Just because the Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik has made the move into soundtrack songwriting-a genre popularized in recent years by such artists as Randy Newman, Elton John (news), and Phil Collins (news)-it doesn’t mean he changed his ways.
Rzeznik says that he made that clear when he was first approached by producers to write what became “I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme),” the key song from the soundtrack to Treasure Planet.
“They called me and, you know, at first I was a little apprehensive about it because I was, like, ‘You know, I can’t write show tunes and I won’t.’ But then they were, like, ‘No, no, no, we don’t want you to. We want you to write what you write.’ And I was like, ‘OK, cool.'”
Rzeznik admits that he was surprised that anything ever came of his submission. “I fully expected to just submit my tape and have them go, ‘Yeah, well, thanks a lot, but no.’ And that didn’t happen, which blew my mind.”
“I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme)” is Rzeznik’s first solo effort since forming the Goo Goo Dolls 16 years ago. It appears on the soundtrack to Treasure Planet, which arrives November 19 from Walt Disney Records. The album also features the Rzeznik-penned “Always Know Where You Are,” as performed by British pop trio BBMak.
The movie, a sci-fi interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, opens November 27.
