Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Although renowned for their commercially successful 1998 single "Iris", they have had several other notable and popular singles include "Name" from 1995's A Boy Named Goo, "Broadway", "Black Balloon" and "Slide" from 1998's Dizzy Up The Girl, which produced five top-10 singles, and "Here Is Gone", "Sympathy" and "Big Machine" from 2002's Gutterflower. The Goo Goo Dolls have 14 top-10 singlesand have sold more than ten million albums worldwide.

The band's original line-up included John Rzeznik, Robby Takac and George Tutuska. The band released their first album, Goo Goo Dolls in 1987. They would play around Buffalo's underground music circuit opening for punk bands. The band released its second album, Jed, in 1989 after moving to Los Angeles.

The band released its third album, Hold Me Up, in 1990. In 1991, the song "I'm Awake Now" was recorded for the soundtrack of Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Superstar Car Wash, released in 1993, received significant media attention. and the single "We Are the Normal" received a major push toward play on college and independent radio, while its video was displayed on MTV's 120 Minutes program. "Fallin' Down" made it onto the 1993 soundtrack of Pauly Shore's movie Son in Law.

Shortly after recording the band's fifth album A Boy Named Goo, George Tutuska was kicked out of the band. A Boy Named Goo had a catchy rock sound, and became one of most successful alternative rock albums of mid-90's. It sold modestly in this time; however, it was not until the release of the single "Name" that the band experienced any viable commercial success. The band released their sixth album, Dizzy Up the Girl, in 1998.

Rzeznik was approached to write a song for the City of Angels soundtrack, and the end product was "Iris". This song propelled the band to stardom, as it stayed on top of Billboard Hot 100 Airplay charts for a record-breaking 18 weeks, and was nominated for three Grammys that year. "Iris" was included on the triple-platinum Dizzy Up the Girl, and was among Top-Ten hits "Slide", "Black Balloon", "Broadway", and "Dizzy" from the same album.

In 2001, they released their first ever compilation CD, What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce. The album Gutterflower was released in 2002 and achieved gold certification, producing the hits "Here Is Gone", "Sympathy", and "Big Machine". In 2006, the Goo Goo Dolls marked their 20th anniversary with their new album Let Love In, which included the studio recording of "Give a Little Bit" as well as other top 10 radio singles "Better Days," "Stay With You," and "Let Love In". With their third consecutive single from the album, the Goo Goo Dolls hit a record 12 Top 10 hits in Adult Top 40 history, beating Matchbox Twenty and Sheryl Crow until Matchbox Twenty's release of Exile on Mainstream and the Goo Goo Dolls' release of "Before It's Too Late" from the Transformers Soundtrack, which left both groups with 13 Top 10 hits in the Adult Top 40.

In November 2007, the Goo Goo Dolls released a greatest hits album entitled Greatest Hits Volume One: The Singles, which includes a new version of "Name" recorded and mixed by Paul David Hager, and a remix of "Feel the Silence" by Michael Brauer. In August 2008, a second greatest hits album was released entitled Vol.2, which includes b-sides, rarities, and a live performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre from their "Let Love In" tour.

In July 2008, the Goo Goo Dolls released a new single called "Real" to select iTunes stores, while it was released on the AT&T USA Olympic Team soundtrack to the remaining iTunes stores on August 8, 2008, coinciding with the start of the Beijing Olympics. "Real" is also the theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment's "Tribute to the Troops 2008". Something for the Rest of Us was released in August 2010.

The band recorded a song for the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon called "All That You Are", and was released on the film's soundtrack. In September 2011, the band's famous single, Iris, hit the number three spot in the Top 40 in the UK 13 years after its original release.

Music Videos

 * Iris