Dizzy Up the Girl (1998)

Dizzy Up the Girl is the sixth studio album by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, released on September 22, 1998, through Warner Bros. Records. The album is often noted for being the release which propelled the Goo Goo Dolls into a higher tier of stardom, although they had already scored a Billboard top five hit with the downbeat track "Name" in 1995. Dizzy features more mainstream compositions than they had previously recorded. It is also the band's first album to feature drummer Mike Malinin.

History

Dizzy Up the Girl is the Goo Goo Dolls' most successful album to date, selling over 5 million copies (5× platinum certified). The success of Dizzy Up the Girl can largely be attributed to the rock ballad "Iris", which was also included on the soundtrack album of the film City of Angels. "Iris" immediately reached No. 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 stood for almost 22 years until it was surpassed in 2020 by "Blinding Lights" by the Weeknd. The song also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts, along with several other charts in the US and UK, and received three Grammy nominations. The album sold very well, with "Iris" and "Slide" being the two most successful singles, while the other three singles achieved modest success.

In addition to the huge success of "Iris" (US No. 9), Dizzy Up the Girl included three additional top-40 singles, with the songs "Slide" (US No. 8), "Broadway" (US No. 24), and "Black Balloon" (US No. 16). The album also produced the moderately popular song "Dizzy", which has since become a fan favorite. Along with top-40 single status, music videos for all five singles reached VH1's Top 20 Music Videos chart upon release.

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated: "Like a less mannered and conflicted Let Your Dim Light Shine-era Soul Asylum, the trio balances hard rockers with ballads. The difference is, they enjoy the mainstreaming of their music and respond with one of their catchiest sets of songs. There's nothing new on the record apart from their willingness to polish their music so it reaches the widest audience. That will alienate whatever hardcore followers they have left, but that attitude will likely please anyone brought aboard with 'Name' and 'Iris'."

Personnel

Personnel taken from Dizzy Up the Girl CD booklet, except where noted.