Did The Many Tragedies Of Goo Goo Dolls Singer Johnny Rzeznik Inspire The Bands Hit Songs?
Highlights
- Lead singer Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls has experienced personal loss, which may have inspired their best songs.
- Rzeznik's parents passed away when he was in high school, and the band became his new family.
- The song "Iris" was partly inspired by Rzeznik's personal turmoil and the movie City of Angels, depicting the willingness to give up everything for love.
In the '90s and 2000s, the Goo Goo Dolls's music was incredibly popular. The band has released 14 albums, starting with "Goo Goo Dolls" in 1987, and George Tutuska, Robby Tack, and John Rzeznik have enjoyed a lot of success over the years. Songs like "Slide," "Iris," and "Name" made the band very rich. While all three musicians are talented, it's fair to say that lead singer Johnny Rzeznik has received the most attention thanks to his lyrical talents and great hair.
It's definitely true that most songs are about love in some way, shape, or form. The Goo Goo Dolls song "Yeah, I Like You" could be about romance. But while fans know John Rzeznik as a stylish rock star who has a hauntingly beautiful singing voice, he actually experienced some terrible times when he was a teenager. It's possible that the grief and loss that he went through inspired the Goo Goo Dolls's best songs.
What Happened To Johnny Rzeznik From The Goo Goo Dolls?
When thinking about the world's greatest songwriters, most would say Taylor Swift tops that list. The University of Texas has a class about Swift's writing talents, which proves how impressive she is.
While John Rzeznik might not be praised for his writing skills as much as Swift, he definitely should be. The Goo Goo Dolls have released some of the most interesting and moving songs in the pop/rock genre. It turns out that before the band got together, Rznezik experienced two deaths in his family that changed him forever.
Johnny Rzeznik's parents passed away when he was in high school. According to Ramentertainment.com, he was grieving the death of one parent when he learned that the other one had died as well. The website reported that during this time, he realized how much he wanted to make music, and he put his energy into making that happen. Rzeznik was 16 when his mom had a heart attack and his dad was in a coma as a result of his drinking problem.
In 2021, Rzeznik was interviewed by Metro.co.uk, and he answered a question about his parents passing away. He said,
"The band really became my family after my parents died. Just having that camaraderie, it was like having a new family." According to Metro.co.uk, after his mom and dad were gone, Rzeznik's sisters continued to raise him.
In 2018, the musician was interviewed by Buffalo News and talked more about his family. He said that after his wife Melina Gallo gave birth to their daughter Lili, he had “a little more compassion” about his own father. Rzeznik explained that before his parents passed away, they were super tough. His mom was strict and his dad struggled with his mental health and drinking.
Rzeznik had his own drinking problem. In 2019, he was interviewed by People about not having had a drink in five years. He said, “I’m really grateful that I learned how to stay sober. [Alcoholism]’s always right here, “but the price is too high.”
Did Johnny Rzeznik Write Any Goo Goo Songs About His Parents' Deaths?
Given John Rzeznik's sad family background, it seems that he would have written at least a few songs about what he went through. After all, songwriters often pull meaning from their entire lives and come up with a beautiful tune as a result.
The Goo Goo Dolls song "Name" is about Rzeznik's family. According to Songfacts.com, he was thinking about his sisters taking care of him after his parents passed away.
It doesn't seem that any other Goo Goo Dolls songs are about Rzenzik's family. However, fans could argue that he thinks about his late parents all the time and that every song he has written has a piece of himself inside of it.
While the singer doesn't always talk about what he writes each song about, he did share why he wrote "You Are The Answer." Rzeznik told People that the video features a woman leaving an unhealthy relationship. He said, "The song is just about being true to yourself and trying to have faith in yourself and go where the love is. I've been trying to do that for a while because somebody a long time ago said to me, 'Just don't deal with people that are bad for you. Just go where the love is.' That's one of the themes that seems to crop up in a lot of the music that I write."
What Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" About?
In 1998, the Goo Goo Dolls had a massive hit with the song "Iris." In fact, when people think about the band, this is probably the first song that they think of. What did Johnny Rzeznik write this song about?
According to Louder Sound, the musician was partly inspired by the movie City of Angels and by tough times in his life.
Rzeznik told Songfacts.com that he has penned a few tunes for movies, including the Transformers franchise and Treasure Planet. When he was asked to write something for City of Angels, he agreed. "Iris" is about all the emotions that Seth, the angel who Nicolas Cage played, is feeling toward Meg Ryan's Dr. Maggie Rice.
Rzeznik said, "When I wrote it, I was thinking about the situation of the Nicholas Cage character in the movie. This guy is completely willing to give up his own immortality, just to be able to feel something very human. And I think, 'Wow! What an amazing thing it must be like to love someone so much that you give up everything to be with them.' That's a pretty heavy thought."
Louder Sound reported that Johnny Rzeznik was also thinking about the personal turmoil he was dealing with. At the time that he wrote "Iris," he was getting divorced from his first wife, Laurie Farinacci.
"Iris" is a beautifully written song and also incredibly relatable. Even though, of course, no one could say that they are an angel who has fallen in love with a human, the song still paints a picture of an epic love story.
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