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)
Up Yours
Goo Goo Dolls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stop your whine
Feelin' swell
And I'm doin' fine
Yeah, fuck your suicide
It's all bullshit 'cause I tried
And it really don't impress me all that much
Up yours
What'd you find
Sit right down
I got time
And you say here comes the end
And you haven't got a friend
And I'm standing here just screaming at the wall
Up yours
Stop your whine
What ya ya got
I got mine
And you shake your stupid head
And you wish that you were dead
And I swear sometimes you're happier than me
And you know it's hard to be
All the things you want me to be
And you go and make it hard on me
But I swear that anything you could be, I could be, can't you see
Up yours
Got no mind
That's too bad
You got time
Yeah, fuck your silly game
'cause it's driving me insane
And it really doesn't matter much to me
The lyrics to Goo Goo Dolls' song Up Yours are aggressive and direct, reflecting a sentiment of defiance and a lack of patience for complaints or self-destruction. The opening lines of "stop your whine" and "feelin' swell and I'm doin' fine" establish a tone of dismissiveness towards those who are focused on their own problems. The chorus "up yours" serves as a blunt statement of defiance and the rejection of feeling bad for oneself, placing emphasis on taking control of one's own life. The lyrics also mention suicide, and dismiss it as a hollow act that doesn't impress the singer. The song seems to be aimed at someone who is struggling and is looking to wallow in self-pity rather than take control of their life. This is echoed later in the lyrics, as the singer talks about how it's hard to be all the things that the person wants them to be, but that they could be those things if they tried.
Line by Line Meaning
Up yours
I don't care about you or your problems
Stop your whine
Stop complaining to me
Feelin' swell
I'm doing great
And I'm doin' fine
I don't need your sympathy
Yeah, fuck your suicide
I don't care if you try to harm yourself
It's all bullshit 'cause I tried
I've been there and I know it's not worth it
And it really don't impress me all that much
I'm not impressed by your dramatics
What'd you find
What do you want from me?
Sit right down
Take a seat, let's talk
I got time
I have time to listen
And you say here comes the end
You think that everything is falling apart
And you haven't got a friend
You feel like you're alone
And I'm standing here just screaming at the wall
I'm getting frustrated trying to help you
What ya ya got
What do you have in your life?
I got mine
I have what I need and I'm content
And you shake your stupid head
You're not listening to me
And you wish that you were dead
You're feeling hopeless
And I swear sometimes you're happier than me
Sometimes you seem to enjoy being miserable
And you know it's hard to be
You know it's not easy
All the things you want me to be
I can't always live up to your expectations
And you go and make it hard on me
You make things difficult for me
But I swear that anything you could be, I could be, can't you see
I could be in your shoes, and you could be in mine
Got no mind
You're not thinking straight
That's too bad
It's unfortunate
You got time
You have time to figure things out
Yeah, fuck your silly game
I'm not playing along with your drama
'cause it's driving me insane
Your behavior is irritating me
And it really doesn't matter much to me
I don't care about your problems
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: G. TUTSKA, J. RZEZNIK, R. TAKAC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind