Most people aren't brave enough to admit that Goo Goo Dolls have always slapped; you don't want the world to see you, you don't think that they'd understand, etc. We hate to break it to you, but even on a private listening session, those plays wrack up — in this case, the seasoned alt-rockers' seven-times platinum 1998 hit "Iris" has officially surpassed one billion streams.
"Iris" is a bit of a peculiar phenomenon, having all the emotional heft of a deep cut yet obviously being a mega-hit. What surplus of feeling was in the air at the time? Did this mark the beginning of Y2K panic? The possibilities are endless, just like the loop you know you still have this karaoke classic on.
But it was undeniably a cultural reset when the song, originally recorded for the soundtrack of the 1998 Nicolas Cage film City of Angels, entered the world. (It's also worth noting that "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette and "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan were also among the poignant hits that soundtrack produced.)
Later included on the band's sixth studio album Dizzy Up the Girl (including notable bangers "Slide" and "Black Balloon"), "Iris" went No. 1 here in Canada, as well as in Italy and Australia, and has become one of Ireland's best-selling singles of all time. While it only peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, it spent a landmark 17 weeks reigning over the Adult Pop Airplay charts.
In more recent pop culture ephemera, Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers joined the innumerable musicians who have tried their hands at the song, covering "Iris" together back in 2020. Likewise, John Rzeznik and Robby Takac are 35 years strong: Goo Goo Dolls just released their 14th studio album (with some certified Tumblr-nostalgia artwork) Chaos in Bloom last Friday (August 12), following a blockbuster show at Toronto's Budweiser Stage on August 8.
It's doubtfully necessary, but you can refresh your memory on the twinkling, melodramatic epic "Iris" below, the video for which features Rzeznik in a tower, looking down at the city through a bunch of telescopes in broad daylight like a dreamy supervillain, and the band performing in a tunnel with oncoming traffic.
"Iris" is a bit of a peculiar phenomenon, having all the emotional heft of a deep cut yet obviously being a mega-hit. What surplus of feeling was in the air at the time? Did this mark the beginning of Y2K panic? The possibilities are endless, just like the loop you know you still have this karaoke classic on.
But it was undeniably a cultural reset when the song, originally recorded for the soundtrack of the 1998 Nicolas Cage film City of Angels, entered the world. (It's also worth noting that "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette and "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan were also among the poignant hits that soundtrack produced.)
Later included on the band's sixth studio album Dizzy Up the Girl (including notable bangers "Slide" and "Black Balloon"), "Iris" went No. 1 here in Canada, as well as in Italy and Australia, and has become one of Ireland's best-selling singles of all time. While it only peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, it spent a landmark 17 weeks reigning over the Adult Pop Airplay charts.
In more recent pop culture ephemera, Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers joined the innumerable musicians who have tried their hands at the song, covering "Iris" together back in 2020. Likewise, John Rzeznik and Robby Takac are 35 years strong: Goo Goo Dolls just released their 14th studio album (with some certified Tumblr-nostalgia artwork) Chaos in Bloom last Friday (August 12), following a blockbuster show at Toronto's Budweiser Stage on August 8.
It's doubtfully necessary, but you can refresh your memory on the twinkling, melodramatic epic "Iris" below, the video for which features Rzeznik in a tower, looking down at the city through a bunch of telescopes in broad daylight like a dreamy supervillain, and the band performing in a tunnel with oncoming traffic.
