Dizzy Up the Girl

Dizzy Up the Girl
Studio album by Goo Goo Dolls
Released	September 22, 1998
Recorded	1997–1998
Genre	Rock, alternative rock, heartland rock
Length	45:13
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Rob Cavallo, Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls chronology
Bang! (1997) Dizzy Up The Girl (1998) What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce (2001)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	(93%)[1]
Allmusic	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	(B-)[3]
Melodic.net	[4]
Q	[5]
Robert Christgau	[6]
Sputnikmusic	[7]

Dizzy Up the Girl is the sixth album by Goo Goo Dolls, released in 1998.

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 18 weeks, setting a record that still stands as of June 2011. 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 songs by John Rzeznik except when noted.

1. "Dizzy" – 2:41
2. "Slide" – 3:33
3. "Broadway" – 3:58
4. "January Friend" (Takac) – 2:44
5. "Black Balloon" – 4:10
6. "Bullet Proof" – 4:37
7. "Amigone" – 3:15 (Takac)
8. "All Eyes on Me" (Rzeznik, Takac) – 3:57
9. "Full Forever" (Takac) – 2:52
10. "Acoustic #3" – 1:56
11. "Iris" – 4:49
12. "Extra Pale" (Takac) – 2:10
13. ”Hate This Place" – 4:24
14. "Iris" (acoustic version) - (Japan Bonus Track)

Personnel

• Johnny Rzeznik – lead and rhythm guitar, vocals, producer
• Robby Takac – bass guitar, vocals, producer
• Mike Malinin – drums, producer
• Rob Cavallo – producer
• Ken Allardyce – engineer
• David Campbell – string arrangements
• Greg Collins – assistant engineer
• Steve Gerdes – art direction, design
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

• Jamie Muhoberac – piano, keyboards, processing
• Nick Paul - assistant engineer
• Melanie Nissen – photography
• Carmen Rizzo – programming
• Allen Sides – engineer
• 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.

References

1. ^ http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=240110^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Dizzy Up the Girl - The Goo Goo Dolls". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r374866. 
3. ^ "Dizzy Up the Girl Review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,63719,00.html. 
4. ^ "Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy up the girl". Melodic.net. http://www.melodic.net/reviewsOne.asp?revnr=969. 
5. ^ Howard, Tom. "Review: Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl". Q (EMAP Metro Ltd) (July 1999): 115, 116. 
6. ^ "CG: goo goo dolls". Robert Christgau. http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=goo+goo+dolls. 
7. ^ "Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up The Girl (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=1325.