Black Balloon (Goo Goo Dolls song)

"Black Balloon" is a song recorded by the Goo Goo Dolls. It was released in June 1999 as the fourth single from the band's 1998 album, "Dizzy Up the Girl", 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, is based on a woman who is struggling with a heroin 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 (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. It was half-stepped on the album version.
Music video.
The video for the song opens with a woman blowing smoke into a soap bubble (a "black balloon"). The video then changes focus and shows various scenes from a 1950s or 1960s era swim club while the band performs the song.
Tracy Phillips is found in this video as well. The video was done by Nancy Bardwell.
During live performances of the song, fans can often be seen inflating black balloons and batting them around in the crowd.
Chart performance.
The track was moderately successful at rock radio, reaching number 13 and number 28 on "Billboard"'s Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively. It also became the fourth pop hit for the band, reaching number 16 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In Canada, the song reached number three on the "RPM" Top Singles chart, giving the Goo Goo Dolls their fourth top-three hit in that country. Outside North America, the song only managed to chart in the United Kingdom in February 2000, debuting at number 76 then falling out of the top 100 the next week.
Track listing.
United States release
United Kingdom release
Australia release