Early in their career, the Goo Goo Dolls were frequently dismissed by critics as mere imitators of The Replacements; however, the band refined its sound to be more mainstream, which helped it become one of the most popular adult alternative rock bands of the latter half of the '90s, selling millions of records to audiences largely unfamiliar with their inspirations. That's no bitch on the band, either -- their music simply improved in craft and accessibility as the years progressed, and radio happened to be receptive to what a decade earlier would have been considered collegiate power pop. Thus, the band landed two huge hits with the acoustic ballads "Name" and "Iris."
Originally a cover band with a taste for power pop and classic rock & roll, the group soon began writing its own songs. Their early sound recalled the The Replacements' origins as a bratty punk band (circa Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash) -- melodic, snotty, and a little bit thrashy. That sound was the reason the band attracted the interest of the heavy metal label Metal Blade, which issued their debut album in 1987 (known either as The Goo Goo girls or First Release). 1989's Jed continued in a similar vein; the college radio breakthrough came with 1990's Hold Me Up, a Replacements-ish power pop record.
1993's Superstar Car Wash was the Goo Goo Dolls' artistic breakthrough; though it did nothing to quell the Replacements comparisons, it was a finely crafted pop/rock record, and its lead single, "We Are the Normal," was co-written with Replacements leader Paul Westerberg himself. Still, Superstar Car Wash wasn't the commercial force the band hoped it would be, especially in light of the success of similar bands like the Gin Blossoms. That all changed with 1995's A Boy Named Goo, when an L.A. rock station put the acoustic-driven ballad "Name" into heavy rotation. It was eventually released as a single nationwide, and went Top Five late in the year; platinum sales for the album followed close behind. Unfortunately, the original drummer was no longer around to enjoy the band's success; prior to the album's release, he'd been sacked and replaced by drummer Mike Malinin.
Dissatisfied with the royalty rates in their Metal Blade contract, the band waged a legal battle that wound up allowing them to jump to parent company Warner Brothers. Somewhat drained, Rzeznik and the band shook off a case of writer's block to contribute the ballad "Iris" to the soundtrack of the 1998 americanized version of City of Angels (Featuring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan). Appearing that April, the song was a monster smash, although it was never released as a single (so its official Top Ten pop chart status doesn't convey how popular it was); for a better indicator, "Iris" spent nearly a year on Billboard's airplay charts, including an astonishing 18 weeks at number one, and was nominated for three Grammys. The band's next album, Dizzy Up the Girl, was released in September, during the middle of "Iris"'s marathon airplay run, and sold over three million copies. Its clean, polished sound completed the Goo Goo Dolls' transformation into mainstream pop/rockers who happened to have alternative roots. Further hits from the record followed over the next year, including "Slide," "Dizzy," and the Grammy-nominated "Black Balloon," and the band toured heavily in support. The Goo Goo Dolls revamped their sound for 2001's career retrospective, Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce. A year later, the trio hit the charts with "Here Is Gone" from their seventh studio album, Gutterflower. The CD/DVD combo Live in Buffalo: July 4, 2004 helped fans endure the long wait for the band's next studio album, Let Love In, which didn't appear until 2006. The band toured through the summer of 2007. The band released the first of two greatest hits compilation, entitled Greatest Hits Volume One: The Singles, November 13th 2007.
In February 2008, the band officially headed into studio to work on their new record.
In August 2010, the band released their ninth album, Something for the Rest of Us. In June 2013, the band's tenth studio album, Magnetic, was released. In December 2013, drummer Mike Malinin announced that he left the band.
In May 2016, the band released their eleventh studio album, Boxes. The Goo Goo Dolls' 12th studio album, Miracle Pill, was released on September 13, 2019.
