More than 20 years after it was first penned for the Meg Ryan, Nicolas Case ripoff of Wim Wenders' 'Wings of Desire,' -- aka 'City of Angels'-- the Goo Goo Dolls' 'Iris' marches on as one of i-Tunes' top downloads.
This song refuses to die and I have a theory why: 'Iris' is the archetypal love ballad in theme and melody. And it comes wrapped in an unmarred sound free of pop tics that might otherwise have shoehorned it into a specific trend or era.
'Iris' is literally a template of the power pop ballad.
Specifically:
1. Timeless themes and lyrics. This song has no
hook to present or past. Word-wise, it contains nothing to date it.
Check out the lyrics.
And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to 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
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive
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
Thematically, these lyrics represent the most manipulative
aspects of romantic love. Us against the world. My world is defined
by you. Loss. Exchanging immortality for you and the finite
present.Any teen (
or
vampire) from 10,000 BC to 10,000 AD can relate.
Only a sociopath couldn't relate to the longing, the love
and desire to be known.
2. Melody and pacing. The song has James Taylor
appeal. The sweet acoustic guitar and soothing vocals make
"Iris" easy to listen to. The melody sticks with
listeners who find themselves humming the song hours later.
The chorus has a wicked hook and can only be called anthemic.
People like to sing anthems. "Iris" is a song that is
easy to imagine a group of friends sitting together in a bar and
singing along really loud. Almost uncontrollably.
3. "Iris" is a song with universal
sound. This is pure power pop: mainly guitar, bass, drum
and voice. You won't find any cheesy Korg synth riffs that
could forever put it in the 80s bin.
It doesn't have disco string arrangements or rubber band bass. Nor does it have the feedback-driven grunge sound that might relegate it to the pop grunge bin.
The song crosses over all musical genres to appeal to pop,
indie, alternative and even country music fans.
The lowdown on the continued love affair with the Goo Goo
Dolls song "Iris" is plain and simple. It is just a
classic, timeless song.
"Iris" is easy on the ears, fun to sing and sticks
with listeners hours -- and years -- later. You have now been
warned why.
But, in case you still don't get it watch the video. Here's a live version with the Goo Goo Dolls and Avril Lavigne.
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umm, not over 20 years old. City of Angels was released in 1998, for which Goo Goo Dolls were commissioned to write the song. So at the earliest they wrote it in 1997, maybe 1996. Which makes it at the most, 12 years old.
Please learn to do math.