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)
Giv a Little Bit
Goo Goo Dolls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be surprised
So give a little bit
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
Now's the time that we need to share
So send a smile, we're on our way back home
Oh yea, yea yea you gotta feel it
Yea yea yea yea
Yea yea yea hey
Oh
Don't you need to feel at home?
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Oh, you gotta feel it
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Yea you come along too
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Oh you gotta sing
Come a long way
Tonight
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
So give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So send a smile, we're on our way back home
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Yea come along too
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Yea we gotta feel it
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Cause I need to feel at home
(What you need)
(What you need)
(What you need)
Ooh come along too
Such a long ride
Come a long way
Ooh, sing it tonight
The Goo Goo Dolls' song Give A Little Bit is a call for people to be more loving and giving to one another. The song starts with the singer asking the listener to give them a little bit of their love, and they will do the same in return. The line "See the man with the lonely eyes, take his hand, you'll be surprised" is a reminder that there are people all around us who are in need of love and companionship, and that by reaching out to them, we can make a difference in their lives. The chorus emphasizes the importance of sharing and giving, stating that "Now's the time that we need to share, so send a smile, we're on our way back home."
The repetition of the phrase "What you need" in the bridge of the song is a nod to the fact that, at the end of the day, what people really need is love and connection. The song encourages people to come together and sing, reminding us that, despite our differences, we're all on this journey together.
Line by Line Meaning
Give a little bit
Asking the listener to share a portion of themselves
Give a little bit of your love to me
Asking the listener to share a bit of their affection
I'll Give a little bit
The singer is establishing reciprocity
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
The singer will return the same gesture of affection
See the man with the lonely eyes
Directing the listener to empathize with the man's sorrow
Take his hand, you'll be surprised
Encouraging the listener to help the man find comfort in a human connection
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
The singer is willing to make sacrifices for the listener
Give a little bit of your time to me
Asking the listener to share a part of their schedule or attention
Now's the time that we need to share
Emphasizing the importance of interpersonal connection in the present moment
So send a smile, we're on our way back home
Encouraging the listener to express positivity and reassures them they will find comfort and happiness
Oh yea, yea yea you gotta feel it
Insisting on listeners' involvement through evoking enthusiasm
Don't you need to feel at home?
Questioning the listeners' desire for belonging
Oh you gotta feel it
Reasserting the importance of feeling connected
Yea you come along too
Inviting the listener to also seek connection
Oh you gotta sing
Encouraging the listener to voice their feelings and connect through music
Come a long way
Acknowledging the distance they have traveled to get to this moment
Tonight
Emphasizing the significance and immediacy of the present moment
Cause I need to feel at home
The singer is expressing their own desire for belonging
Ooh come along too
Inviting the listener to join the singer in finding comfort
Such a long ride
Highlighting the challenges that have been overcome to get to this moment
Ooh, sing it tonight
Encouraging the listener to sing and connect in the present moment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD DAVIES, ROGER HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gongoozleriam9783
Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be suprised
So i'll give a little bit
I'll give a lttle bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
Now's the time that we need to share
So send a smile, we’re on our way back home
Ooh yea yea
We gotta feel it
Yea yea yea yea...
Ooo
Don't you need to feel at home
Ooo you gotta feel it
Yea you gotta want to
OO you gotta sing, we've come along way tonight
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time we need to share
So send a smile, we're on our way back home
Yea come along too
Yea we gotta feel it
Cause i need to feel at home
Come along too
Such a long ride
Oo come a long way
Such a long ride
Come a long way
Sing it tonight
@mr.anderson3369
One of the best covers ever
@rodolfosantiago2846
Really a great cover of a Supertramp's masterpiece
@red5llaw
Great ain't it?!!
@RolandJacques-jk7sk
Agreed there excellent cover and cool video 👍🤘✌️
@21hazza
No idea this was a cover until today!
@JessicaTravelsNY
Posted on my birthday. We were at this show. Worst rain on the Fourth of July ever. Flooding and not a soul left. It was magical. Thanks for making this city look more than a snow tundra to the rest of the world. Good memories
@reganross5447
JYvonne this was the day I was born.. July 4th, 2004
@thecasemusic10
I love goo goo dolls, my dad loves supertramp. Finally something we both can enjoy
@Betterifitsfree
I first heard this version during the 9/11 telethon 20 years ago. It takes on its own rhythm personality and complements the original rather than detracts. It never gets old to me. Thank you Goo.
@stdave58
Roger Hodgson should be sending them royalties! Great cover.