for the band. Originally recorded for City of Angels soundtrack, the track spent nearly 12 months on Billboard’s airplay charts and has been covered by many artists such as Taylor Swift or Snail Mail.
This track and its video serve as a powerful reminder of why it’s essential to support organizations like Joe Torre Safe at Home, whose mission is to assist children who have experienced violence recover through education and programs. The Goo Goo Dolls have long been supporters of this organization, even joining them on tour recently.
They have also supported other charities throughout their career, such as The Children’s Trust in 2005 and the American Heart Association (2013). Furthermore, they have been vocal supporters of causes like domestic violence prevention.
The Buffalo-based group, which has been together for nearly 40 years, is currently touring to promote their latest album Chaos in Bloom. Produced by frontman Johnny Rzeznik, the album contains tracks that explore themes of cross-generational thinking and communication.
Chaos in Bloom not only deals with love and relationships, but it also explores growing up. For instance, the title track tells a story about May – a teenage girl who gets pregnant by her Catholic boyfriend. As such, its lyrics offer insight into the difficulties that accompany teenage pregnancy.
In the music video, Rzeznik and Takac navigate a chaotic paparazzi-peppered backstage event. This scene plays off of the controversy that erupted at the end of the ’90s as teen suicides and self-harm became increasingly commonplace.
Rzeznik recalls these scenes as particularly touching: a young person taking out her guitar and starting to thrash around, as if her life depended on it.
Rzeznik is an intensely personal artist, and his music with the Goo Goo Dolls has been heavily shaped by his own experiences growing up. This theme continues to inform Rzeznik’s current projects – most recently on a video for their latest song, You Are The Answer.