Autumn Leaves

Album: Miracle Pill (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznik describes this poignant track as a "melancholy goodbye to someone." It grew out of a writing session with Drew Pearson, a songwriter and producer who also contributed to the band's previous album, Boxes. Rzeznik told Spin: "He was showing me this instrument that he has called the una corda. It's a crazy-sounding thing. It's like a piano, but every note has one string instead of three, so it sounds very weird."
  • This is the fifth and final single from Miracle Pill, the band's 12th studio album. Although the song has a somber tone, there's hope in the message that seasons change and life goes on. "There always has to be hope in my songs," Rzeznik says, "What is there to live for otherwise?"
  • The music video, directed by Matt Mahurin, depicts the passage of time through the eyes of an old man, a young woman, and a boy as leaves fall, a pocket watch ticks, and a bird dies. According to the band, the concept of the clip was to show "multiple generations of people traveling through natural landscapes and explores the dramatic, yet awe-inspiring effect time inevitably takes on all life."
  • Earlier in their career, the band would only bring one or two producers on board for an album, namely Rob Cavallo on their breakthrough '90s releases A Boy Named Goo and Dizzy Up The Girl, and Rzeznik would do much of his songwriting sitting in a room by himself. By the 2010s, however, the band preferred a more collaborative approach, enlisting multiple producers, songwriters, and engineers to stay fresh and retain their identity.

    "I don't like using one producer," Rzeznik told hmv.com in 2019. "I want the band to be the element that ties the song together rather than the producer being the sound. When I start to sing or the way I play guitar is us, I want to retain that. And, to be honest, I burn producers out. I'm a producer myself and I burn these guys out. The last time I did 10 songs with one guy I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown." For this release, the Goos enlisted their songwriter/producer friends Drew Pearson, Sam Hollander, and Derek Fuhrmann, among others.

Comments: 1

  • Danny from London Great song especially during covid depicting what has happened life is change we move on
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.