View source for 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 (album)|Lifeblood]]
| B-side     =
* "All Alone Here"
* "No Jubilees"
* "Litany"
| released   = 10 January 2005
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = <!-- Do not add unsourced genres -->
| length     = 4:09
| label      = [[Sony Music UK]]
| writer     = [[Nicky Wire]], [[James Dean Bradfield]] and [[Sean Moore (musician)|Sean Moore]]
| producer   = [[Greg Haver]]
| prev_title = [[The Love of Richard Nixon]]
| prev_year  = 2004
| next_title = [[Underdogs (song)|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 Records|Epic]] as the second and final single taken from their seventh studio album, ''[[Lifeblood (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, 2001 attacks|September 11 attacks]].<ref name="Power">{{cite book |last=Power |first=Martin |title=Manic Street Preachers |date=17 October 2010 |publisher=Omnibus Press}}</ref>

The single edit features a lyric that was changed from the album version. The chorus line on the album version runs "collapsing like the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|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.<ref name="clarke">Martin Clarke, ''Manic Street Preachers: Sweet Venom'' (Plexus, 2009).</ref>

==Music video==
The music video for the song sees the band separated throughout, only to meet up at the end after treks through various parts of [[Berlin]], [[Germany]].<ref name="Power"/>

==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 (album)|Lifeblood]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=17|date=8 January 2005}}</ref> The single reached number two on the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref name="UK chart">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20086/MANIC%20STREET%20PREACHERS/ |title=Manic Street Preachers <nowiki>|</nowiki> Official Charts Company |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=12 April 2015}}</ref> missing out on becoming the 1,000th number one in UK chart history to the latest in a series of [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]] number-one single re-issues making the top of the charts at the time.<ref name="clarke"/>

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 (poet)|Patrick Jones]], who made similar short videos for album tracks such as "1985".<ref name="clarke"/>

==Track listings==
'''UK CD1'''<ref>{{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}}</ref>
# "Empty Souls"
# "All Alone Here"

'''UK CD2'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Empty Souls|others=Manic Street Preachers|year=2005|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Sony Music UK|id=675610 2}}</ref>
# "Empty Souls"
# "No Jubilees"
# "Litany"
# "Empty Souls" (video)

'''UK DVD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Empty Souls|others=Manic Street Preachers|year=2005|type=UK DVD single liner notes|publisher=Sony Music UK|id=675610 9}}</ref>
# "Empty Souls" (video)
# ''Dying Breeds'' (short film)
# "Failure Bound"

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2005)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/00s/2005/BB-2005-01-29.pdf|title=Hits of the World – Eurocharts|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|volume=117|issue=5|page=55|date=29 January 2005|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>
|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:2004 songs]]
[[Category:2005 singles]]
[[Category:Manic Street Preachers songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by James Dean Bradfield]]
[[Category:Songs written by Nicky Wire]]
[[Category:Songs written by Sean Moore (musician)]]
[[Category:Sony Music UK singles]]