"Black Balloon" is a song by American rock band

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sound, ...

. It was released in June 1999 as the fourth single from the band's sixth studio album, ''

Dizzy Up the Girl ''Dizzy Up the Girl'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Goo Goo Dolls, released on September 22, 1998 through Warner Bros. Records. The album is often noted for being the album which propelled the Goo Goo Dolls into success, ...

'' (1998), and reached number three in Canada, number 16 in the United States and number 23 in Iceland.

Meaning and composition

The song, according to lead singer

John Rzeznik John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (; born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums. Early life Rzeznik w ...

, is based on a woman who is struggling with a

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

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 as to the exact subject matter of the song has also been attributed to the ex-wife of bassist

Robby Takac Robert Carl Takac Jr. (born September 30, 1964) is an American rock bassist and vocalist. Takac is one of the founding members of the Goo Goo Dolls, along with Johnny Rzeznik. Background Takac was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in the Buf ...

(who had overdosed on heroin). 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 A power chord (also fifth chord) is a colloquial name for a chord in guitar music, especially electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly played on amp ...

. It was half-stepped on the album version.

Chart performance

The track reached number 13 and number 28 on the US ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

and

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

charts, respectively. "Black Balloon" was the band's first commercially released single in the US since "

Name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

" in 1995, reaching number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with its combined sales and airplay figures. In Canada, the song reached number three on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles 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 number 23 in the former country and number 76 in the latter.

Music video

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

Live performances

During live performances of the song, fans can often be seen inflating black balloons and batting them around in the crowd.

Track listings

US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single # "Black Balloon" (radio remix) – 4:09 # "

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" (live version) – 3:33 Australian CD single # "Black Balloon" # " Lazy Eye" # "

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

" (remix) # "Flat Top" UK CD single # "Black Balloon" (radio edit) – 3:59 # "Black Balloon" (album version) – 4:10 # "Naked" – 3:44 European CD single # "Black Balloon" (radio edit) – 3:59 # "Naked" – 3:44

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1998 songs 1999 singles Black-and-white music videos Edel AG singles Goo Goo Dolls songs Hollywood Records singles Song recordings produced by Rob Cavallo Songs about heroin Songs written by John Rzeznik Warner Records singles