Broadway by The Goo Goo Dolls

Album: Dizzy Up The Girl (1998)

Charted: 24

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Songfacts®:

This was written by Goo leader John Rzeznik about the neighborhood where he grew up, a "blue-collar, working class" type of place as he called it. In an interview, he stated that it had a church and a bar on every corner, hence the lyrics, "You pray to statues when you sober up for fun."

"There was a strange darkness to the place but also a lot of good," he explained in American Songwriter's Behind The Mic series. "I didn't write it until I had some time away from the people I grew up with. It was a tough place to grow up. It was a neighborhood full of tough guys and I was not a tough guy." >>
Suggestion credit:
Meagan - Monroe Twp, NJ
The Broadway in this song is the one in Buffalo, NY, not in New York City. >>
Suggestion credit:
Zach - Buffalo, NY
Rzeznik sings of a "young man sitting in the old man's bar, waiting for his turn to die." In a 1998 interview, he explained the significance of the lyric: "When I was young, my dad used to take me down to the local bar, prop me up on the barstool, order a drink for himself, and a soda and chips for me. He'd give me a quarter for the pinball machine and sit there and drink. I'd look around and see all these kids who just turned 18, and they were hanging out there, sitting in the same chairs as their fathers. When they were old enough to drink with their dads, they took his place at the bar, carrying on the tradition. I decided I didn't want to be like that."
The Goo Goo Dolls performed this during their appearance on the TV series Charmed in the 2000 episode "Ex Libris."
The Goos' frequent director Nancy Bardawil helmed the music video, which features a factory that churns out pop stars. After being fashioned with wigs and tattoos, the hopefuls go through different levels of training, including learning how to headbang. The guitar Rzeznik plays in the clip ended up being auctioned off at a charity event for around $17,000.
This joined the ranks of hard-rocking band's string of hit ballads, following "Name," "Iris," "Slide," and "Black Balloon." Rzeznik understands why the gentler tunes make the strongest impact. "I think everybody's ballads resonate the most with the widest audience," he told Arizona Republic in 2018. "They kind of tug at people's heartstrings. I get in these moods where I'm just bumming out and I feel fragile. I don't know, I feel the hole inside my heart. And I try to fill it with something, and sometimes sitting there putting it into a song, for me, it's like therapy."
With 4.2 million albums sold in the US,Dizzy Up The Girl remains the band's best-selling album.

Comments: 23

Julie H from Buffalo NyI heard the song was about broadway dark tonight was about all the crime and polish ppl who lived there and was nice place and then crime and broadway not a good place to live now ? That’s wat I heard Stu u rt what I trying to say
Sean from Buffalo NyThis song means a lot to me because it's from my home town.
Jim from Long Beach, CaGreat song."The young man drinking at the old mans bar,waiting for his turn to die.."...really sad. If you are in a dead end town..get out and expierience the world..don't end up like these fatal figures...
Leon from Waterbury, CtI always saw this as a song about alcoholism; more so, how John Rzeznik's father was an alcoholic and now he is as well ("see the young man sitting in the old man's bar, waitin' for his turn to die...").
Michael from Buffalo, NyI think this song means a lot to people from Buffalo. I know it does for me. :)
Caitlin from Sydney, Australiaits about his dad who was an alchoholic "you forget your only son" i think its so sad...
Stu from Buffalo, NyThe Broadway/Fillmore area of Buffalo is full of old Polish bars. Most of the remaining people are trying to preserve what is left of that old area. It can be a very depressing place.

http://broadwayfillmorealive.org/2.0/
Samantha from Fairfield, OhMy favorite part of this song is "see you'd love to run home but you know you ain't got one cause your livin ina world where your best forgotten" It shows how lonely you can be in a world full of people.
Prejean from Carencro, LaThe songs about how much it sucks to work in a factory and how thats all your life becomes. You work, you drink, and then you die.
Jennifer from Pelahm, Almy favorite line in this song is "the cowboy kills the rockstar and friday nights gone to far"
it just has some hidden meaning for me it sort of says that this guy is changing and he's completely letting go of his wild side but that night he decides to " go out with a bang" and thats the friday part
Alice from York, EnglandI love the line 'your anger don't impress me'. Just made me think of all this 'tough' and 'hard' people I know, who at the of the day aren't impressing or convincing anyone.
Seth from Canton, OhI had a live version of this song where Johnny said it was about his hometown. Also, someone told me that it was written in the Broadway bar in Buffalo hence all of the alcohol references.
Rick from Humboldt, IaHilarious mucic video. I love the line "it always rains like hell on the loser's day parade". Beautiful! Another incredible song on "Dizzy Up The Girl" is "All Eyes On Me". I wish there were song facts for that song.
Derek from Bridgeport, WvThe Replacements reference, I think, is right up the alley of this song, which I've always kind of seen as a direct rebuke of former Mats bassist Tommy Stinson.
I figure Rzeznik took all these things from his own background to add depth, but the line "Cowboy kills the rock star, and friday night's gone too far" is dead-on at Stinson, I'm willing to bet.
I remember reading an article about Stinson in which the writer pointed out the he was the true emodiment of rock n roll, rather than the popular pick of Keith Richards. The guy went on to write that, "Richards is a cowboy, he goes back to Gene Autry. Stinson goes back to Johnny Thunders (of New York Dolls)."
Add to the fact that Stinson's first post-replacements album with his band, Bash & Pop was entitled "Friday night is killing me" and you've got a pretty good body of evidence at who this may be pointed at.
The fact that the Goo Goo Dolls opened for the replacements on the band's final tour, and that they are so influnced by them only adds to this liklihood.
Deuce from Salt Lake City, Utwell this is one of my all time favorite songs, and i think i can understand it clearly. i think the theme in the song is ' growing up to fast' with parts like "see the young man sittin in the old mans bar". it just tells u righ there that he was just a young man and now he s already lived the best years of his life and is just "waitin for his turn to die"
John from Levittown, NyNot only do the lyrics echo Here Comes a Regular, by the Replacments, the song sounds similar. I realize the Dolls are Mats' fans, but this is a little much.
Jonie from Alameda, CaTo Jen, from Boulder: If you listen to a happy song, like... *strains* Ehm, something by a pop artist, I guess... it stays the same pace. In Broadway, it's different. The intro's fast and catchy, sure, but as soon as John starts singing it slows a little and quiets down. It picks up again in the verses, but generally everything else except the solo is a smidge slower. That's how it comes off as bitter to me--I don't know about anyone else.
Melissa from Louisville, Kyjohnny and his band came to our state fair back in 2001 and he was so awesome. i was right infront of him and he looked real good
Michelle from Merced, Cathis was my first favorite and now i totally worship the goos
Jen from Boulder, CoI have always liked the lyrics but I find the actual music to this song kind of ironic. Isn't it a little too "uppity"? That's how I feel.
Caitlin from Yardley, PaThis song reflects John's father who was an alcoholic. "You choke down all your anger/Forget your only son" depicts John's feelings about his father.
Katie from Prince George, Canadain the lines "see the young man sittin in the old man's bar waitin for his turn to die" i see - literally- a young guy in a bar who really doesnt think hes got much left of himself in a dead end town ("a little bit weaker than it used to be") with nothing to offer him.
-katie, PG, BC, canada
Sam from Troy, AlIt could be about his neighborhood, but an interview I read said it was about the transition from being a rebel teenager to a regular middle aged person, which would explain lines such as "the cowboy kills the rockstar.."

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