Discography Deep Dive: Goo Goo Dolls (Part 2)
2006-2022
Welcome to the second part of my deep dive into the discography of the Goo Goo Dolls. We’re starting with the band’s 2006 album Let Love In. Outside of one EP, this part of the band’s career is a complete blind spot for me and I’m excited to see how the rest of their discography turns out.
Discography Notes
Let Love In (04/25/2006)
The first track, “Stay With You,” has a killer opening riff.
This song also has a great chorus.
Wikipedia lists the genres for this album as Alternative rock, Post-grunge, and pop rock.
The title track is great.
“Feel the Silence” has some Big Music vibes to it. Honestly, a lot of their catalog does.
“Better Days” is a somber and restrained song with an uplifting message.
The Goo Goo Dolls have more social commentary in their music than one would think.
Finally got a Takac at track 6 with “Listen.”
This Supertramp cover (“Give a Little Bit”) is pretty good.
I recognize this chorus but I can’t remember what the original sounds like.
Woah, there’s an “official music video” for this song from 1977 on Supertramp’s YouTube channel.
This is some soft rock at its finest.
So far this is probably the weakest album in the band’s discography. It’s not bad, it’s just not great.
Transformers: The Album (06/26/2007), AT&T Team USA Soundtrack (08/07/2008)
Original song “Before It's Too Late (Sam and Mikaela's Theme)” from Transformers.
Hmmmm. The beginning of this song is kind of boring, but the chorus is good.
One of the recommended videos on YouTube for this video is called “When The Worship Band is Really Into The Goo Goo Dolls.” I’ve got to check this out…
HAHAHAHA!!!! That’s hilarious!
Original song “Real” from AT&T Team USA Soundtrack.
This song rules!
Something for the Rest of Us (08/31/2010)
The opening track, “Sweetest Lie,” is a great start to the album.
Genre check time! According to Wikipedia, the genres for this record are Alternative rock and pop rock.
“Notbroken” is excellent.
This record needs more Robby.
Speaking of, track # 7 finally delivers in “Now I Hear.”
“Still Your Song” is pretty good.
This album needs to rock more. It’s very much on the softer side of things.
The title track is a decent ballad but man this record needs some pep.
Finally another Takac song with “Say You’re Free.”
Robby’s songs are underrated.
“Hey Ya” started super slow but thankfully things were kicked up a notch when the chorus hit.
If I was going to rank the Goo Goo Dolls albums, this one would probably be towards the bottom. It’s not bad but something is just off.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – The Album (06/14/2011)
Original song “All That You Are.”
This is the second time one of their songs was on a Transformers soundtrack.
Side note: I’ve never seen any of the Transformers movies, not counting the animated one from the 80s. I loved the cartoon as a kid but nothing about any of these live action films looked appealing to me.
The opening riff for this song sounds and feels a lot like “Iris.”
Magnetic (06/11/2013)
This opening track (“Rebel Beat”) has some electronic drumbeat action going on. I don’t know about this…
The chorus is fun but it also feels like an attempt at a teen pop or All-American Rejects song.
Genre check. Wikipedia lists pop rock.
So this album and Something for the Rest of Us were both made with multiple producers. Hmmmm.
I’m on the second track and so far this is the most Radio Disney sounding record. This is wild.
Said second song, “When the World Breaks Your Heart” is fun but does sound like something that would have been on an early Demi Lovato album.
“Slow It Down” is fun.
“Caught in the Storm” is also fun.
So far, despite the Radio Disney vibes, Magnetic is MUCH better than Something for the Rest of Us.
“Come to Me” is also a lot of fun. This album is on a roll!
Woohoo a Robby song! “Bringing on the Light” starts a bit slow but is still peppy even before it kicks into gear.
“More of You” has horns at the end and they work.
This record is really good. Yes it is a pop rock album but it is a very good pop rock record.
Boxes (05/06/2016)
The opening guitar of “Over and Over” is reminiscent of a U2 lick.
This song rules!
Genre check: Alternative rock (Wikipedia)
This was the first album the band recorded as a duo. Obviously someone was playing drums (actually, it was three different people) but they were no longer a power trio.
“Souls in the Machine” is great.
