Soul Meets Body

"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.

"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 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.[1]

The song is certified as 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 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.[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]

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
  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
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 60
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks[13] 32
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[14] 5
U.S. Billboard Pop 100[15] 86

Year-end charts
Chart (2006) Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[16] 39

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 40,000
United States (RIAA)[18] Gold 500,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Covers

Catie Curtis covered the song on her 2008 album Sweet Life and operatic soprano Renée Fleming on her 2010 album Dark Hope.

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. 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. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  13. "Soul Meets Body – Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart position". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  14. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  15. "Soul Meets Body – Pop 100 chart position". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  16. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  17. "Canadian single certifications – Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body". Music Canada. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  18. "American single certifications – Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 17, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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