4. “Long Way Down” – Goo Goo Dolls: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

4. “Long Way Down” – Goo Goo Dolls

(From the album A Boy Named Goo)

1995

For the fifth and final single from A Boy Named Goo the band released the opening track, the more rock-oriented “Long Way Down”. “Long Way Down”, which at least hints at the band’s more raucous past, became another sizable alt rock hit for the Goo Goo Dolls, peaking at #25 on the alt rock charts and at #7 on the mainstream rock charts in America.  However, “Long Way Down” did not have any success on the mainstream charts, and it would be the last time that Goo Goo Dolls would release a single this rock-oriented. A Boy Named Goo brought the band major success but the making of the record also saw the band begin to splinter apart. The original arrangement amongst the three band members, rooted in their early punk rock roots, was that the three band members would split all the royalties evenly. However, as more of the songwriting responsibilities began to fall upon Rzeznik (and he began to write songs that became hits) he began to rethink this arrangement. This came to a head when drummer George Tutuska realized he had not been receiving his third of the royalties for some of the work from their previous album Superstar Car Wash and refused to tour behind A Boy Named Goo until the situation was resolved. Rzeznik admitted that he had kept more royalties for the Superstar Car Wash song “Fallin’ Down” which Rzeznik had written alone and had become a de facto second single when it had been used in the movie Son-In-Law. Rzeznik refused to continue to divide royalties evenly between the three members and Tutuska was fired from the group and replaced by new drummer Mike Malinin just after the A Boy Named Goo album was released.

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3. “Name” – Goo Goo Dolls: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

3. “Name” – Goo Goo Dolls

(From the album A Boy Named Goo)

1995

Goo Goo Dolls released their fifth album A Boy Named Goo in 1995. While not quite an eponymous release, the self-referential title does serve a similar purpose to many eponymous titled albums in that it marks a new beginning for the band. Not only would A Boy Named Goo be the band’s breakthrough record but it marks the completion of their transition from punk band to alternative pop-rockers with Johnny Rzeznik now serving as the primary lead vocalist. Still, A Boy Named Goo almost turned out to be a flop when the album’s first two singles, “Only One” and “Flat Top”, both failed to generate much interest. Perhaps with a touch of desperation, this previously punk-oriented alt band released the acoustic alternative ballad “Name” as the third single. “Name” would go on to become a massive success with both alternative and mainstream rock and pop audiences and change the direction of the band’s career, turning them into stars and solidifying their transition away from their previous sound. “Name” is a gentle, slightly mysterious ballad that adds just enough urgency in the chorus to give the song a little more emotional punch. The song also has an unusual start/stop structure in places that also helps it to stand out and feel different. “Name” went to #1 on the US alternative and rock charts and to #5 on the American Top 40. The band followed up the success of “Name” with a fourth single “Naked”, a song that takes the basic sound of “Name” and adds more of a rock kick. “Naked” went to #8 on the alternative charts in the US and just missed the US Top 40. The success of “Naked” led to a fifth single being released from A Boy Named Goo, which we will look at tomorrow.

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2. “We Are The Normal” – Goo Goo Dolls: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

2. “We Are The Normal” – Goo Goo Dolls

(From the album Superstar Car Wash)

1993

While the Goo Goo Dolls previous record Hold Me Up was not really a big hit, it did earn a fair amount of critical praise and enough sales to raise the level of excitement (and promotion) for their fourth album Superstar Car Wash. In fact, being released a year and half after Nirvana’s Nevermind the punk meets indie meets pop formula of the Goo Goo Dolls seemed to have a lot of potential for success. The lead and only single from the record was “We Are The Normal”, a song that Johnny Rzeznik co-wrote with one of his primary heroes, Paul Westerburg of The Replacements. “We Are The Normal” finds the band walking the line between yearning balladry and punkish/Replacements-styled rock and therefore is a perfect balance between the two sides of the Goo Goo Dolls sound. The song was a decent success too, going to #5 on the American alt charts. Somewhat surprisingly considering that “We Are The Normal” did have some alt radio success and the promotion behind the album a second single was not released from Superstar Car Wash, although the song “Fallin’ Down” was placed on the soundtrack to the Pauly Shore movie Son-In-Law and earned some airplay due to that.

