The Laptop Sessions Cover Songs & Original Music Video Blog » Goo Goo Dolls Songs

“Say You’re Free” (Goo Goo Dolls acoustic rock cover song) – The Laptop Sessions

Jim Fusco — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:32 +0000

Originally posted 2011-05-06 01:47:53.

By Jim Fusco:

Wow, it’s really been two weeks since the last video? Well, if you haven’t seen it, search at the top of the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog for “Elderberry Wine” and you’ll see what I’ve been up to lately! It’s my second video back from a very long four-month absence.

Tonight, I bring you a video that shows you what the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs blog is all about. It’s a song sung by someone with a raspy voice and it’s totally an electric, rockin’ song. So, I took my non-raspy voice, sat down with my Martin acoustic guitar, and put a new twist on this tune!

It’s a song off of the Goo Goo Dolls newest album, “Something for the Rest of Us” from 2010. Let me tell you, it’s a GREAT album. I can’t stop listening to it. Every song is single-worthy. These guys have gotten so good at writing a catchy pop/rock song and it shows on this album. Honestly, I think it’s my favorite from last year. And there were a TON of albums I heard for the first time last year.

I’ve become quite the Goo Goo Dolls fan ever since I first heard some of their songs on WCJM Internet Radio shows. My friend (and former Laptop Sessions contributor) Jeff Copperthite would pick a song for each radio show we did. After a while, I noticed that I liked those songs, so I bought a couple of their older albums from the early 90′s. Now, I have all of their albums and I love them all! Well, I should say that I love all of their “rock” albums. They actually started in the late 80s as a punk band! I have one of those albums (“Jed”) and let me tell you- it ain’t great. It’s hard to believe that just a couple of years later, they came out with my personal favorite, “Superstar Car Wash”. That album is almost 20 years old now, but if you don’t have it (and like the Goo Goo Dolls), it’s really a neccesity.

Tonight’s song is “Say You’re Free”- it’s one of two Robby Takac songs that are on the new album. In fact, that’s about the standard now, as it has been for the last three albums. Back in the earlier days, Robby and Johhny would split the songs. I really liked that format- it seemed like they were trying to outdo each other. Of course, Johnny is the guy who wrote their most famous songs like “Iris”, so I suppose he’s considered the “better” songwriter. But, as we’ve learned from SO many bands here on the music blog, popularity doesn’t necessarily mean greatness. Now, I won’t sit here and say that I’m not a John Rzeznik fan- I absolutely am. But, for some reason, I absolutely love Robby’s songs, too! My favorite from him, other than the new stuff, is “Already There” from Superstar Car Wash- it’s a great tune with some really introspective lyrics. That’s a bit surprising, considering his punk roots and his incredibly raspy voice. Normally, I wouldn’t like that, but I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose. For instance, you can just tell that John Mayer sings like that on purpose, so I can’t stand it. Same with Dylan. But, people like Dennis Wilson and Robby Takac just have raspy voices for one reason or another and can’t sing any other way. That I can deal with.

I chose this song instead of the better tune, “Now I Hear” from the same album because I wanted to hear how this song would come out acoustically. I love the results and I hope it shows how great of a song it is on its own. And, I hope Robby somehow watches this someday- I want him to know that there are fans out there that love his songs and that want even more per album! I hope you enjoy tonight’s Laptop Session and I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with another great new acoustic cover song music video!

“Burnin’ Up” (Goo Goo Dolls Acoustic Cover) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:31:02 +0000

Originally posted 2009-07-02 22:13:57.

By Jeff:
Welcome to your Thumpin’ Thursday edition of The Laptop Sessions – not pre-empted by power failure!

I’ve got a great song tonight that is an album cut from The Goo Goo Dolls. They are another band I pretty much grew up with, and among the few that I have seen in concert more than once.

Tonight’s song is called “Burnin’ Up” and it’s the 2nd track. Robby Takac, their bassist, sings lead on this song. It’s funny that most of the songs that become singles for radio play are sung by their guitarist Johnny Rzeznik. They have even acknowledged that the songs he sings tend to have more commercial appeal. Takac was actually the original lead singer and sang most of the songs all the way through their first 3 albums.

