Iris was written by Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik for the 1998 film City of Angels, starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan, and released as part of the film's soundtrack. The song became one of the band's biggest hits, reaching a wide audience through radio and the film itself, and it has remained a staple of nineties rock ever since. Its opening lines about seeing the world through another person's eyes helped make it a lasting choice for emotional scenes, and short clips now circulate widely in edits, tributes, and nostalgic videos online.