Novocaine for the Soul

"Novocaine for the Soul"
Single by Eels
from the album Beautiful Freak
Released	July 1996
Length	3:08
Label	DreamWorks
Songwriters	Mark Oliver Everett Mark Goldenberg
Producer	Mark Oliver Everett
Eels singles chronology
"Novocaine for the Soul" (1996) "Susan's House" (1997)
Music video
"Novocaine for the Soul" on YouTube

"Novocaine for the Soul" is a song by American rock band Eels. It was released in mid-July 1996 as the lead single from their debut album, Beautiful Freak . The song charted in several countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

Background

Discussing the song's subject matter in 1996, Eels frontman E said, "Part of my problem is with intimacy. 'Novocaine for the Soul' sounds detached because it's about detachment. That's what I think is so great about that song, and on that level I think it's almost genius. It's detachment personified. I'm singing about numbness and I'm numb. It's about having too much feeling." ^[1]

Release

After Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen signed the band to their then-newly formed record label DreamWorks Records, "Novocaine for the Soul" brought Eels international success, most notably in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1997. ^[2] It also reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for two weeks in October 1996, and remained on the chart for 25 weeks. ^[3] In Australia, "Novocaine for the Soul" peaked at number 84 in October 1996. ^[4]

Music video

The music video was directed by Mark Romanek and features E and the other band members suspended on wires, making them appear to be flying. The video was nominated for two MTV Music Video Awards for Best Cinematography in a Video Jeff Cronenweth and Best Special Effects in a Video Ash Beck.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Novocaine for the Soul"	Mark Oliver Everett Mark Goldenberg	3:08
2.	"Guest List"	Everett	3:13
3.	"My Beloved Monster" (live from Tennessee)	Everett	2:13
4.	"Fucker"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1996–1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [4] 84 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [5] 76 Canada Rock/Alternative ( RPM ) [6] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [7] 90 Scotland Singles (OCC) [8] 7 UK Singles (OCC) [2] 10 US Radio Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 39 US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [3] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM) [10] 25 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) [11] 23 Chart (1997) Position UK Singles (OCC) [12] 200

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [13]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	July 1996	Mainstream rock modern rock radio	DreamWorks	[14]
	September 17, 1996	Contemporary hit radio		[15]
United Kingdom	February 3, 1997	7-inch vinyl CD cassette		[16]

Covers

• Portugal. The Man featuring Sir Chloe, released September 2021 (packaged as a single with a cover of Len's "Steal My Sunshine" featuring Cherry Glazerr on the other side)

See also

• Number one modern rock hits of 1996
• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)

References

1. "PainspottingEel". Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
2. "Official Singles Chart on 15/2/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
3. "Eels Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard . Retrieved August 7, 2017.
4. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9929". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
6. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9923". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
7. "Eels – Novocaine for the Soul" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 15/2/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
9. "Eels Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved May 26, 2021.
10. "RPM Year End Top Alternative Top 50". RPM . Retrieved May 26, 2021– via Library and Archives Canada.
11. "This Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard . Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-78. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
12. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1997" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
13. "British single certifications – Eels – Novocaine for the Soul". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved January 6, 2024.
14. "New Releases". Airplay Monitor . Vol. 3, no. 30. July 19, 1996. p. 1.
15. "Selected New Releases". Radio & Records . No. 1163. September 13, 1996. p. 42.
16. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . February 1, 1997. p. 31.

External links

• Novocaine for the Soul at MusicBrainz (list of releases)