Dizzy Up the Girl
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Dizzy Up the Girl is the sixth album by Goo Goo Dolls, released in 1998 on Warner Bros..
History
In most parts of the world, Dizzy Up the Girl is the Goo Goo Dolls' most successful album to date, selling over 3 million copies (3x platinum certified). The success of Dizzy Up the Girl can arguably be attributed to the rock ballad "Iris", which was also included in the soundtrack album of the film City of Angels. "Iris" immediately reached #1 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart upon its release in March from the City of Angels soundtrack, and stayed on top for an amazing 18 weeks, setting a record that still stands today. The song also reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, along with several other charts in the U.S and U.K, and included 3 Grammy nominations.
In addition to the huge success of "Iris" (US #9), Dizzy Up the Girl featured three additional top forty singles, with the songs "Slide" (US #8), "Broadway" (US #24), and "Black Balloon" (US #16). The album also produced the moderately popular song "Dizzy" (US #108), which has since become a fan favorite. Along with top forty single status, music videos for all five singles reached VH1's Top 20 Music Videos chart upon release.
Track listing
All tracks by Johnny Rzeznik except where noted
- "Dizzy" – 2:41
- "Slide" – 3:32
- "Broadway" – 3:58
- "January Friend" (Robby Takac) – 2:44
- "Black Balloon" – 4:10
- "Bullet Proof" – 4:37
- "Amigone" (Robby Takac) – 3:15
- "All Eyes on Me (Lyrics: Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac/Music: Goo Goo Dolls)" – 4:00
- "Full Forever" (Robby Takac) – 2:52
- "Acoustic #3" – 1:56
- "Iris" – 4:49
- "Extra Pale" (Robby Takac) – 2:10
- "Hate this Place" – 4:23
- "Iris" (acoustic version) - (Japan Bonus Track)
Personnel
- Ken Allardyce – engineer
- David Campbell – string arrangements
- Rob Cavallo – producer
- Greg Collins – assistant engineer
- Steve Gerdes – art direction, design
- The Goo Goo Dolls – producer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Mike Malinin – drums
- Jamie Muhoberac – piano, keyboards, processing
- Nick Paul - assistant engineer
- Melanie Nissen – photography
- Carmen Rizzo – programming
- Johnny Rzeznik – guitar, vocals
- Allen Sides – engineer
- Robby Takac – bass, vocals
- Darrell Thorp – assistant engineer
Song information
- "Broadway" is a commentary on Buffalo, specifically the worldview of the residents there. This song was covered by then Cleveland Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel on the CD "Oh Say Can You Sing?"
- "January Friend" came from a trip Robby took in Hawaii. He claimed that many strange things came out of a trip to paradise.
- The name "Amigone" comes from a chain of funeral homes in the Buffalo area.
- While Rzeznik and Takac usually write songs individually, "All Eyes on Me" is a collaborative number. "I was so stuck," says Rzeznik, "and Robby had been listening to me sort of sing along with the track in the studio and started jotting down what he thought I was saying. And it worked." Says Takac, "Johnny's songs are a bit more descriptive, and I speak in generalizations. This was sort of cool; we hadn't written a song together like that since SSCW."
- "Full Forever" was inspired by Robby's girlfriend of the time.
- According to Johnny Rzeznik, "Acoustic #3" is intentionally short (running less than two full minutes) in order to prevent it from being released as a single. He wanted the song to be appreciated for what it was, not because it was constantly played on the radio. Incidentally, it is the most popular non-single song on this album (according to iTunes download information) and it remains a fan favorite.
- "Extra Pale" was named for a phrase on a Rolling Rock beer tap. Robby felt that it described his life, at the time.
- "Hate This Place" was intentionally written in the style of The Replacements, because many critics said the Goo Goo Dolls sounded like them.
- "Slide" was covered by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo on his album Covering the Bases.