Stay With You

Album: Let Love In (2006)
Charted: 39 51
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this energetic rock number, Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik is lonely and tired of the chaos going on in the world. He tries to convince his girl to run away with him by promising he'll never leave her side. The song was co-written by Glen Ballard, a producer and songwriter known for his work on Alanis Morissette's breakthrough album, Jagged Little Pill. Ballard also produced much of Let Love In, along with the Goos' longtime producer Rob Cavallo.
  • The second single from the band's eighth studio album, this was released as a double A-side with their signature hit "Iris," from the 1998 album Dizzy Up The Girl.
  • The Goo Goo Dolls had spent several years making music with the same team of engineers and producers. For Let Love In, they wanted to shake things up with new collaborators, which brought them to Ballard. Goo bassist Robby Takac explained in a 2006 interview: "It was time we interjected some new blood into the situation. After all this time, we just needed some surprises along the way. Glen's way of record-making is very much like, 'Toss it at the wall and see if it sticks.' We've never done much of that before. He brought in a whole new circle of people to influence us. It was just a whole different vibe you get in the studio. Before we walked in the studio with Glen, these songs were far along, and if we walked in and Glen was just a blubbering idiot, we still would have made a great record. But we walked in, and he only made it better. He's an incredibly talented guy, incredibly spontaneous, musical. He made you feel like every moment that you spend working with him is a very important moment. That's really a freeing feeling."
  • For the music video, the Dolls collaborated with director Paul Brown. The clip has them performing under hundreds of twinkling light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The backdrop is an LED screen flashing images of the album's cover model, Danielle Fillmore. In a video commentary, Rzeznik said the clip was one of his favorite videos because it focused on the band rather than some "hokey concept."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."