A Boy Named Goo
| A Boy Named Goo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Goo Goo Dolls | ||||
| Released | March 14, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 at BearTracks Studios, Suffern, NY and Trackmaster Studios, Buffalo, NY | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, punk rock | |||
| Length | 42:20 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros./Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Lou Giordano | |||
| Goo Goo Dolls chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Boy Named Goo | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
| Melodic.net |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | favorable[4] |
A Boy Named Goo is the fifth studio album by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, released in 1995 on Warner Bros. As a commercial success, it has been RIAA-certified as double-platinum.
History
This is the Goo Goo Dolls' last studio album with George Tutuska on drums; he was replaced by Mike Malinin just before the album was released. This album is the Goo Goo Dolls' first studio album to not have 14 tracks. The song "Stand Alone" was written by George Tutuska, and because Johnny Rzeznik didn't want to exploit George's efforts after his dismissal, the song was only included on a promo version of the album. On the wide-release version, it is replaced with "Disconnected" and "Slave Girl", which were initially B-sides to the "Only One" single. On the same promo, "Ain't That Unusual" was labeled as "Someday". The two replacement songs are covers of songs by defunct Buffalo and Sydney punk bands The Enemies and Lime Spiders.
The song "Name" is well known as the Goo Goo Dolls' first hit. According to lead singer Johnny Rzeznik, the song's unusual composition came about "quite accidentally".
This album also marked the band's last with the Metal Blade Records imprint.
Track listing
All songs written by Johnny Rzeznik except when noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Long Way Down" | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Burnin' Up" (Robby Takac) | 2:29 |
| 3. | "Naked" | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Flat Top" | 4:30 |
| 5. | "Impersonality" (Takac) | 2:41 |
| 6. | "Name" | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Only One" | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Somethin' Bad" (Takac) | 2:30 |
| 9. | "Ain't That Unusual" | 3:19 |
| 10. | "So Long" (Takac) | 2:33 |
| 11. | "Eyes Wide Open" (Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska) | 3:56 |
| 12. | "Disconnected" (J. Bompczyk, B. Guariglia, P. Seacrist, F. Suchman) (The Enemies cover) | 3:00 |
| 13. | "Slave Girl" (Mick Blood, Richard Jakimyszyn) (Lime Spiders cover) | 2:17 |
Original track listing
The track listing for advance copies—before George Tutuska was fired from the band—was slightly different.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Long Way Down" | 3:39 |
| 2. | "Burnin" | 2:29 |
| 3. | "Naked" | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Flat Top" | 4:30 |
| 5. | "Impersonality" | 2:40 |
| 6. | "Your Name" | 4:31 |
| 7. | "Only One" | 3:18 |
| 8. | "Something Bad" | 2:31 |
| 9. | "Someday" ("Ain't That Unusual") | 3:22 |
| 10. | "So Long" | 2:33 |
| 11. | "Stand Alone" | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Eyes Wide Open" | 3:57 |
Covers and media appearances
Haste the Day, a metalcore band, covered the song "Long Way Down" for their album When Everything Falls.
The song "Ain't That Unusual" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1995 film Angus. A remix of the song "Long Way Down" was also featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 film Twister.
Personnel
- Johnny Rzeznik – lead and rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Robby Takac – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 2, 5, 8, 10, and 13
- George Tutuska – drums
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | U.S. Billboard 200 | 27 |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart | 15 | |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Charts) | Canadian RPM Alternative 30 | Canadian RPM Singles Chart | New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) | ||||
| 1995 | Only One | - | - | - | - | - | - | 36 | - | - | 21 | - | ||
| Flat Top | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 38 | - | |||
| Name | 64 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1996 | Naked | - | 10 | 42 | - | - | - | 9 | - | 47 | 8 | - | ||
| Long Way Down | - | - | - | - | - | - | 25 | - | - | 7 | - | |||
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | November 16, 1995 |
| Platinum | February 8, 1996 | |
| Double Platinum | July 17, 1996 | |
| CRIA - Canada | Gold | January 12, 1996 |
| Platinum | February 23, 1996 |
References
- ↑ "A Boy Named Goo - The Goo Goo Dolls". Allmusic.
- ↑ "CG: Goo Goo Dolls". Robert Christgau.
- ↑ "Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo". Melodic.net.
- ↑ Wild, David (1998-04-02). "Goo Goo Dolls: A Boy Named Goo : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
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