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)
Rebel Beat
Goo Goo Dolls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've become my own reflection
Is that your soul that you're trying to protect?
I always hoped that we would intersect, yeah
You need time to cope and time to heal
Time to cry if it's what you feel
Life can hurt when it gets too real
Alive, alive
Alive is all I wanna feel
Tonight, tonight
I need to be where you are
I need to be where you are
Hey you, look around!
Can you hear that noise? It's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
And when the sun goes down, and we fill the streets
You're gonna dance 'til the morning to the rebel's beat
You can take everything from me
'Cause this is all I need
You know that life is like a ticking clock
Nobody knows when it's gonna stop, yeah
Before I'm gone I need to touch someone
With a word, with a kiss, with a decent song, yeah
And it gets lonely when you live out loud
When the truth that you seek isn't in this crowd
You better find your voice, better make it loud
We've gotta burn that fire or we'll just burn out
Alive, alive
Alive is all I wanna feel
Tonight, tonight
I need to be where you are
I need to be where you are
Hey you, look around!
Can you hear that noise? It's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
And when the sun goes down, and we fill the streets
You're gonna dance 'til the morning to the rebel's beat
You can take everything from me, oh, yeah
You can take everything from me
'Cause this is all I need
We are free tonight
And everything's alright
Put your arms around me
Baby, show me how to move you
'Cause there's no worries, there's no cares
Feel the sound that's everywhere
We'll take what's ours for once
And baby, run like hell
Hey you, look around!
Can you hear that noise? It's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
Hey you, look around!
Can you hear that noise? It's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
And when the sun goes down, and we fill the streets
You're gonna dance 'til the morning to the rebel's beat
You can take everything from me, oh, yeah
You can take everything from me
'Cause this is all I need
Yeah, this is all I need
The lyrics of "Rebel Beat" by Goo Goo Dolls are a mixture of contemplation and revelry, exploring themes of self-discovery and living freely. The first verse refers to the singer and their partner growing and changing together, with the lines "We keep heading in the same direction / You've become my own reflection" suggesting a deep connection between the two. The following lines, "Is that your soul that you're trying to protect? / I always hoped that we would intersect," imply that the singer wants to share their partner's journey and grow alongside them.
The chorus of the song has a celebratory tone, with the repeated refrain "Alive is all I wanna feel / Tonight, tonight / I need to be where you are" conveying a desire for freedom and joy. The second verse touches on the fleeting nature of life and the singer's desire to make the most of their time, emphasizing the importance of human connection and artistic expression. The lines "Before I'm gone I need to touch someone / With a word, with a kiss, with a decent song" suggest that the singer wants to make a lasting impression on the world.
The rest of the song focuses on the power of rebellion and living outside of societal norms. The lines "Hey you, look around! / Can you hear that noise? It's a rebel sound" encourage listeners to embrace their individuality and dance to their own beat. The bridge declares that "We are free tonight / And everything's alright," emphasizing the importance of letting loose and living in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
We keep heading in the same direction
We're continuing on the same path as before
You've become my own reflection
You've grown to resemble me in character and personality
Is that your soul that you're trying to protect?
Are you trying to preserve your innermost feelings and essence?
I always hoped that we would intersect, yeah
I always hoped our paths would cross
You need time to cope and time to heal
You require time to emotionally recover from a situation
Time to cry if it's what you feel
Time to express your emotions through tears
Life can hurt when it gets too real
Life can be painful and difficult to experience when it becomes too intense
I can hold you up when it's hard to deal
I can support and comfort you during difficult times
Alive, alive / Alive is all I wanna feel / Tonight, tonight
I desire to feel fully alive, especially tonight
I need to be where you are
I want to be around you
Hey you, look around! / Can you hear that noise? It's a rebel sound
Take notice of the rebellious spirit and sound around us
We got nowhere else to go
We have no other options or alternatives
And when the sun goes down, and we fill the streets / You're gonna dance 'til the morning to the rebel's beat
When night falls, we'll be dancing in the street to a rebellious rhythm
You can take everything from me / 'Cause this is all I need
You can take away everything I have, but this rebellious experience is all I need to feel alive
You know that life is like a ticking clock / Nobody knows when it's gonna stop, yeah
Life is finite and unpredictable, like a ticking clock with an unknown end
Before I'm gone I need to touch someone / With a word, with a kiss, with a decent song, yeah
Before I die, I want to have a meaningful impact on someone's life through spoken words, physical affection, or creative expression
And it gets lonely when you live out loud / When the truth that you seek isn't in this crowd
Living a bold and expressive life can lead to isolation when you can't find the truth in this community
You better find your voice, better make it loud / We've gotta burn that fire or we'll just burn out
You need to find your voice and use it loudly, otherwise you'll become burnt out and stagnant
We are free tonight / And everything's alright / Put your arms around me / Baby, show me how to move you
Tonight we're free to have a good time, so let's dance and enjoy each other's company
'Cause there's no worries, there's no cares / Feel the sound that's everywhere
There's no need to worry or stress, just enjoy the all-encompassing music
We'll take what's ours for once / And baby, run like hell
We'll take what we deserve and run with it as fast as we can
You can take everything from me, oh, yeah / You can take everything from me / 'Cause this is all I need
You can take away everything I have, but this rebellious experience is all I need to feel alive
Yeah, this is all I need
This experience is all that I require to feel fully alive
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gregg Wattenberg, Johnny Rzeznik
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SOULSOFT - Soft for you!
