Goo Goo Dolls

Band

Photo: Fr. Jeff Lorig · CC BY 2.0
Active 1985-present
Origin Buffalo, New York
Albums 13
Tracks 160
Most frequent collaborator Rob Cavallo · 29 tracks
Genres Pop RockAlternative rockPost-grungePower popPunk rock
Artist
94%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 151 of 160 tracks

Did the Goo Goo Dolls write their own songs?

Yes. John Rzeznik is the band's dominant songwriter and wrote nearly all of their hits from A Boy Named Goo (1995) on, including 'Iris,' 'Name,' and 'Slide.' Bassist Robby Takac writes and sings two to four of the punchier songs on each album, and the band's earliest three records were credited collectively to all the members.

By the Numbers

13
Studio Albums
160
Tracks Credited
94%
Self-Written
15 million
Records Sold
41
Years Active
53
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 151 / 160 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 160 tracks: how many Goo Goo Dolls wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Goo Goo Dolls has a writing credit94%
68%
26%
6%
Sole author109tracks68%
Co-written42tracks26%
Outside writers9tracks6%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Goo Goo Dolls's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 160 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)94%
Composer (music)94%
Producer41%
Performer99%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 160 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
John Rzeznik 1985-present
85%
85%
6%
59%
Robby Takac 1985-present
45%
45%
0%
40%
George Tutuska 1985-1995
31%
31%
0%
1%
Mike Malinin 1995-2013
0%
0%
0%
0%
Craig Macintyre 2014-present
1%
1%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Goo Goo Dolls's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 94%
86%
86%
86%
100%
85%
100%
100%
91%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1987Goo Goo Dolls
1989Jed
1990Hold Me Up
1993Superstar Car Wash
1995A Boy Named Goo
1998Dizzy Up the Girl
2002Gutterflower
2006Let Love In
2010Something for the Rest of Us
2013Magnetic
2016Boxes
2019Miracle Pill
2022Chaos in Bloom
Early · 88% written
Mid · 98% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

86%
1980s
Goo Goo Dolls, Jed
93%
1990s
Hold Me Up, Superstar Car Wash +2 more
96%
2000s
Gutterflower, Let Love In
100%
2010s
Something for the Rest of Us, Magnetic +2 more
100%
2020s
Chaos in Bloom

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Goo Goo Dolls sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Goo Goo Dolls
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%
Backstreet Boys25%
Garth Brooks41%
Kelly Clarkson49%
One Direction57%
Rick Astley73%
Sting84%
94%Goo Goo Dolls
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Name
A Boy Named Goo
Written by John Rzeznik
Wrote it
Slide
Dizzy Up the Girl
Written by John Rzeznik
Wrote it
Iris
Dizzy Up the Girl
Written by John Rzeznik
Wrote it
Black Balloon
Dizzy Up the Girl
Written by John Rzeznik
Wrote it
Broadway
Dizzy Up the Girl
Written by John Rzeznik
Wrote it

Discography 13 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Goo Goo Dolls160 tracks
29Rob Cavallo, 29 tracks AJ28Armand John Petri, 28 tracks GW19Gregg Wattenberg, 19 tracks GM14Gavin MacKillop, 14 tracks DF12Derek Fuhrmann, 12 tracks BF12Brad Fernquist, 12 tracks LG11Lou Giordano, 11 tracks TP11Tim Palmer, 11 tracks GB10Glen Ballard, 10 tracks DP8Drew Pearson, 8 tracks AS5Andy Stochansky, 5 tracks JS3John Shanks, 3 tracks SH3Sam Hollander, 3 tracks GS3Genevieve Schatz, 3 tracks LD2Lance Diamond, 2 tracks GM2Grant Michaels, 2 tracks BL2Brad Lauchert, 2 tracks AA2Alex Aldi, 2 tracks EC1Eric Clapton, 1 track JB1Jack Bruce, 1 track on Eric Clapton's page PB1Pete Brown, 1 track EP1Eric Patrick Clapton, 1 track JS1John Symon Asher Bruce, 1 track DR1Donald Roeser, 1 track JF1John Fogerty, 1 track JC1John Cameron Fogerty, 1 track MJ1Mick Jagger, 1 track on The Rolling Stones's page KR1Keith Richards, 1 track on The Rolling Stones's page P1Prince, 1 track PR1Prince Rogers Nelson, 1 track PC1Peter Case, 1 track JA1Joey Alkes, 1 track CF1Chris Fradkin, 1 track PW1Paul Westerberg, 1 track B1Bompczyk, 1 track G1Guariglia, 1 track S1Secrist, 1 track S1Suchman, 1 track B1Blood, 1 track J1Jakimyszyn, 1 track RD1Rick Davies, 1 track RH1Roger Hodgson, 1 track JF1John Fields, 1 track BV1Butch Vig, 1 track on Garbage's page JH1J.T. Harding, 1 track GW1Greg Wells, 1 track TC1Todd Clark, 1 track SS1Sydney Sierota, 1 track K1Kritzstein, 1 track M1Miller, 1 track VB1Valerie Broussard, 1 track AS1Andy Szczech, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. AJ Armand John Petri · GW Gregg Wattenberg · GM Gavin MacKillop · DF Derek Fuhrmann · BF Brad Fernquist

