Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
3Digest
This podcast episode explores the creation and success of the Goo Goo Dolls' iconic song, "Iris." John Resnick recounts writing the song during a difficult period marked by divorce and writer's block. Inspired by the movie *City of Angels*, he initially recorded a stripped-down demo on a four-string guitar. The collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo significantly transformed the song, adding drums, bass, mandolin, keyboards, and strings, resulting in the powerful ballad we know today. Despite the director of *City of Angels* initially disliking the full-band version, preferring a simpler acoustic arrangement, the song's release on the soundtrack and subsequent radio promotion led to its massive success. The episode also reveals the spontaneous choice of the title "Iris" and concludes with the full song.
Outlines
The Making of "Iris"
This episode details the creation of the Goo Goo Dolls' hit song "Iris," from its origins during John Resnick's period of writer's block and divorce, to its evolution through collaboration with Rob Cavallo and its unexpected success despite initial negative feedback.
Inspiration and Initial Demo
John Resnick discusses the inspiration behind "Iris," drawn from the movie *City of Angels*, and describes the initial demo recorded on a four-string guitar.
Release and Unexpected Success
The episode covers the song's title selection, the initial negative reaction from the *City of Angels* director, and the surprising success of the full-band version, concluding with the full song.
Keywords
Iris (Goo Goo Dolls song)
The massively successful 1998 single by the Goo Goo Dolls, featured on the *City of Angels* soundtrack. Known for its emotional ballad style and powerful instrumentation, it became one of the best-selling songs of all time.
Rob Cavallo
Grammy-winning record producer known for his work with Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, and other prominent artists. His contributions to "Iris" significantly shaped its final sound and production.
Songwriting Process
The creative process behind songwriting, including finding inspiration, melody creation, lyrical development, and collaboration with producers and other musicians.
City of Angels
The movie that inspired the writing of "Iris," providing the emotional context for the song's lyrics.
Writer's Block
A state of mind where a writer experiences difficulty in producing new work. Resnick's experience with writer's block and how he overcame it is explored.
Musical Evolution
The transformation of a band's musical style over time. The Goo Goo Dolls' shift to a more mainstream rock sound is discussed.
Q&A
What inspired John Resnick to write "Iris"?
The emotional story of the movie "City of Angels," about an angel sacrificing immortality for love, resonated deeply with him and provided the inspiration during a period of writer's block and divorce.
How did the song "Iris" evolve from its initial demo to its final version?
The initial demo was a stripped-down version. Producer Rob Cavallo significantly expanded the song's arrangement, adding drums, bass, mandolin, keyboards, and strings, creating a more epic and powerful sound.
What was the director's initial reaction to the song "Iris"?
The director felt the full-band version was "too big" and "too dramatic" for the movie.
How did "Iris" become such a huge hit despite initial reservations?
The full-band version was released on the soundtrack and heavily promoted by radio, leading to its record-breaking success.
What is the significance of the song's title, "Iris"?
The title "Iris" was chosen spontaneously by Resnick, inspired by the name's beauty, unrelated to the song's lyrics or the movie's plot.
Show Notes
Goo Goo Dolls formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, and by the time 1998 rolled around, they’d already had a pretty successful career. They’d released five albums, and one of their songs, “Name,” from 1995, had become a Top 10 hit. But things really changed for them when they made the song “Iris.” It originally came out on the soundtrack for the movie City of Angels, which came out in 1998 and starred Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.
“Iris” spent a record-breaking 18 weeks at number one on the radio, and became one of the best selling songs of all time, with over 14 million copies sold, and over 4.5 billion streams. So for this episode, John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls came over to my place, and he told me about how he wrote the song. He told me how the Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo helped them expand their vision, and how the version of the song in the movie isn’t actually the version that everybody knows.
For more info, visit songexploder.net/goo-goo-dolls.
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