On The Lie

Huh, I really don't understand this song. It's good though. :)

i cant believe like nobody has commented on this song...i absoutley love it....it took me a while to get used 2 it but the lyrics are AMAZING like: "he said i'd hang and swap cliches all night but i'm not in love with you" and "he said that Jesus Christ was just like a cap you know you never know when they'll come. she said every day above ground was another dream come true." the lyrics are just so clever its amazing.. but what does the song really mean?? that im not sure of, but the unsureness kinda gives the song a meaning to me...if that makes any sense at all... peace

SPLcop

This is one of my favorite songs. I have it on their compilation album, "What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce". It's also on "Superstar Car Wash". This song is from 1993, back when they weren't as popular and were crazier. What's interesting about EOAC is that the congs are in order from the most recent at that time ("Dizzy Up the Girl") all the way back to 1987 with their self-titled debut album. As you go further back into their career, you notice many things. The songs become much more hard rock and such (many of Robbie's songs still retain the hard rock qualities). You can even hear Johnny's voice regress back to that of an angry, big-haired teenager enjoying the advantages of the greatest career track any kid could imagine (traces of big hair may still be observed on Robby). His music goes from plees to a girl he cares about to get her act together (All Eyes On Me) to meaningless angry teenage anthems like Up Yours.

I love the Goo Goo Dolls, but I am very thankfull that they've grown up since Jed. Sure, some songs like Iris and Slide were probably calculated to fit snugly in the radio top 40, but we can forgive them for that because that's how most of us discovered them. (don't get upset at me because I didn't know of them until they went mainstream. It's not my fault, I wasn' alive when they released their first 2 albums). EOAC is a necessity for anyone just getting into GGD. It's not a Greatist Hits album, by the way, it's practically the opposite.

So, about the song. Superstar carwash was a major steppingstone in their aforementioned transition. That's apparent in some of it's great songs such as this one. It's fast-paced with a great hard guitar solo near the end. He's not screaming cuss words and blatant insults. He's definitley making jabs at some things most people do and Hollywood, but it's done much better. He makes jokes and turns a girl's pathetic attempt to impress or woo him against her. He seems to give up on the jokes when he gets to Hollywood, but the lyrics and rhyme work well so it's better he didn't try to force a joke.

Most of Johnny's songs can't really be summarized into meaning any one thing. Not to mention, most of the meaning can be found in the music and his voice, too. If you've ever seen them perform a song live, you know how it just brings everything home.

This song comes off as just a shot at life and all the things about it that he's sick of. It's not angry or screaming, though. It's much calmer and accepting of the fact that you could revolutionize the whole world, but you can never change basic human nature. He seems mellow and very over it, laid back and sarcastic. it's a look-back on adolesence: "And I never got serious/Til everything went black./And I ain't so curious/About ever going back." He sees mistakes he made and his silly behavior in these other people, but merely watches and responds cynically to their predictable behavior. He knows they'll get over it eventually.

Meaning of "On the Lie"? I'm not really sure. Teenage idols these days encourage teens to rebel against their parents and high school, despite how good or bad they are to them. They tell them to question everything incessently except, of course, the idols themselves. They create this cult-like world where "If you do what my lyrics say, you'll be unique and your life will suddenly have purpose". These kids are conforming to and living on this lie, being just like everyone else their age, but thinking they're doing the exact opposite.

I think this song is about a lot of different things in life.. The crazy happenings and what not.

And I never got serious Til everything went black. And I ain't so curious That I'm ever going back. On the lie.

I think the chorus here is him saying that he never took life serious until things got really bad, and that he isn't curious enough to venture back into the old life. On the lie... not sure what that means, I think it's some sort of fence between a bad life and a good one.

I love the line about Hollywood. LOL

the hollywood line is awesome!