Name (song)

"Name" is a song by the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls. It was released in September 1995 as the third single from the album A Boy Named Goo. "Name" became the band's first major hit, topping both the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Album Rock Tracks chart, and it peaked number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting song in the US. It was also very successful in Canada, peaking at number two on the RPM Top Singles chart and number one on the RPM Alternative 30.

"Name"
Single by Goo Goo Dolls
from the album A Boy Named Goo
ReleasedSeptember 26, 1995
Recorded1994
Genre
Length
  • 4:30 (album version)
  • 4:03 (single edit)
  • 4:15 (2007 re-recording)
Label
Songwriter(s)John Rzeznik
Producer(s)Lou Giordano
Goo Goo Dolls singles chronology
"Flat Top"
(1995)		 "Name"
(1995)		 "Naked"
(1996)

Although the Goo Goo Dolls were considered an alternative group prior to the single's release, "Name" crossed over to pop and adult contemporary radio, greatly increasing the band's fan base. The band re-recorded this song for their compilation album, Greatest Hits Volume One: The Singles; this version featured minimal arrangements and production.

Composition

The song's unusual guitar tuning, D-A-E-A-E-E,[1] is accomplished by replacing the B string with a high E string. In an interview with Guitar World Magazine, the singer and songwriter Johnny Rzeznik explained: "Both the top strings are high E strings. Whenever I tried tuning a regular B string up to E, it would pop. It was really tough on the tension. I've seen guys play 'Name' with regular tuning. It doesn't sound right."[2] Rzeznik says that the song's unusual composition happened "quite accidentally". In an interview with KFOG, he explained: "It was weird, I was just sitting on my couch randomly twisting the tuning pegs, and I couldn't figure out what notes the guitar was tuned to, so I had to grab my tuner to find out, and then I jotted them down on a post it. ... I just sat there and let my fingers play the fretboard openly, and that is what became the progression of 'Name'."[3]

In her book The Kennedy Chronicles, former MTV VJ Kennedy claimed that the song was actually about her complicated relationship with Rzeznik, with the lyrics referring to their time together and her full name being a secret to most. Rzeznik admitted to the inspiration in the book, saying "I was trying to capture a moment...it was pretty interesting to have a song inspired by a moment. And I thought it was a very sweet song."[4]

Reception

In October 2012, "Name" was ranked number 24 on Billboard's "Top 100 Pop Songs 1992–2012" chart. This chart also featured the Goo Goo Dolls' hits "Slide" (ranking at number nine) and "Iris" (which topped the chart). The Goo Goo Dolls are the only musicians to have three songs chart on the list, two breaking the top 10 and all three falling within the top 25. They are also the only musicians who have back to back singles ("Iris", 1998 and "Slide", 1999) featured on the list.[5]

Track listings

CD single

  1. "Name" - 4:30
  2. "Nothing Can Change You" - 3:14
  3. "I Wanna Destroy You" - 2:35

German promo single

  1. "Name" (Single edit)

Cassette single

  1. "Name"
  2. "Burnin' Up"

Charts

See also

References
  1. Dolls, G. (1996). Goo Goo Dolls - a Boy Named Goo*. Milwaukee: HAL LEONARD.
  2. "Guitar World Magazine, May 1996 "Goo Vibrations"". NewBay Media, LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  3. "Guitar World Acoustic, Issue 29 "A Simple Twist of Fate"". NewBay Media, LLC. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  4. Kennedy, The Kennedy Chronicles. 2013, Macmillan. pp103-105.
  5. Trust, Gary (October 3, 2012). "The Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012, From No. 100 To No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  6. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 24 Mar 1996". ARIA. Retrieved July 31, 2017 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2827." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  8. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2853." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  9. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2774." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  10. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.2. – 16.2. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 10, 1996. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  11. "Charts.nz – The Goo Goo Dolls – Name". Top 40 Singles.
  12. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  14. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  15. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  16. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  17. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  18. "Goo Goo Dolls Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  19. "Notowanie nr1012" (in Polish). LP3. June 22, 2001. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  20. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  21. "RPM Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  22. "RPM Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  23. "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Longboredsurfer.com. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  24. "Greatest of All Time Pop Songs: Page 1". Billboard. August 1, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
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