Goo Goo Dolls: Iris

Goo Goo Dolls
Iris
Featured on the Dizzy Up the Girl

Iris goes on my top 10 greatest songs of all time. Beethoven look out, here come the Goo Goo Dolls.
From a music analysis standpoint, Iris is very simplistic harmonically. It is strophic with 3 verses and a chorus. With the knowledge of three chords, Dmaj Amaj and Gmaj, (or I, V, IV), one can play the majority of the song. It might be of interest that the atypical chord progression that defines this piece is I V IV. Weird. It does give Iris unique feel, allowing for normal clichés to be more accented. One may also note the Do Re Mi walking baseline that is played at the beginning of every phrase.
The interest in this song doesn't lie in it's harmonic interest. Instead it lies in it's amazing lyrics. One wonders what the hell pop composers are thinking about when they right their lyrics. I always get feelings of longing, introspection, love, and introverted-ness when I hear Iris.
Along with the lyrics comes the unforgettable melody. Goo Goo Dolls do such an excellent job of synthesizing the verbal meaning of the lyrics with the aural meaning of the melody. The density of instrumentation builds until the guitar solo climax, incorporating the color of the violin into the mixture with great affect, and then disappearing into nothingness mirror the emotions of the singer.