Slide into the Goo Goo Dolls' 13 best songs ahead of the Missouri State Fair

Few musical bonds have lasted like that of Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac. And few bands have as consistent a catalog as Goo Goo Dolls.

The rock lifers from Buffalo, New York, know who they are — after taking a few albums to land on an identity — and continue creating radio-ready anthems at the place where hope stares down the odds, then keeps on hoping.

The band will share a great Missouri State Fair double bill next month with The Fray. In advance of the show, I spent time with every Goo Goo Dolls album, emerging with 13 favorite tracks.

13. "Just the Way You Are" (from 1990's "Hold Me Up")

Thundering chords and metal punctuation set Rzeznik up for an early high note, heart stitched into his sleeve. Gliding guitars and Takac's bounding bassline give "Just the Way You Are" serious propulsion, buoying this ode to an unsinkable lover.

12. "Long Way Down" (from 1995's "A Boy Named Goo")

You hear the Goos twining sides of their sound, working out their vibe in real time, on a cut with a classic-rock crunch and beautiful melancholy. The call-and-response chorus lends momentum and documents the strength of the Rzeznik-Takac bond. Bonus points for the killer guitar solo.

11. "Black Balloon" (from 1998's "Dizzy Up the Girl")

This Top 20 hit typifies material from the band's most successful album: there's just enough nuance to feel personal, just enough bombast to reach the back of a venue. Here, the Goo Goo Dolls bend a cornerstone of alternative rock (quiet verse, loud chorus) toward more polished formats.

10. "Naked" (from "A Boy Named Goo")

The Goos often turn blue collars toward the Buffalo chill, evoking their forerunners in the Replacements; and their affection for the Minnesota 'Mats shines through this perfectly catchy, perfectly sour anthem.

9. "Stay With You" (from 2006's "Let Love In")

Rzeznik's chorus vocal beautifully makes a statement in his lower register, before he revisits the same sentiment with notes that fly toward the rafters. Takac and then-drummer Mike Malinin drive the beat, finding the sweet spot where contrast becomes a gift.

8. "Dizzy" (from "Dizzy Up the Girl")

This album opener feels like the most unsung single on "Dizzy Up the Girl" — the namesake track both sets the table and stands alone, with an impossibly soaring chorus fulfilling promises made by heavy '90s guitar tone.

7. "Here is Gone" (from 2002's "Gutterflower")

While not the greatest Goo Goo Dolls single, "Here is Gone" arrived as an arrow — the Goos would be traveling the same musical direction they established on "Dizzy Up the Girl" — and a summary of what makes their singles great. And that's not a bad thing; the confidence here is its own compliment.

6. "Better Days" (from "Let Love In")

Is this a piano-led power ballad? A rock anthem for Christmas? A simple down payment on future hope? Yes. Credit Rzeznik and Co.: the song never trips on the potential pitfalls of those categories, but finds the "better" nature of them all.

5. "Think it Over" (from 2019's "Miracle Pill")

Late-period Beatles strings and robust chorus vocals sell the vibe here, cooperating to frame a hymn to regret that you can't help rooting for.

4. "Slide" (from "Dizzy Up the Girl")

Unplanned pregnancies, shotgun proposals, and the dogged hope true love wins out, all set here to guitar arpeggios saying everything Rzeznik can't. This is a Bruce Springsteen song if Mary and her "Thunder Road" beau grew up on '80s metal and power pop.

3. "Iris" (from "Dizzy Up the Girl")

Just a third-place finish for "Iris"? I know, I know. Read on to see how this is less a slight to the smash hit, more an act of abiding affection for two other cuts. Still, this string-laden slow dance is the perfect song for those of us who feel too much — a compliment I'm certain the Goo Goo Dolls would take as such.

2. "Name" (from "A Boy Named Goo")

The ballad which launched the Goos past unsung status gorgeously twines nostalgia, heartache and a desire to stand up for someone else when standing up feels nearly impossible. "A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio" might be the Johnny Rzeznik line.

1. "Acoustic #3" (from "Dizzy Up the Girl")

Among my inconsequential music hot takes, here is the hottest and most inconsequential: This 1 minute, 56 seconds of music is the best thing the Goo Goo Dolls ever recorded.

The tender song-as-sketch perfectly expresses the band's aesthetic heart, and this stanza might as well reconcile all the broken romanticism of their catalog:

"Your voice is small and fadingAnd you hide in here unknownAnd your mother loves your father'Cause she's got nowhere to go"

The Goo Goo Dolls play the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia Aug. 10 with The Fray; tickets are $60-$70. Visit https://www.mostatefair.com/ for more information.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Goo Goo Dolls headed to Missouri State Fair. Here are 13 best songs