Sympathy

Goo Goo Dolls singer Johnny Rzeznik wrote this heartfelt acoustic rock track during a dark period in his life when he was trying and failing to overcome his alcoholism. Looking back at the tune in a 2020 Behind The Mic episode with American Songwriter, Rzeznik said he regards "Sympathy" as a prequel to the 2016 Boxes single "So Alive."

Rzeznik was hesitant to address his demons so openly. Before Gutterflower hit the shelves, he confessed to the Los Angeles' Daily News: "The hardest thing to relate to is yourself. It's the most frightening thing to make an honest statement about yourself and put it out for the world to scrutinize. That's a dangerous place, but I have faith in myself and my music. If I get hammered, I don't care. I'll get up and walk away."

In 2019, Rzeznik still counted the track among one of his proudest songwriting achievements. "I'm proud of 'Sympathy' because it's the most honest, autobiographical thing that I ever wrote," he told American Songwriter. "I am proud that I kept it simple on the record. It could have easily turned into an overblown ballad but I thought it would take away from the real meaning of the song."