One of the songs I have lined up for the future is actually a song from an even earlier album and it’s a humorous song as well. If you know their catalog, you will get the song right away (and it’d be appropriate for an acoustic cover – i.e. there is no mention of a baseball bat).

I got to go out golfing for the first time this year today, and shot a miserable +15 on a par 3 course. I did par one hole and get a couple of bogeys, but for the most part I played above par golf. I hope I don’t play this bad tomorrow when I play 9 holes at a regular course. I also have to do training for the next two weeks, so I may be uploading some videos early, and writing posts ahead of time. If you enjoy some early previews, be sure to check my youtube channel.

Well that’s it for this week. Seeya next week!

Goo Goo Dolls’ “Hold Me Up” (1990) – Yes, No, or Maybe So

Chris Moore — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:37:16 +0000

Originally posted 2010-12-05 23:26:11.

Goo Goo Dolls’ Hold Me Up (1990) – MAYBE

Hold Me Up (Goo Goo Dolls, 1990)

(October 16, 1990)

Review:

The epitome of a three star album: not a masterpiece, but a solid collection of raw yet concise, grungy rock tracks that are energetic and enjoyable — Takac and Rzeznik splitting lead vocal duties and even sharing a duet is a dynamic arrangement.

Top Two Tracks:

“Two Days in February” & “Laughing”

Goo Goo Dolls’ “Something For the Rest of Us” (2010) – YES, NO, MAYBE SO?

Chris Moore — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:37:07 +0000

Originally posted 2011-01-14 12:00:52.

Goo Goo Dolls’ Something For the Rest of Us (2010) – MAYBE SO

Something For The Rest Of Us (Goo Goo Dolls, 2010)

(August 28, 2010)

Review:

I’d like to believe I can admit when I’m wrong, so I’ll declare it here: Something For the Rest of Us is a finely crafted rock album with big vocal hooks, killer choruses, and beautiful instrumentation, though it still comes across as — if not over-produced — a bit too “epic” at times.

Top Two Tracks:

“Still Your Song” & “Home”

“Laughing” (Goo Goo Dolls acoustic rock cover song) – The Laptop Sessions

Chris Moore — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:30:37 +0000

By Chris Moore:

So, in the middle of the second biggest, busiest weekend of my semester, I decided to record a Laptop Session. A couple years ago, this would have been no surprise, but it’s been a long time since the “session-a-day” workaholic’s regime ruled this blog.

July 26th.

That’s the date I posted my last acoustic cover song music video. I’ve recorded performances of original songs since then, but it’s been since before the premiere of Steven Page’s “Indecision” that I posted a true Laptop Session.

Back in July, I had based my cover on an acoustic performance by Page that a fan had posted on YouTube. That pretty much sums up my working philosophy concerning covers: I’m not on a schedule so much as I’m waiting for the interest to strike. Of course, I keep plenty busy in between writing music reviews and publishing playlists, as well as facilitating the Guest Sessions division of the blog, and I’m happier about my work here than I’ve been in a long time.

Still, there was an appeal to those days when cover songs were the sole focus of our efforts, and we were excited about expanding our repertoires at a breakneck pace.

That being said, I’ve learned fairly recently that the past is a nice place to think about and even visit, but I wouldn’t want to stay.

Today’s session is born out of how pleasantly surprised I was to find how much I like the Goo Goo Dolls’ early nineties work. I’ve been a fan of the band since I first heard “Iris” on the KISS 95.7 morning radio show in early 1998. I remember saving up my allowance so I could pick up the song the next time my parents took us out to the mall. This being before I understood and appreciated albums, I picked up the first CD I could find with “Iris”: the City of Angels soundtrack. (If I remember correctly, Dizzy Up the Girl hadn’t been released yet.) This wasn’t a complete loss, as this is the disc that introduced me to other great songs like Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House,” Eric Clapton’s “Further On Up the Road,” and one of the few U2 songs I truly love, “If God Will Send His Angels.”