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1. “There You Are” – Goo Goo Dolls: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

1. “There You Are” – Goo Goo Dolls

(From the album Hold Me Up)

1990

Hailing from Buffalo, New York, the Goo Goo Dolls were made up of singer/bassist Robby Takac, singer/guitarist Johnny Rzeznik, and drummer George Tutuska. Goo Goo Dolls started out life as a covers band before adopting a more punk-based sound (influenced heavily by The Replacements) and beginning to write their own songs. This early version of the band was almost completely different though from the version of the band that would become alt-pop chart-toppers a few years later. Besides having a ragged and raw punk sound that would find the band opening shows for groups like Bad Religion, The Dead Milkmen, and Motorhead, most of their early songs featured lead vocals by bassist Robby Takac rather than Johnny Rzeznik, who would sing nearly all of their later hits (to hear this version of the band check out the song “Torn Apart” from their self-titled debut album). It would be this style of music that would dominate their 1987 debut album, where Takac would sing lead vocals on all of the tracks. Two years later Goo Goo Dolls released their second album Jed which followed a similar style but did have Rzeznik on lead vocals for two songs. The beginning of the Goo Goo Dolls as most people know them is their third album Hold Me Up. Hold Me Up still is more raw and punkish than their later work but the album does begin to weave in more melodicism and pop hooks, while also featuring Rzeznik on lead vocals on five of the album’s fourteen tracks, including the lead single “There You Are”, which definitely feels like a bridge between the group’s early work and their later sound. “There You Are” was not a major hit but it did manage to get to #24 on the US alternative rock charts.

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7. “At Transformation” – The Tragically Hip: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “At Transformation” – The Tragically Hip

(From the album Now For Plan A)

2012

The release of 2005’s fan chosen hits compilation Yer Favourites seemed to mark an end of an era for The Tragically Hip, who now seemed to be moving into revered elder statesmen status. However, never a band to rest on past efforts The Hip got back to work and released the new album World Container in 2006. World Container was produced by legendary rock producer Bob Rock who had previously worked with Metallica, The Cult, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Bryan Adams, and many more. Despite Rock’s penchant for working with very mainstream rock bands or the occasional non-mainstream artist looking for a more mainstream sound, The Tragically Hip don’t allow him to strip away the eccentricities and quirks that make their work special and World Container and their next record, 2009’s We Are The Same (also produced by Rock), offer few concessions to mainstream appeal and certainly still feel like the work of The Tragically Hip. The band then had a few years of relative quiet before releasing their new single “At Transformation” in May of 2012. A roaring rocker that is very reminiscent of the band 90’s heyday, “At Transformation” went to #1 on the Canadian rock charts, although its placement at #63 on the Canadian pop charts showed both the change in the music industry towards pop music and the band’s own declining commercial status. That said, “At Transformation” is a great song that lacks nothing in quality and the same can be said for the Now For Plan A album that followed a few months later. In 2014 the band began work on their next album but postponed that work to promote and tour behind the rerelease of the deluxe edition of their Canadian megahit album Fully Completely in 2015. That tour ended in October of 2015. In December of 2015 singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. In early 2016 The Tragically Hip finished the album they had been working on, named Man Machine Poem, and launched a summer tour in spite of Downie’s terminal diagnosis. The Tragically Hip played their final show in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario, Canada on August 20, 2016 to a sold out crowd. The show was broadcast live across the country on Canadian television and radio; more than a third of the population of Canada tuned in. Downie gave his first interview since his cancer diagnosis in October of 2016 and admitted to having memory loss; even saying he had needed to relearn the melody and lyrics to many of the songs he had written for the previous summer’s tour. Downie died a year later in October of 2017. The remaining band members have announced that The Tragically Hip will no longer be a touring or recording entity anymore. However, Downie himself had indicated before he died that their was more finished and unreleased Tragically Hip material that existed and that could eventually come out. The band did perform in honor of Downie at the 2021 Juno Awards, where they played “It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” with Canadian singer Feist filling in for the deceased Downie. 

