Soul Meets Body

"Soul Meets Body" is a song by American indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the first single from their fifth album, Plans, released on October 10, 2005.

"Soul Meets Body"
Single by Death Cab for Cutie
from the album Plans
ReleasedOctober 10, 2005
Recorded2005
Genre
Length3:50
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Ben Gibbard
Producer(s)Chris Walla
Death Cab for Cutie singles chronology
"Title and Registration"
(2004)		 "Soul Meets Body"
(2005)		 "Crooked Teeth"
(2006)

It was their debut single released on Atlantic Records, and it became the band's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 60. The song also peaked at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.[1] The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping over 500,000 copies.[2]

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."[3] "Soul Meets Body" charted for 26 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.[1][4]

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.[5][6]

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".[7] Virgin Media, however, said the song was "slightly academic indie with a hint of Idlewild and Snow Patrol about it".[8]

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."[9]

Track listing
  1. "Soul Meets Body"
  2. "Jealousy Rides with Me"

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[10] 22
Scotland (OCC)[11] 82
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 125
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[13] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 60
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15] 1
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[16] 32
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[17] 5

Year-end charts
Chart (2006) Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[18] 39

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Gold 40,000
United States (RIAA)[20] Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Soul Meets Body – Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart position". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  2. "American certifications – Death Cab for Cutie – Soul Meets Body". Recording Industry Association of America.
  3. Bendary, Jennifer (October 24, 2005). "Movin' on Up (Without Sellin' on Out): An Interview with Death Cab for Cutie". PopMatters. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  4. "Soul Meets Body – Billboard Hot 100 chart position". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  5. Petrakovitz, Caitlin (July 7, 2008). "Live And Dangerous: Why does Cutie need a Death Cab anyway?". The Daily Aztec. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  6. Bray, Elisa (July 24, 2008). "Death Cab For Cutie, Koko, London". The Independent. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  7. Woods, Tom. "Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body (Atlantic)". MusicOMH.com. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  8. "Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body review". Virgin Media. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  9. Diver, Mike. "Death Cab For Cutie: Soul Meets Body". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  10. "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). p. 63. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  11. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  12. "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 DJ S – The System Of Life". zobbel.de. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  13. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  14. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  15. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  16. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  18. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  19. "Canadian single certifications – Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body". Music Canada. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  20. "American single certifications – Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
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