Singles:
There You Are (Hold Me Up)
Just the Way You Are (Hold Me Up)
I'm Awake Now (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Soundtrack)
We Are the Normal (Superstar Car Wash)
Fallin' Down (Superstar Car Wash)
Only One (A Boy Named Goo)
Flat Top (A Boy Named Goo)
Name (A Boy Named Goo)
Long Way Down (A Boy Named Goo)
Naked (A Boy Named Goo)
Lazy Eye (Batman & Robin Soundtrack)
Iris (City of Angels Soundtrack/Dizzy Up the Girl)
Slide (Dizzy Up the Girl)
Black Balloon (Dizzy Up the Girl)
Dizzy (Dizzy Up the Girl)
Broadway (Dizzy Up the Girl)
Here Is Gone (Gutterflower)
Big Machine (Gutterflower)
Sympathy (Gutterflower)
Give A Little Bit (Live in Buffalo: July 4, 2004/Let Love In)
Better Days (Target's Sounds of the Season/Let Love In)
Stay With You (Let Love In)
Let Love In (Let Love In)
Before It's Too Late (Sam & Mikaela's Theme) (Transformers Soundtrack)
Home (Something for the Rest of Us)
Real (AT&T Team USA Soundtrack)
Not Broken (Something For The Rest Of Us)
Feel The Silence
Goo Goo Dolls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With blue eyes that never cry
All you remember now
Is what you feel
The truth remains
In midnight conversations
I asked for this moment
Sad like a lonely child
Broken the day you're born
I held the light to you
But I was so vain
And you remain
A promise unfulfilled
I ask you for more
But you push me away
And if we feel the silence
Holding this all inside
Everything means more now than
Words could explain
And if we feel the silence
Holding this all inside us
Looking for something more to say
I don't know where I'm going
Only know where I been
But you move through my soul like a hurricane wind
We've been so lost for so long
I don't know how to get back again
And we're drowning in the water
That flows under this bridge
When you're fighting the current
You forget how to live
And I wanted to reach you but I don't know where to begin
And you remain
A promise unfulfilled until today
And if we feel the silence
Holding this all inside
Everything means more now than
Words could explain
And if we feel the silence
Leaving this all behind us
When it's gone what will you say
How do we hold on [Repeats]
You lie awake at night
With blue eyes that never cry
The lyrics of Feel The Silence by Goo Goo Dolls are a reflective piece on a relationship that never reached its potential. The first verse describes the sleeping partner with blue eyes that never cry, likely indicating a sense of numbness and apathy that has taken over their emotions. The singer is looking back on the relationship and all they can remember is the feelings they had at the time, indicating that despite the relationship's failures, some memories still stick with them.
The second verse is a conversation between the two partners at night, where the singer confesses that they had wished for this moment but was turned away. Despite the singer's desire to reconnect, the partner had pushed them away, possibly indicating fear of another failed attempt. The chorus speaks of the silence that encompasses their communication, a feeling that holds everything the singer feels but cannot express. Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing, regret, and uncertainty about the future of the relationship.
Overall, Feel The Silence is a melancholic representation of a tangled relationship that has lost its communication and excitement, leaving the singer feeling lost and questioning how to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
You lie awake at night
You struggle to sleep and find yourself restless
With blue eyes that never cry
Despite everything that's happened, you don't show any emotion outwardly
All you remember now
Your memories of the past are all you have left
Is what you feel
Your emotions, both good and bad, are overwhelming you at all times
The truth remains
No matter what, the reality of the situation is still present
In midnight conversations
During these dark hours, real issues come up that won't be ignored
I asked for this moment
I wanted to address the problems we're having
But you turned away
You're not ready to confront these problems, so you avoid them
Sad like a lonely child
You feel lost and alone, like a little kid in need of someone's help
Broken the day you're born
You've been hurt since birth and it's hard for you to trust anyone
I held the light to you
I tried to guide you to a better place
But I was so vain
I was too focused on myself rather than truly helping you
And you remain
You're still here, despite everything
A promise unfulfilled
I had high hopes for us, but things haven't gone as planned
I ask you for more
I'm not content with how things are currently
But you push me away
You don't want to change anything, so you resist my efforts
And if we feel the silence
When we're alone with our thoughts and don't speak, we can truly process our emotions
Holding this all inside
We bottle up our feelings and keep them hidden
Everything means more now than
The smallest actions and words have greater significance
Words could explain
We can't express everything through language alone
Leaving this all behind us
Once we let go of the past, we can move forward
When it's gone what will you say
Once everything is over, how will you react and respond?
How do we hold on [Repeats]
What can we do to keep our relationship intact in the face of adversity?
Lyrics Β© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOHN T RZEZNIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind