Album: Dizzy Up The Girl (1998)
Charted: 108
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • After their first blush of success with their previous album, A Boy Named Goo, which featured their first major hit, "Name," the Buffalo, New York-based Goo Goo Dolls found themselves adjusting to life in Los Angeles' fast lane. For lead singer Johnny Rzeznik, that meant hanging out with a girl who was a lot of fun, but also "toxic and dangerous." She inspired him to write "Dizzy," an affectionate tribute to a girl who has all the wrong qualities.
  • This was the third single from the Dizzy Up The Girl album. Although it didn't reach the heights of the hits "Iris" and "Slide," it did manage a #13 entry on the Mainstream Rock chart.
  • The action-packed music video, directed by Nancy Bardawil, finds the band on the run from sinister enemies. The shoot was on Rzeznik's birthday, and he recalls renting two vintage Mustangs that were used in the car chase scene, trashing them, and then returning them to the lot. At least he remembered to insure them beforehand. The female lead is Shannyn Sossamon, who went on to star in A Knight's Tale with Heath Ledger a few years later. Sossamon can also be spotted in videos for Cher's "Strong Enough" and Korn's "Make Me Bad."
  • This was used on the TV show 7th Heaven in the 2000 episode "Losers."
  • In the song's behind-the-track commentary video, Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac said it took them a lot of time and experimentation with different machinery to achieve the square-wave tremolo on the guitar, which produces a fast-and-choppy effect.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.