We keep heading in the same direction
You become my own reflection
Is that your soul that you're trying to protect
I always hoped that we would intersect, yeah
You need time to cope and time to heal
Time to cry if it's what you feel
Life can hurt when it gets too real
I can hold you up when it's hard to feel
Alive alive
Alive is all I wanna feel
Tonight tonight I need to be where you are
I need to be where you are
Hey you look around
Can you hear than noise it's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
And when the sun goes down and we fill the streets
You're gonna dance till the morning to the rebel's beat
You can take everything from me
Cause this all I need
You know that life is like a ticking clock
Nobody knows when it's gonna stop, yeah
Before I'm gone I need to touch someone
With a word with a kiss with a decent song, yeah
And it gets lonely when you live out loud
When the truth that you seek isn't in this crowd
You better find you're voice better make it loud
We've gotta burn that fire or it will just burn out
Alive alive
Alive is all I wanna feel
Tonight tonight I need to be where you are
I need to be where you are
Hey you look around
Can you hear than noise it's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
And when the sun goes down and we fill the streets
You're gonna dance till the morning to the rebel's beat
You can take everything from me, oh yeah
You can take everything from me
Cause this all I need
We are free tonight
And everything's alright
Put your arms around me
Baby show me how to move you
Cause there's no worry there's no cares
Feel the sound that's everywhere
Take the sound that's ours for once
And run like hell
Hey you look around
Can you hear than noise it's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
Hey you look around
Can you hear than noise it's a rebel sound
We got nowhere else to go
And when the sun goes down and we fill the streets
You're gonna dance till the morning to the rebel's beat
You can take everything from me, oh yeah
You can take everything from me
'Cause this all I need
Yeah this is all I need
darkyynighty
The Goo Goo Dolls are literally one of the few reasons why I'm still standing despite everything that has happened. Never loved a band as much as I love them. ❤🙂✨
- Danna, 21, from the 🇵🇭
A fan today, tomorrow, and always. 🙂
MysteryGamer
You should try the band third eye blind
Marianne 🍎🌊
Similar fan over here
- Marianne 🇸🇰
Haynz
same besh <3 lovelots to this band
Tommy Gun
Goo Goo Dolls are beyond underrated. In October 2012, "Iris" was ranked #1 on Billboard's "Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012" chart, which also featured Goo Goo Dolls hits "Slide", ranking at #9, and "Name" at #24. The Goo Goo Dolls are the only musicians to have three songs chart on the list. They also have a total of 14 top ten hits! Gotta love the Goo!
Robin Burcham
As a person who is around the same age as these guys, I have evolved over the past 20 years of being their fan, and would probably not still be a fan had they not evolved, too. This song is perfect, and I love and am honored to be a fan of theirs. I hope they keep rocking until their last breath as very old men.
C0dy Guard
I agree I kind of left them for awhile but there s0ngs always bring me back
Gareth Matteson
I have loved Goo Goo Dolls from the moment I heard John's voice singing "I'm Still Here" in Treasure Planet when I was a kid. And it's good to hear them still making inspiring music.
musicgeek
Literally me😂💕 I LOVE that one
Branden Chizmar
I love that song
The best part is he is still here