Empty Souls
{{Short description|2005 single by Manic Street Preachers}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Empty Souls
| cover = EmptySouls.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Manic Street Preachers
| album = Lifeblood
| B-side =
- "All Alone Here"
- "No Jubilees"
- "Litany"
| released = 10 January 2005
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 4:09
| label = Sony Music UK
| writer = Nicky Wire, James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore
| producer = Greg Haver
| prev_title = The Love of Richard Nixon
| prev_year = 2004
| next_title = Underdogs
| next_year = 2007
}}
"Empty Souls" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in January 2005 by record label Epic as the second and final single taken from their seventh studio album, Lifeblood. The song debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 18 in Ireland.
Content
"Empty Souls" is said to be the political response from the band in relation to the September 11 attacks.{{cite book |last=Power |first=Martin |title=Manic Street Preachers |date=17 October 2010 |publisher=Omnibus Press}}
The single edit features a lyric that was changed from the album version. The chorus line on the album version runs "collapsing like the Twin Towers", but for the single it was changed to "collapsing like dying flowers". The backing vocals can still be heard to sing the original line, although this may have been kept in by mistake.Martin Clarke, Manic Street Preachers: Sweet Venom (Plexus, 2009).
Music video
Release
"Empty Souls" was released on 10 January 2005 by record label Epic as the second and final single from the band's seventh studio album, Lifeblood.{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=17|date=8 January 2005}} The single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart,{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20086/MANIC%20STREET%20PREACHERS/ |title=Manic Street Preachers
The DVD version of the single features two new songs which are both sung entirely by the band's bassist, Nicky Wire. The music for "Dying Breeds" is also entirely written by him, and the music for "Failure Bound" is the track "No Jubilees" played backwards. The video for "Dying Breeds" was directed by Wire's brother Patrick Jones, who made similar short videos for album tracks such as "1985".
Track listings
UK CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=Empty Souls|others=Manic Street Preachers|year=2005|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=Sony Music UK|id=675610 1}}
- "Empty Souls"
- "All Alone Here"
- "Empty Souls"
- "No Jubilees"
- "Litany"
- "Empty Souls" (video)
- "Empty Souls" (video)
- Dying Breeds (short film)
- "Failure Bound"
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2005) !Peak |
| scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/00s/2005/BB-2005-01-29.pdf|title=Hits of the World – Eurocharts|magazine=Billboard|volume=117|issue=5|page=55|date=29 January 2005|access-date=2 April 2020}}
|4 |
|---|
| {{singlechart|Ireland2|18|song=Empty Souls|rowheader=true|access-date=2 April 2020}} |
| {{singlechart|Scotland|5|date=20050122|rowheader=true|access-date=2 April 2020}} |
| {{singlechart|UK|2|date=20050122|rowheader=true|access-date=2 April 2020}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://drownedinsound.com/releases/6392/reviews/10986-manic-street-preachers-empty-souls Drowned in Sound review of the single] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617200022/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/6392/reviews/10986-manic-street-preachers-empty-souls|date=17 June 2021}}
{{Manic Street Preachers}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Manic Street Preachers songs
Category:Songs written by James Dean Bradfield
Category:Songs written by Nicky Wire