| Who Will Save Your Soul | |
| Cover: | Who Will Save Your Soul Commercial US cover art.jpg |
| Caption: | US CD variant of standard artwork |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Jewel |
| Album: | Pieces of You |
| B-Side: | Near You Always |
| Length: | 4:00 (radio version) 5:03 (unedited master take) 3:08 (demo) 6:14 (live version) |
| Label: | Atlantic |
| Producer: | Ben Keith |
| Next Title: | You Were Meant for Me |
| Next Year: | 1996 |
"Who Will Save Your Soul" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jewel. It was the first song released from her first studio album, Pieces of You (1995), and became a hit in North America and Australasia, peaking at number seven in Canada, number 11 in the United States, number 14 in New Zealand, and number 27 in Australia. It was also moderately successful in the United Kingdom, reaching number 52 on the UK Singles Chart.
Jewel has said that "Who Will Save Your Soul" was the first song that she ever wrote and has explained her creative process in interviews and on-stage as:
The original version of "Who Will Save Your Soul" was never released on Pieces of You. During the process of picking songs, it was decided that it would be re-recorded for its radio release, which removes a verse. A commercial single of "Who Will Save Your Soul" was released in the United States in 1996. It became Jewel's first hit single, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Larry Flick from Billboard called the song a "charmer". He added, "Amid a spare setting of strumming guitars, twinkling piano lines, and playful percussion, she comes off a tad like Joan Osborne, but with less earthy grit and more girlish glee. If there is a hit for Jewel on this album, this is probably her best shot. The odds appear to be in her favor."[1] Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote that on songs like “Who Will Save Your Soul”, "Jewel shows a depth people three times her age will never approach."[2]
The accompanying music video for "Who Will Save Your Soul" was directed by Geoff Moore. The video features Jewel singing the song interspersed with the goings-on in a restroom. It is shown in both black-and-white and color and was filmed in the women's restroom at Los Angeles City Hall. It was nominated for MTV Video Music Awards in the Best Female Video and Best New Artist in a Video categories.
| Year | Award-giving body | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Best Female Video | Nominated | |
| 1996 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 1997 | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
| Chart (1996) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 84 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 25 | |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[9] | 18 | |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[10] | 37 | |
| US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)[11] | 12 | |
| US Triple A (Billboard)[12] | 13 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 23, 1996 | Contemporary hit radio | Atlantic | [13] |
| May 14, 1996 | Cassette | [14] | ||
| June 4, 1996 | CD | [15] |
