Lyrical Magic

John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls is a lyrical genius. His expressions of love, desire and passion are near perfection as he explains his intentions with brilliant romantic phrases and offers.

"Slide," is so good that listening to it for the thousandth time can feel like listening to it for the first time. Why? The lyrics and accompanying music, like "Iris," and "Black Balloon," melt together perfectly in Rzeznik's brilliant style. Like falling in love, the music and words coordinate perfectly to make you want to listen all over again and again and again.

"Dizzy Up the Girl," although unique and brilliant, is not for everyone. The romantically-challenged will get few pleasures from Rzeznik's personal approach to writing and singing songs about love. Partners in relationships with the romantically-challenged may find the lyrics down-right depressing.

This CD contains thirteen songs, nine of these were written by John Rzeznik. The remaining songs were written by Robby Takac and are listed at the end of this epinion. The first group of songs are those written by Rzeznik, one of the best song-writers in the world. Enough about his short-comings though, let's move on to his music.

1)----Dizzy----
Begin the CD, appropriately, with a song titled "Dizzy." After all, to much ear candy can lead to vertigo, so it probably is a good idea to remind listeners to listen with caution. If at any time you feel dizzy while listening, turn volume up and let inspiration consume you.

This is the shortest song on the CD yet lacks nothing profound. In this one, "Everything you are Falls from the sky like a star, Everything you are, Whatever you want." Also, he wants to get rid of everything that hurts you until he is all that is left. Even Hallmark never said it quite so good.

2)----Slide----
"I wanna wake up where you are, I won't say anything at all, so why don't you slide," (He wants to wake up to where she IS, note how it doesn't matter where, what a compliment)

"And I'll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete, Little pieces of the nothing that fall, May put your arms around me, What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautiful, May do you wanna get married, Or run away"

(Get married or run away? Who cares, I am just going with him, He had me at 'Hello')

3)----Broadway----
This song digs deep, deep, deep into how it feels to be alone: "Forgotten but not gone, you drink it off your mind. You talk about the world like it's someplace that you've been."

And the pain that accompanies: "You see you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one and you're living in a world that your best forgotten around here."

Recently, this song has had rotation on popular radio stations but has not received the same response as Iris, Black Balloon and Slide. This is probably because while all songs on this CD are great, those three are few of the best EVER WRITTEN OF ALL TIME. Have I mentioned that yet?

5)----Black Balloon----
"A thousand boys could never reach you, How could I have been the one, I saw the world spin beneath you, And scatter like ice from the spoon that was your womb,"

"You know the lies they always told you, and the love you never knew, What's the things they never showed you That swallowed the light from the sun Inside your room."

"Comin down the world turned over and angels fall without you there and I go on as you get colder or are you someone's prayer?"

"And I'll become What you became to me."

Some songs you can listen to and enjoy. Other songs you have to feel, memorize and associate with your own memories and experiences.

"Black Balloon" applies and then falls into its own category - it inspires to look beyond our experiences with love and wonder how could it be better. What could be said and done to express just that to someone else? After giving that some thought, you understand just how well Rzeznik does just that in all his songs.

6)----Bullet Proof----
He wants to "bullet proof your soul," How can you object to that?
"Do you listen to yourself? Never live for someone else. Do you like the way you feel? Nothing hurts when no one's real." (In case you needed some bullet-proof reasons)

8)----All Eyes on Me----
"I wondered what you're thinkin', And everything you're chasing, It seems to leave you empty."
And..."And you hide in your room and the light burns away and you move from the truth and it's all so far from you."
(All Eyes on Me will have all ears on the lyrics.)

10)----Acoustic #3----
Short, beautiful acoustic song, a perfect opener to the next track. "They press their lips against you and you love the lies they say and I tried so hard to reach you but you're falling anyway."
(Just listen to this song, it's delicious.)

11)----Iris----
To empower someone to love you is to plug their heart, mind and soul into this song. "And I'd give up forever to touch you,"
(Think about it for a moment, he would give up FOREVER just to touch you.)

"Cause I know that you feel me somehow." (How could you not feel him after that first lyric?)

"You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be And I don't wanna go home right now." (Listen, if he feels that way about you, don't ever, ever send him home.)

"And all I can taste is this moment, and all i can breathe is your life, and sooner or later it's over. I just don't wanna miss you tonight." CHORUS: "And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand, When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."

I repeat: To EMPOWER someone to love you is to plug their heart, mind and soul into this song.


13)----Hate This Place----
I really do hate this place and it marks the end of the CD. Yet, it's a love/hate relationship, as like love, it inspires you to do it all over again, but, as we all know, it's as never good as the first time.

"Hold on dreamaway, You're my sweet charade." (Rzeznik writes about lost love in this song, he hates this place, wouldn't you?)

"Take your time, move yourself to me, yeah I can take your lies, Until you fall away, You know I'm lost, Hiding in your bed, No I don't think it's wrong, It's just gone to my head, Can you feel it, I didn't mean it, Can I see you, What are we doin' I think I love you But I ain't sayin nothin you don't know."

Rzeznik isn't saying anything you don't know by the end of the CD. He is a lyrical genius able to provoke inspiration for love and keep listeners coming back for more, never able to get enough.


On songs written by Robby Takac:


The Bad?
These songs, written by Roby Takac lack the genius and descriptive detail of songs written by Rzeznik. These songs are not really bad if left to stand on their own, but miss measure by a million yard sticks when compared to the other songs on this CD.


2)----January Friend----
"Reach for higher ground, about the way you look, the way you scream out loud, Mine, just like the last time, it's all the same to me, she said, let's pretend, my January Friend, I'm wantin you again, I wanna touch you, Every single hear that beats"
(When listening to this song, I reach for higher ground, to change the track on my CD Player.)

7)----Amigone----
"Every time you point your finger, 3 more point right back at you, I'm not sayin' that it's something wrong with life, cause that's a sad excuse I'm not sayin that it's something wrong with you, It's wrong with me as well."

(And I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this song, WAIT, yes I am, I am, I am!)

9)----Full Forever----
The best of the Takac songs. "Another blurred affair tonight, eyelids wrestle once again, never gonna see my friend guided by the blinding white," (Either Tackac is getting better or copied from Rzeznik's notebook) CHORUS: "Why can't the moon stay full forever, Wednesday's bad but Friday ain't much better..someone's hell. Why can't the moon stay full forever, right now she's got nothin' on her mind" (Could be she has nothin on her mind because the lyrics didn't give her more to go on?)

12)----Extra Pale----
"How's your day, did it go your way but you never ask about it all the things I wish I'd be I Should have known it from the start I should have known that it was. Just another sequel, just another reason for you, Just another reason for your sighs."
(Sigh, another Takac song)

"Dizzy Up the Girl" is a great CD and one everyone should add to their music collection. This CD is so uniquely romantic and intelligent, it can even survive Takac's efforts. Thanks to Rzeznik's brilliance, we can let it slide.

Amy


*Words and phrases framed in quotation marks represent lyrics from this CD.