Who Will Save Your Soul by Jewel

Album: Pieces Of You (1994)

Charted: 52 11

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Songfacts®:

Jewel wrote this when she was 16. She traveled a lot in those days, and took a trip to Mexico where she hitchhiked around the country. She was amazed to see how many people looked like they were waiting for someone to save them. She told Entertainment Weekly: "I started street-singing along the way, and that's when 'Who Will Save Your Soul' came. I didn't know any chords - I played the same four over and over and just started improvising lyrics. I sang and gave foot rubs to tourists at the docks in Cabo, and hitchhiked without being murdered or raped. I always carried my little skinning knife. It wasn't little, actually. It was a pretty big knife."
This was Jewel's first single. It was first released in 1994, and took a long time to find an audience. Two years later, as female singer/songwriters like Sheryl Crow, Sara McLachlan, and Alanis Morissette became very popular, radio stations started adding the song to their playlists, and it was re-released as a single. This time, it became a hit, peaking at #11 in August 1996, 18 months after the Pieces Of You album was issued.
Geoff Moore directed the music video, which was shot in a bathroom at Los Angeles City Hall. Jewel regards restrooms as sanctuaries. She told Entertainment Weekly: "I grew up outdoors and in nature, and I found the only place in cities I could be alone was the bathroom."

Moore recruited his friends to play the characters in the video, including the drag queen, who was My Fair Lady actor Rex Harrison's grandson.
Most of the album was recorded at Neil Young's Broken Arrow Ranch in Redwood City, California. Ben Keith, who produced Pieces of You, is known as a pedal steel guitarist in Young's band, and a co-producer for the album Harvest Moon, which was a favorite of Jewel's.
The music video was nominated for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, but lost to Alanis Morissette's "Ironic."
This earned Jewel a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997, but Toni Braxton won for "Un-Break My Heart."
This was featured on the 2006 Gilmore Girls episode "The Great Stink."

Comments: 16

Bruce from FinlandI bought this CD when it came out and always loved this song for both the music and the lyrics. I only saw the official video just now, 25+ years later. I was sad to see how much the video plays up sexual imagery. I think the song could have been presented very differently. Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. I just feel this song could have done much better in terms of accompanying video imagery.
Robert from Indiana You have two other songs along with this song in the list of songs you have down for Jewel that are on this album as well which are, "Foolish Games" and "You Were Meant For Me", when I go to both of those songs you have have the year 1995 as the year that this album came out which is correct, but when I come to this song you have the album down as coming out in 1994.[the song was released as a single in 1994, before the album came out - ed]
Matt from Houston, Txhow come no one mentions when she first heard it on the radio, she cried because because she sounded like kermit the frog
Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnI love how Jewel hits that high note towards the end of the song, her most honest song to date.
Morgan from Bemidji, MnI want to know the story behind Little Sister.
Julie from Taylor, TxBeautiful. This song has such an awsome meaning to it.
Raymond from Sydney , AustraliaWho will save your soul? What is the soul anyway? Is heaven and hell real? What are UFO's? Find out, find me.
Maria from Philadelphia, PaPretty sure that this video (not "You Were Meant for Me" as stated on that song's page) was directed by Sean Penn.
Angel from Somewhere In, AzJewel often sings different versions of her most popular songs at concerts- it is rare that she will sing songs the way theu are heard on the radion, or even on her CD.
Claire from Oak Ridge, TnI perfomed this at a talent show at my church; it was the best thing I could have done.
Bethany from Carrier Mills, Ilshe said in one of her concerts that she sounded like kermit the frog, and almost cried. To rikki: i noticed that too, if you ever see her in concert she sings the lyrics in the album jacket.
Lola from Street, MdHearing that she wrote this when she was 16, and was touched by other people so young. And I'm only 14! It truly gives me inspiration.

I also adore Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachland and Alanis Morrisette. What genre exactly would you consider (including Jewel) It seems to be my favorite :)
Emma from Auckland, New ZealandHands Down the best song from Pieces of You ;-)
Claire from Oak Ridge, TnI know all the words to this and hope to sing it one day to an audience because it truly deserves to be.
Shawn from Loganville, GaI think this songs meaning is how messed up the world is, because of all the media and entertainment world.
Rikki from Rochester, MiThe version heard on the radio and on the album has different lyrics than are listed in the album jacket.

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