Released October 10, 2005 Recorded 2005 Length 3:50 | Format CD Genre Indie rock, indie pop Label Atlantic | |
"Soul Meets Body" is a song by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the first single from their fifth album, Plans, released on October 10, 2005.
Contents
It was their debut single released on Atlantic Records, and it has become the band's second highest charting single in the United States. The song peaked at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The song is certified as gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping over 500,000 copies.
Release
Before it had been officially released the song was leaked onto the internet by an unknown source, to which guitarist Chris Walla stated positively in response: "I love it. The more anarchy we can give to the record industry, the better." "Soul Meets Body" charted for 14 weeks in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 5, and 18 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 60.
Critical reception
"Soul Meets Body" was received to mostly positive reviews from critics. It was described as having a "haunting, slow drawl" by Caitlin Petrakovitz of The Daily Aztec, whilst Elisa Bray of The Independent said that the song is "one of their best melodies" and said the lyrics, "a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere", sums up the effect of the song on its listener.
Tom Woods of MusicOMH, said features such as "jangling acoustic guitar strumming throughout, and a wonderfully upbeat rhythm accompanying lyrics of loss and wonderment" gave the song a "distinct" resemblance to REM's song, "Losing My Religion". Virgin Media, however, said the song was "slightly academic indie with a hint of Idlewild and Snow Patrol about it".
Drowned in Sound writer, Mike Diver, stated that "Soul Meets Body" has "tender, lovelorn lyrics that anyone over the age of ten can relate to coupled with the kind of shimmering indie-pop that a thousand imitators have failed to fully master [...] It says both everything to the listener and a whole lot of nothing at all, its perception entirely dependent on the type of ear bending its way." Diver finished the review by describing the song as being "sourced from a central vein yielding little else of value", an element that "leaves a bitter aftertaste that lingers long after the sound of silence settles."
Usage in media
In the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, "Soul Meets Body" plays during season 1 episode "The Wedding".
In the show The O.C., it's used in the beginning of episode 2 season 3 "[The Shape of Things to Come]".
Track listing
- "Soul Meets Body"
- "Jealousy Rides with Me"
Covers
Catie Curtis covered the song on her 2008 album Sweet Life and operatic soprano Renée Fleming on her 2010 album Dark Hope.