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6. “It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” – The Tragically Hip: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

6. “It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” – The Tragically Hip

(From the album In Violet Light)

2002

2002 saw the band release their album In Violet Light which spun off several more hit singles including the ballad “It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken”, an emotionally powerful song that builds from a reflective beginning to a cathartic finish that really showcases the emotive power of Gord Downie’s voice. However, by the early 21st century The Tragically Hip had moved beyond being a successful rock band and had become full-blown legends in their homeland of Canada. This status meant that the band was included as part of a 2002 command performance (a performance given at the request of the reigning British monarch) for Queen Elizabeth II, as well as performing the halftime show at the 2004 Grey Cup for the championship of the Canadian Football League. Around this time the band also contributed songs to the soundtrack for the film Men With Brooms (and had a small cameo role in the film) as well as contributing a cover version of “Black Day In July” to the Gordon Lightfoot tribute album Beautiful: A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot. 2004 saw the band release their next album In Between Evolution which debuted as another Canadian #1 album. The album also includes the track “Heaven Is A Better Place Today” which served as a tribute for both Atlanta Thrashers hockey player Dan Snyder, who was killed in a car crash, and for soldiers killed in the 2003 Iraq War. The Tragically Hip ended this golden era run with the release of 2005’s double album hits compilation Yer Favourites (which is a great place to start to discover the band).

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5. “Ahead By A Century” – The Tragically Hip: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

5. “Ahead By A Century” – The Tragically Hip

(From the album Trouble At The Henhouse)

1996

The Tragically Hip released their fifth album Trouble At The Henhouse in 1996. Once again The Hip found big success in their native Canada, but after several albums where their label had given them a sizable promotional push in the USA, MCA Records did not heavily promote Trouble At The Henhouse outside of Canada. While not as consistent as their two previous albums Trouble At The Henhouse did still hit #1 in Canada and five singles were pulled from the record, including the lead single “Ahead By A Century”, which was a Canadian #1 hit and was nominated for the Juno Award (the equivalent of Canada’s Grammy’s) for “Best Single”. Somewhat ironically, while not an American hit, “Ahead By A Century” is one of the band’s better-known songs in the US because of placement in several films and a small amount of airplay on alternative rock radio. The Tragically Hip toured in support of the record and the show in Detroit was released as the live album Live Between Us. The Trouble At The Henhouse era also saw the band leave behind the last vestiges of their early bluesy sound and fully embrace their own unique style and ethos; one firmly rooted in alt rock. Following Trouble At The Henhouse and Live Between Us The Tragically Hip left MCA for Universal Music and their new label once again tried hard to break the band in the US, putting a fair amount of promotion behind 1998’s excellent Phantom Power. However, like every other Tragically Hip release Phantom Power was a Canadian success but much less so elsewhere. Lead single “Poets” was another Canadian #1, while follow up single “Bobcaygeon” won the Juno for “Single of the Year”. The Phantom Power album also went to #1 in Canada and won the Juno for “Best Rock Album”. After playing the ill-fated Woodstock ‘99 festival the band released the album Music @ Work in 2000. Music @ Work was another Canadian #1 album and won another Juno Award for “Best Rock Album”. By this point The Tragically Hip had become full-blown musical legends in Canada. Yet, even the band had given up much hope of any kind of large breakthrough American or international success; although over the years the band had built up an American following in the areas of the US relatively near the Canadian border such as the midwest and New England. Still, The Tragically Hip remained a strangely Canadian phenomenon, which is really too bad as they are an amazing band.

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4. “Nautical Disaster” – The Tragically Hip: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

4. “Nautical Disaster” – The Tragically Hip

(From the album Day For Night)

1994

The Tragically Hip went into recording their fourth album Day For Night in something of a weird situation. Their previous album Fully Completely had raised them to the status of full-blown superstars in their native Canada as the album spun off hit after hit and became one of the most successful Canadian albums of all time. Meanwhile, in the US and the rest of the world, they were still a little known group looking to break through. This meant that The Tragically Hip had to decide if they should continue on in a similar direction or shake up a formula that had been very successful at home in Canada. For the most part on Day For Night the band chooses to follow the sound that they had honed on Fully Completely, while also moving in a generally darker tonal direction. Day For Night might not be quite as consistent as Fully Completely is but it still is packed full of great songs, including “Grace, Too”, “So Hard Done By”, “Scared”, and the hard rocking “Nautical Disaster”. “Nautical Disaster” is one of the band’s best songs. Sonically it should have fit in perfect alongside Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Live, Everclear, and other bands who were finding big success on American alt rock radio in 1994, and yet, “Nautical Disaster” was unable to breakthrough into the American market, even with another strong promotional push that included the band being the musical guests on Saturday Night Live (thanks in large part to the efforts of fellow Canadian and SNL alum Dan Akroyd) where the band gave excellent performances of both “Nautical Disaster” and “Grace, Too”. Day For Night was another massive Canadian success though and so The Tragically Hip continued their weird dual existence of being rock gods at home and almost unknown everywhere else.