Needless to say, I fell even more in love with “Slide” when that was released as the follow-up single. Looking back, I took this time period entirely for granted: excellent rock bands like the Goo Goo Dolls were on the radio all the time and their music videos were being played — sometimes at full length (gasp!) — on MTV. To this day, I can’t listen to “Iris” without imagining clips from the video, like in the tower or under the over pass.

At the end of the day, though, I’ve always felt Dizzy Up the Girl to be an okay album and not much more. There are some outstanding songs — “Broadway” became and remains my favorite song from the album and “Acoustic #3″ is utterly, heartbreakingly beautiful — but there are also a handful of “okay’s” and throwaways. Compared to other albums I was listening to at the time — BnL’s Stunt and Matchbox20′s Yourself or Someone Like You — Dizzy Up the Girl took a back burner, and I never bought a follow-up album. By the time I was old enough to know about and be interested in back catalogs, I had left the Goo Goo Dolls behind.

Fast forward to 2010. Something For the Rest of Us is released, and interestingly, my review of Dizzy Up the Girl could be duplicated here, with only the specific song titles needing to be changed. (For the record, “Still Your Song” is in the running for my favorite GGD song and there are others, like “Sweetest Lie,” that I love.) My friend Mike kept singing the praises of this new album, so I gave it another chance (thus falling in love with the aforementioned songs that I hadn’t paid more than one listen), but the result still falls flat in comparison with his enthusiasm.

Then, Mike, my girlfriend Nicole, and I saw the Goo Goo Dolls in concert.

Several songs into the setlist, something clicked. I finally “get” the Goo Goo Dolls. Unlike Third Eye Blind (another late nineties favorite of mine that promptly faded from my radar when I “got” them and consequently got bored), the Goo Goo Dolls have such depth and energy that I had partially forgotten and partially missed. So, I set out to find albums from their back catalog. The first two I’ve been able to find are 1995′s A Boy Named Goo (discussion of which I will reserve for a future post) and 1990′s Hold Me Up. The latter is such a boneheaded album filled with boneheaded little rock songs like “Laughing,” but I loved it instantly. Almost immediately, I began singing a quieter version of “Laughing” to myself, eventually figured out the chords, and have played it now and then over the past week. Finally, I got the urge to record it today and voila!

It should be noted that I’m rusty and the consequences are as follows: I didn’t comb my hair, I didn’t think to hook up my new USB microphone that I’ve been using to mic sessions for my new album, and I absentmindedly dragged over the nearest item that would hold my cheat sheet at the proper level. The results? I look disheveled, it’s harder to hear me than it should be, and I smelled the vague whiff of cat poop throughout my two takes (turns out the aforementioned item is the cat’s poop bin, moved into the spare room while the bathroom is being worked on).

So, without further ado — and there’s been much ado, many parentheticals, and a slew of sidebars — I bring you my first authentic Laptop Session in over four months. My acoustic arrangement is certain to drum up a compliment or two and a much greater number of grammatically nonsensical rants about my talent (or lack thereof) and sexual orientation, but that’s the only way to know I’m back on the blog!

See you next session!

“Laughing” by the Goo Goo Dolls – Chords & How to Play

Chris Moore — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:51:29 +0000

“Laughing”
The Goo Goo Dolls

C# B A E B
I wake up, I’m staring at the clock; my belly hurts and my head is like a rock.
I get up to see what I can see; furthest I got was my black and white TV.
Eyewitness news brought to you at noon; oh my God guess I got up too soon because…

E A
Oh I feel like laughing
Oh I feel like laughing
Oh I feel like laughing
B A E
all because of you

C# B A E B
I didn’t mean to wear this disguise, but I can’t stand the look in my eyes.
Oh, I didn’t mean to lie; I was doing what I thought was right.
Come on, walk right down the line; you’ll be walking til the end of time because…

E A
Oh, I feel like laughing,
Oh, I feel like laughing,
Oh, I feel like laughing,
B A E
all because of you.

SOLO (over verse chords)

E A
Oh, I feel like laughing,
Oh, I feel like laughing,
Oh, I feel like laughing,
B A E
all because of you.

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **