A Boy Named Goo

A Boy Named Goo
A Boy Named Goo
Studio album by Goo Goo Dolls
Released	March 14, 1995
Recorded	1994
Studio	BearTracks Studios, Suffern, NY and Trackmaster Studios, Buffalo, NY
Genre	Alternative rock; power pop; post-grunge; punk rock;
Length	42:14
Label	Warner Bros.; Metal Blade;
Producer	Lou Giordano, Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls chronology
Singles from A Boy Named Goo
	"Only One"; Released: February 1995; "Flat Top"; Released: June 12, 1995; "Name"; Released: September 26, 1995; "Naked"; Released: January 1996; "Long Way Down"; Released: March 1996;

A Boy Named Goo is the fifth studio album by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, released in 1995 on Warner Bros. The album was a commercial success, and was certified double-platinum by the RIAA within a year of its release.^[4] This is the last Goo Goo Dolls album with George Tutuska on drums; he was replaced by Mike Malinin just before the album was released.^[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[5]
Chicago Tribune	^[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[7]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	^[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[9]

History

This album is the Goo Goo Dolls' first studio album to not have 14 tracks. The song "Stand Alone" was written by George Tutuska, and because John Rzeznik didn't want to exploit Tutuska’s efforts after his dismissal, the song was only included on a promo version of the album. On the wide-release version, it is replaced with "Disconnected" and "Slave Girl", which were initially B-sides to the "Only One" single. On the same promo, "Ain't That Unusual" was labeled as "Someday". The two replacement songs are covers of songs by defunct Buffalo and Sydney punk bands The Enemies and Lime Spiders.

The song "Name" is well known as the Goo Goo Dolls' first hit. According to lead singer John Rzeznik, the song's unusual composition came about "quite accidentally".

This album also marked the band's last with the Metal Blade Records imprint.

Walmart controversy

On June 5, 1996, the band's label, Warner Bros., released a statement claiming that Walmart had decided to stop selling A Boy Named Goo because some Walmart customers had complained that the album cover was offensive. The statement claimed that some customers had incorrectly thought that the child on the cover was smeared in blood rather than blackberry juice. Walmart acknowledged that they had decided to stop selling the album, but denied Warner Bros.'s claim that this was because of complaints about the cover art, instead ascribing the decision to weak sales.^[10] Of the reports that Walmart customers had thought that the child on the cover was smeared in blood, Rzeznik said, "The name of the album is A Boy Named Goo. The picture is of a boy covered with goo. What part of this concept are they unclear on?"^[11]

Track listing

All songs written by John Rzeznik, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Long Way Down"		3:28
2.	"Burnin' Up"	Rzeznik, Robby Takac, George Tutuska	2:29
3.	"Naked"		3:43
4.	"Flat Top"		4:30
5.	"Impersonality"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:41
6.	"Name"		4:30
7.	"Only One"		3:18
8.	"Somethin' Bad"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:30
9.	"Ain't That Unusual"		3:19
10.	"So Long"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:33
11.	"Eyes Wide Open"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	3:56
12.	"Disconnected" (The Enemies cover)	Joe Bompczyk, Bob Guariglia, Pete Secrist, Fred Suchman	3:00
13.	"Slave Girl" (Lime Spiders cover)	Mick Blood, Richard Jakimyszyn	2:17

Advanced copy track listing

The track listing for advance copies—before George Tutuska was fired from the band—was slightly different. Neither of the covers were present, and another original song written solely by Tutuska, "Stand Alone", was featured.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Long Way Down"		3:39
2.	"Burnin' Up"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:29
3.	"Naked"		3:44
4.	"Flat Top"		4:30
5.	"Impersonality"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:40
6.	"Name"		4:31
7.	"Only One"		3:18
8.	"Something Bad"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:31
9.	"Someday"		3:22
10.	"So Long"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	2:33
11.	"Stand Alone"	Tutuska	3:43
12.	"Eyes Wide Open"	Rzeznik, Takac, Tutuska	3:57

Covers and media appearances

Metalcore band Haste the Day covered the song "Long Way Down" for their album When Everything Falls. "Ain't That Unusual" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1995 film Angus. A remix of the song "Long Way Down" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 film Twister.

Personnel

Goo Goo Dolls

John Rzeznik – lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar,
Robby Takac – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 2, 5, 8, 10, and 12
George Tutuska – drums

Additional personnel

Lou Giordano – production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–1996)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[12]	15
US Billboard 200^[13]	27

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
US Billboard 200^[14]	62

Certifications and sales


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[15]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[16]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ ^a ^b Lindsay, Cam (December 17, 2015). "Rank Your Records: John Rzeznik Plays Favorites with the Goo Goo Dolls Records". Vice. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
^ "Album of the Day". Rhino Entertainment. March 14, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
^ "New Music for June". Radio & Records. No. 1096. May 26, 1995. p. 78.
^ ^a ^b Miers, Jeff (12 October 2018). "Timeline: Goo Goo Dolls, through the years". Buffalo News. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
^ Raggett, Ned. "A Boy Named Goo – Goo Goo Dolls". AllMusic. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
^ McKeough, Kevin (March 16, 1995). "Goo Goo Dolls: A Boy Named Goo (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Goo Goo Dolls". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
^ Cristiano, Nick (March 19, 1995). "Goo Goo Dolls: A Boy Named Goo (Metal Blade/Warner)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
^ Harris, Keith (2004). "Goo Goo Dolls". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 338. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Reece, Douglas (June 29, 1996). "Wal-Mart Halts 'A Boy Named Goo' Reorders". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 64.
^ "Wal-mart Shoppers' Protest Goo Goo Dolls' New Album". Orlando Sentinel. June 9, 1996. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2876". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
^ "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Goo Goo Dolls – A Boy Named Goo". Music Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
^ "American album certifications – Goo Goo Dolls – A Boy Named Goo". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 June 2019.

[Lindsay-1] Lindsay, Cam (December 17, 2015). "Rank Your Records: John Rzeznik Plays Favorites with the Goo Goo Dolls Records". Vice. Retrieved June 25, 2018.

[2] "Album of the Day". Rhino Entertainment. March 14, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2018.

[3] "New Music for June". Radio & Records. No. 1096. May 26, 1995. p. 78.

[Buffalo-4] Miers, Jeff (12 October 2018). "Timeline: Goo Goo Dolls, through the years". Buffalo News. Retrieved 23 July 2023.

[5] Raggett, Ned. "A Boy Named Goo – Goo Goo Dolls". AllMusic. Retrieved May 1, 2012.

[6] McKeough, Kevin (March 16, 1995). "Goo Goo Dolls: A Boy Named Goo (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 22, 2017.

[7] Larkin, Colin (2011). "Goo Goo Dolls". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.

[8] Cristiano, Nick (March 19, 1995). "Goo Goo Dolls: A Boy Named Goo (Metal Blade/Warner)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.

[9] Harris, Keith (2004). "Goo Goo Dolls". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 338. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[10] Reece, Douglas (June 29, 1996). "Wal-Mart Halts 'A Boy Named Goo' Reorders". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 64.

[11] "Wal-mart Shoppers' Protest Goo Goo Dolls' New Album". Orlando Sentinel. June 9, 1996. Retrieved February 1, 2018.

[group=-12] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2876". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2020.

[ac_Billboard200_Goo_Goo_Dolls-13] "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2020.

[14] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.

[CanadaGoo_Goo_DollsA_Boy_Named_GooalbumCertRef-15] "Canadian album certifications – Goo Goo Dolls – A Boy Named Goo". Music Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2019.

[United_StatesGoo_Goo_DollsA_Boy_Named_GooalbumCertRef-16] "American album certifications – Goo Goo Dolls – A Boy Named Goo". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 June 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

v t e Goo Goo Dolls
John Rzeznik Robby Takac George Tutuska Mike Malinin
Studio albums	Goo Goo Dolls Jed Hold Me Up Superstar Car Wash A Boy Named Goo Dizzy Up the Girl Gutterflower Let Love In Something for the Rest of Us Magnetic Boxes Miracle Pill It's Christmas All Over Chaos in Bloom
Extended plays	Bang! Dizzy EP Waiting for the Rest of It
Live albums	Live in Buffalo: July 4th, 2004
Compilations	What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce iTunes Originals Greatest Hits Volume One: The Singles Vol.2 Rarities
Videography	Music in High Places: Live in Alaska Live in Buffalo: July 4th, 2004
Singles	"There You Are" "I'm Awake Now" "We Are the Normal" "Only One" "Name" "Naked" "Long Way Down" "Lazy Eye" "Iris" "Slide" "Dizzy" "Black Balloon" "Broadway" "Here Is Gone" "Big Machine" "Sympathy" "Give a Little Bit" "Better Days" "Let Love In" "Stay with You" "Before It's Too Late (Sam and Mikaela's Theme)" "Real" "Home" "Notbroken" "All That You Are" "Rebel Beat" "Come to Me"
Related material	Discography Lance Diamond