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

Release

After Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen signed the band to their then-newly formed record label DreamWorks, "Novocaine for the Soul" brought Eels international success, most notably in the United Kingdom, where it hit number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1997. It also hit number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for two weeks in October 1996, and remained on the chart for 25 weeks. In Australia, "Novocaine for the Soul" peaked at number 84 in October 1996. The song was featured in the television shows Trigger Happy TV, My Mad Fat Diary, and Five Bedrooms, the films Berlin Blues, Mean Creek and Dream for an Insomniac, and a trailer for the 2001 film Novocaine.

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.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Covers