‘90s Rock Icon Wows With A Cappella Version of 28-Year-Old Classic
- - ‘90s Rock Icon Wows With A Cappella Version of 28-Year-Old Classic
Geca FloresJanuary 8, 2026 at 3:01 AM
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John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls delivered a different kind of throwback that had fans buzzing with nostalgia and awe.
For almost four decades since their debut, the alternative rock band has released a slew of notable and timeless songs that continue to resonate with fans to this day.
Thanks to social media, the band has found a new generation of listeners, with Gen Z rediscovering their classic hits, one of which is the 1998 song “Iris.”
During Rzeznik’s guest appearance on Genius, the iconic frontman broke down the story behind the chart-topping track.
Interestingly, as he spilled the details regarding the 28-year-old hit song, he accompanied it with a stripped-down version, giving fans a raw and captivating rendition of “Iris.”
John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls performs at "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" 2026.
Fans were swooning over Rzeznik’s powerful vocals, which brought new depth and emotion to the classic track.
“Your voice makes me [melting face emoji href="https://parade.com/living/emoji-meanings"] every time @johnrzeznikggd,” one wrote.
“The best!! Johnny can sing and sound perfect without even any music!” a follower added.
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“This song will never get old and sounds better acoustic,” a commenter said.
The same goes for another who praised the lead singer, saying, “Wow, John Rzeznik has a good singing voice.”
“Puuure voice. Wonderful!” another added.
“Whoa, just being raw and singing on the spot is so powerful. Shivers running down my spine!” a fan echoed.
A social media user also pointed out, saying, “And he still kills it flawlessly!!!”
Meanwhile, fans also flooded the comment section, marveling at the emotional power of ‘Iris’ lyrics.
According to Rzeznik, the song was created for the movie City of Angels, starring Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage.
It was after Rzeznik received a message from his manager requesting that he try to write a song for the then-upcoming movie.
“I was watching it and there was one particular scene where they were like ‘we want you to write something for this,’” he recalled. “This guy is an angel. He is immortal. He is willing to give up that immortality because he has never felt and he wants to see what it feels like to be a human. He falls in love with this human but he has to make a beautiful leap. I just thought that was a beautiful thing.”
The pivotal scene shows Angel Seth (Cage) observing Dr. Maggie (Ryan) performing heart surgery, a moment that awakens his profound love for her and desire for connection.
The Goo Goo Dolls frontman also revealed the “main reason” why he wanted to do the song for the movie.
According to him, he was “really, really excited” to get it on the soundtrack because of the lineup of big artists participating, including U2 and Alanis Morissette.
“I just wanna get it slotted in there so I can be on the same album as these icons,” he explained. “It's weird because we turned out to be the dark horse and won that race.”
Related: '90s Rock Band Reacts After 28-Year-Old Song Is Played as Final Track at NFL Stadium
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
