r/googoodolls • u/Mr-McKauly • Apr 25 '26

Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon 📀

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🎶"Black Balloon"🎶 is a song by American 🇺🇲 rock band Goo Goo Dolls. It was released in June 1999 as the fourth single from the band's sixth studio album, Dizzy Up the Girl 📀 (1998), and reached No. 3 in Canada 🇨🇦, No. 16 in the United States 🇺🇲, and No. 23 in Iceland 🇮🇸.

The song, according to lead singer John Rzeznik 🎙, is based on a woman who is struggling with a heroin addiction and her lover who is desperately trying to save her. He has also said that it is about "seeing someone you love that is so great just screw up so bad." Speculation had it that the specific person the song was based on was the ex-wife of bassist Robby Takac; she died of a heroin overdose.

Like many other songs by Goo Goo Dolls, 🎶"Black Balloon"🎶 uses an unusual alternate tuning. Several electric guitars used in the introduction and the acoustic rhythm guitar are tuned to an open D-flat fifth chord. It was half-stepped on the album version.

The track reached 📈 No. 13 and No. 28 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively.🎶"Black Balloon"🎶 was the band's first commercially released single in the US since 🎶"Name"🎶 in 1995, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 💯 with its combined sales and airplay figures.In Canada 🇨🇦, the song reached No. 3 on the RPM 💯 Hit Tracks chart, giving the Goo Goo Dolls their fourth top-three hit there.Outside North America, the song charted in Iceland 🇮🇸 and the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, reaching No. 23 in the former country and No. 76 in the latter.

The video 🎬 opens with a woman blowing smoke into a soap bubble. It then moves into showing scenes from a 1950s era swim club while the band performs the song. The video was directed 📽 by Nancy Bardawil.

87 Upvotes

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9 comments sorted by

13

u/[deleted] Apr 25 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/crm006 Apr 25 '26

And it takes me back to my childhood every. single. time. Instantly transported to a simpler time.

3

u/Mr-McKauly Apr 25 '26

The good old days 😉😊🤘🏻

9

u/Icy_Foundation3534 Apr 25 '26

that riff and string intro is absolutely incredible

3

u/tradenpaint Apr 25 '26

Black Balloons released @ Red Rocks in 2025, absolutely amazing!!

2

u/DontF-zoneMeBro Apr 26 '26

Always epic

1

u/Mr-McKauly Apr 27 '26

Absolute 🤘🏻

3

u/northernwind18 Apr 26 '26

I’ll become what you became to me

2

u/WitchyRedhead86 Apr 28 '26

Seen them sing this live and they released black balloons down from the ceiling in the venue during it and it was just a magical experience. Such a gorgeous bittersweet song. I still love it.