The song “Flood” features Sydney Sierota who is probably best known as the lead singer of the indie pop band Echosmith (they did that song “Cool Kids”).
Sierota also has a solo career under the name Sydney Quiseng. I checked out a few of her latest songs and they have an Americana tinged indie pop vibe. I like it. She has a great voice. The songs that I listened to remind me of a slightly twangy Katelyn Tarver.
This song “Flood” is great.
The title track is an excellent ballad.
“Free of Me” – ROBBY!
“Reverse” is a great song. Man this record is shockingly good!
Well, “So Alive “ is not a cover of the Love & Rockets’ classic. It’s still pretty good though.
I wonder what a Goo Goo Dolls cover of Love & Rockets’ “So Alive” would sound like? Now I want to hear that.
Yup, this is a really, really, really good album!
You Should Be Happy (EP; 05/12/2017)
I remember when this EP came out because I listened to the opening track “Tattered Edge / You Should Be Happy” and LOVED it!
Seriously, this is one of the best songs this band has ever done.
Even if the rest of this EP sucks, it’s still a great record because of this one song.
Well, “Use Me” is good so this isn’t a one-song record.
Yes, there’s a Robby song! (See “30K Feet”.)
This EP rules!!!
Miracle Pill (09/13/2019)
Genre check. This time around it is the pop rock (Wikipedia)
“Indestructible” is a pretty good opening track.
Looking over this album’s Wikipedia page, I noticed that 10 of the 11 songs were written with contributors such as Sam Hollander, Grant Michaels, Derek Fuhrmann, Drew Pearson, Brad Fernquist, and Alex Aldi. I had no idea who any of these people are but after some quick Google searches, I learned that they are all professional songwriters and/or record producers which completely explains the song “Money, Fame & Fortune.” This got me wondering when they started working with other songwriters. What I found was that other than a few songs here and there, this practice didn’t start in earnest until the album Magnetic. This explains the extra sheen and Radio Disney vibes on these albums. This isn’t a judgement statement because I have liked a number of songs from these records. Plus I’ve never written a song and have no idea what all goes into that process, so who the hell am I to judge? That said, if I don’t like a record, I’ll say so. At five songs into Miracle Pill, the record is okay. Let’s see how the rest plays out, shall we?
“Step in Line” is a Robby song but it is too slick.
“Over You” is a good ballad that builds to a bit of a restrained crescendo.
“Lights” reminds me of another song but I can’t place which song.
Same with “Lost.” Weird.
I don’t know about this “Life’s a Message” song…
The music on “Autumn Leaves” reminds me of Lights & Motion.
The closing track “Think It Over” starts off somber and dark as hell before moving into a soaring chorus. And it has some gospel choir action going on in here. I’m a sucker for a good gospel choir.
It's Christmas All Over (10/30/2020)
I skipped this record because I don’t like (most) Christmas music.
Chaos in Bloom (08/12/2022)
Genre check = Alternative rock and pop rock (Wikipedia)
This is the band’s 13th studio album. 13!
The opening song, “Yeah, I Like You,” is a lot of fun.
So far, and by that I mean by track # 2, this record is not as slick sounding as its predecessors.
Said track # 2 is called “War” and is a big anthem. Good stuff.
It’s also wild to think about this as a pandemic record. Obviously we were still dealing with things in 2022, so it shouldn’t be that surprising.
Well, “Save Me From Myself” zigged when I thought it was going to zag. I’m not sure who else is singing on this song, but I like it.
“Let the Sun” starts off as a sparse ballad before hitting the crescendo. Good song.
“Loving Life” sounds like something from the 70s crossed with “Cool Kids” by Echosmith.
“Going Crazy” has a great chorus.
Jesus, the beginning of “Day After Day” is dark as hell. But guess what? It picks up with a big chorus. Shocker, I know.
“Past Mistakes” is a Robby song with a great chorus.
“You Are the Answer” opens with a great, somber piano.
The closing track “Superstar” is okay…a little boring but okay.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a band that had a clear, classic period that produced four excellent albums. The surprising part is that the rest of their catalog is actually pretty darn good. There are stretches where some records are better than others and some that are slicker than others, but none of them are bad. I’ve been a fan of this band for a very long time and now I have a deeper appreciation for their music and their legacy.