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3. “Wheat Kings” – The Tragically Hip: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

3. “Wheat Kings” – The Tragically Hip

(From the album Fully Completely)

1992

The Tragically Hip are a band that became megastars in their native Canada but never really found much success in the USA or elsewhere for reasons that never have really been clear. However, one of the theories that some people have about it is that The Tragically Hip are simply too Canadian and that it has been an obstacle to American (and international) success. This is an argument that I personally disagree with for several reasons. The first being that while Canada does have its own unique history and culture, it isn’t that different from the United States; Canada is not some enigmatic and unknowable place like, say, North Korea. A second reason that I struggle with this theory though is that while The Hip do use a fair amount of Canadian references (and are very proud of their heritage) they tend to be fairly obscure and oblique references and I am not sure Canadians get them all that much more than Americans do. All that said, one of the best songs on the amazing Fully Completely album is the rustic and windswept “Wheat Kings”, a song that actually does feel steeped in Canadian history and references. “Wheat Kings” was not released as a single (and the Fully Completely album had six singles) but it is still one of the best songs on the record. “Wheat Kings” is about David Milgaard, a seventeen-year-old who served 23 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of a rape and murder before being exonerated and released. The song is a heartbreaking tale of the misfire of justice that perfectly captures the feeling of lost time and dislocation that Milgaard must have felt. “Wheat Kings” also creates a real feeling of fallibility that underscores the fact that while the mistake was corrected, it can never truly be made right and that people will still make mistakes. It is a haunting, tragic tale about a moment where truth triumphed after years of injustice. Singer Gord Downie imbues the lyrics with loneliness and empathy, while the band plays a simple, acoustic song that has just enough structure to do exactly what it needs and not distract. 

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2. “At The Hundredth Meridian” – The Tragically Hip: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

2. “At The Hundredth Meridian” – The Tragically Hip

(From the album Fully Completely)

1992

The Tragically Hip followed up their debut album Up To Here with 1991’s Road Apples, an album that continued the earthy, bluesy feel of their debut. However, around this time The Tragically Hip began to be known for their intense live shows that often featured singer Gord Downie making up fictional stories in the middle of songs. The Tragically Hip’s reputation as an incredible live act would become a permanent part of their legacy over the course of their career. Road Apples went to #1 in Canada but had little impact in the USA or other territories. However, the success of the album in the band’s native Canada, and the success of Nirvana and other alternative artists, freed up the band to move beyond their more classic roots and begin to experiment more with their music. This move toward more alt rock territory can be heard on their third album, 1992’s Fully Completely. Fully Completely was a massive success in Canada and spun off six singles. Indeed, Fully Completely is seen as one of the key 90’s alt rock albums in Canada and one of the greatest Canadian albums of all time. MCA Records promoted the album in the US as well and expected it to be similarly successful there but for reasons that have never been clear Fully Completely did not break through into the American market and MCA soon quit promoting the album there. Indeed, this would be the pattern of The Tragically Hip’s entire career; massive success at home in Canada and minimal attention anywhere else. Canada has it right though because Fully Completely is a great record. One of the standout track is the fourth single “At The Hundredth Meridian”, a rocker that slowly evolves from a sense of rural nostalgia to something more frenzied. Like many songs by The Tragically Hip, “At The Hundredth Meridian” has lyrics that can be left open to interpretation but the song does seem to be a warning of sorts about the encroachment of the modern world on a quieter way of life, or of American culture encroaching on that of Canada. Either way, “At The Hundredth Meridian” is one of the key songs on an excellent 90’s rock album that is grossly unknown outside of Canada.

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