Warner Records Inc.
Release Date: June 23rd 2023
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Goo Goo Dolls – Run All Night – Single (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Run All Night
I wrote a blog about the Goo Goo Dolls in August 2020, stating their relevance, influence and importance in modern music history. It was perhaps one of the most out-of-left-field artists I listened to at that moment in time (right now, I’d have to say that one of the most out-of-left-field artists [genre-wise] I listened to, and actually thoroughly enjoyed, would have to be artists like Jackie Evancho, Nickelback & Concrete Castles), in a very, very good way. Johnny Rzeznik and Robbie Takac have created a career that has reminded us of what it means to traverse the line of rock, and radio accessibility. While the band has moved from more of an indie-punk/rock band in their early days, to more of a radio-friendly pop-rock band of today (sort of similar to the transition of music of Sanctus Real over the years); the Goo Goo Dolls nevertheless are still some of the few bands out there that really stand out in all the right ways- creating songs that delve deep into the meaning of life, love and everything in between, all the while keeping up with the music game and presenting songs that the generation of now can still connect with. It was their 2019 album Miracle Pill that made me become a fan of the band- Miracle Pill was unveiled to us in September 2019, and once again in June 2020 (the former a standard 11 track edition of the album, and the latter, a deluxe 14 track collection). Over the years I have unveiled more than a few reviews of Goo Goo Dolls albums since upon hearing Miracle Pill– I reviewed Miracle Pill: Deluxe Edition, and once again reviewed their Christmas album It’s Christmas All Over. I also reviewed their acoustic EP EP 21 that released in May 2021, alongside a review of their Rarities album that was unveiled in June 2021. In August 2022, a follow-up to Miracle Pill was released- Chaos in Bloom was reviewed for this site here, with standout tracks like ‘Yeah, I Like You’, ‘Save Me From Myself’, ‘Superstar’ and ‘You Are the Answer’, to name a few. Fast forward to 2023 and we see another Goo Goo Dolls musical offering, arguably one of Johnny’s best, thematically and lyrically. Whether it is part of a bigger project or just a standalone single remains to be seen, but regardless, their new song ‘Run All Night’ is good just the same. On the whole, I’ve grown to love Goo Goo Dolls– albums like Boxes, Miracle Pill, Something For the Rest of Us, Let Love In and Dizzy Up the Girl are just some of the albums that I’ve heard from the band, that has impacted my own journey in rediscovering what it means for mainstream music being used by the Lord to bring people closer to each other and closer to Him in the process. And their new song ‘Run All Night’ is no different.
Standing at a tad below 5 minutes, Johnny and Robbie deliver a heartfelt song full of emotion, poignancy, compelling moments of realisation, as well as a sense of direction, as they encourage listeners of their music to ‘…don’t let your dreams die young, don’t let your heart go numb, ’cause all we got is just one life, you better run all night, better run all night, so let’s burn so bright while we’re still alive, and on this long, lonely mile, we better run all night, better run all night…’ A motivational song through and through, there’s this motif and metaphor of running all throughout the track- we as listeners are urged to ‘run all night’. While that may not necessarily be a physical metaphor, what we may understand is this- that as we live this life, we ought to run towards the things that we know will matter to us in the end, be encouraged to pursue our dreams and to run towards the goal ahead, never looking back or even to the left or the right, but rather, eyes fixed ahead onto what we know is waiting before us. As Johnny himself relays, ‘…”Run All Night” is about escaping from your circumstances, and finding hope in the wild unknown of the night…’ A song to help us propel ourselves forward as we drive with purpose, ambition and intentionality, this is a must for anyone who seems a little ‘stuck’ with their mundaneness of life in general. Well done Johnny & Robbie for this track. Can’t wait to see how this song resonates with people, in the upcoming weeks and months ahead.
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Sanctus Real, Lifehouse, Matchbox Twenty, Daughtry, Echosmith