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

John Rzeznik has been the dominant songwriter throughout the band's career, writing solo or as primary author on the vast majority of tracks from A Boy Named Goo (1995) onward. On Dizzy Up the Girl, the band's best-selling album, Rzeznik wrote ten of thirteen songs alone. Robby Takac consistently contributes two to four tracks per album, typically the punchier, bass-driven cuts. The band's earliest three albums (1987-1990) are credited collectively to all three members (Rzeznik, Takac, and original drummer George Tutuska) as fully collaborative efforts, before Rzeznik's dominance solidified with Superstar Car Wash (1993), where his name begins appearing as solo credits alongside band-wide ones.

Quick Facts

  • SongwriterJohn Rzeznik wrote the hits; Robby Takac writes and sings a few tracks per album
  • Signature song'Iris,' written for the City of Angels soundtrack and included on Dizzy Up the Girl
  • Chart record'Iris' spent 18 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart
  • Grammy nodsFour nominations, three of them for 'Iris'
  • Records sold15 million worldwide
  • Studio albumsThirteen, from the 1987 debut to Chaos in Bloom (2022)

Creative Fingerprint

One dominant writer with a steady second voice: John Rzeznik wrote nearly all the hits from A Boy Named Goo on, while Robby Takac contributes a few punchier songs each album, after three fully collaborative early records.

The Story

Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1985 by John Rzeznik and Robby Takac. Originally a punk act, they evolved into mainstream pop-rock success with the 1998 hit "Iris" from the City of Angels soundtrack. Their catalog spans thirteen studio albums across four decades, from raw punk-influenced early work on Celluloid and Metal Blade to polished arena rock on Warner Bros.

Awards & Recognition

'Iris' spent 18 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart (1998)
Four Grammy Award nominations, including three for 'Iris'
15 million records sold worldwide

Frequently Asked Questions Goo Goo Dolls

Did the Goo Goo Dolls write their own songs?
Yes. John Rzeznik is the band's dominant songwriter and wrote nearly all of their hits from A Boy Named Goo (1995) on, including 'Iris,' 'Name,' and 'Slide.' Bassist Robby Takac writes and sings two to four of the punchier songs on each album, and the band's earliest three records were credited collectively to all the members.
Who wrote 'Iris'?
'Iris' was written by John Rzeznik for the 1998 film City of Angels and later included on the album Dizzy Up the Girl. It became the band's signature song, spending 18 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.
What is the Goo Goo Dolls' biggest album?
Dizzy Up the Girl (1998) is their best-selling album, powered by 'Iris,' 'Slide,' 'Black Balloon,' and 'Broadway.' John Rzeznik wrote ten of its thirteen songs on his own.
Who is the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls?
John Rzeznik is the band's lead singer and guitarist and its primary songwriter. Bassist Robby Takac, who co-founded the band with Rzeznik in 1985, sings lead on a handful of songs each album.
How many records have the Goo Goo Dolls sold?
The Goo Goo Dolls have sold 15 million records worldwide. Their commercial peak came with Dizzy Up the Girl and the enduring success of 'Iris.'
How many albums have the Goo Goo Dolls released?
The Goo Goo Dolls have released thirteen studio albums, from their 1987 self-titled debut through Chaos in Bloom in 2022. They began as a punk band before shifting to the polished pop-rock that made them famous.
Did the Goo Goo Dolls win a Grammy?
No. Despite four Grammy nominations, including three for 'Iris,' the Goo Goo Dolls have never won a Grammy Award. 'Iris' famously lost Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1999 ceremony.
Who wrote 'Better Days'?
'Better Days' was written by John Rzeznik for the 2006 album Let Love In. The song became a holiday-season radio staple and one of the band's biggest later-career hits.

Sources

Goo Goo Dolls - Wikipedia Iris (song) - Wikipedia File:Goo Goo Dolls - Norfolk 2013 (3) - Wikimedia Commons