Click here to see more of the artwork
Details
- Release date: 8 June 1998
- Label: Island
- Formats: CD (2 versions), cassette
- Recorded: March 1997 - January 1998 (Olympic Studios, London & The Town House, London)
- Chart position: 22 (UK)
Credits
- Designed by: Howard Wakefield and Paul Hetherington at the Apartment
- Art direction: John Currin and Peter Saville
- Photography: Horst Diekgerdes
Releases
|
Date |
Formats and catalogue numbers |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
8 June 1998 |
CD1 - CID705 CD2 - CIDX705 Cassette - CIS705 |
Original UK release. CD1:
CD2:
Cassette:
|
|
18 August 2023 |
Streaming and digital download |
Newly uploaded to streaming services as "A Little Soul EP", with a scan of the CD2 artwork; the tenth of a series of Island Records-era EPs reissued to coincide with the 2023 tour. Tracklisting:
|
Notes
According to the old official Pulp website, this single was originally scheduled for release on 1st June 1998 but then the release was put back to 8th June 1998, no explanation was given as to why.
The CD1 original mix of A Little Soul starts with 3.5 seconds of silence, including a short burst of tape noise. The end fades to silence slightly earlier than the This Is Hardcore album track.
Cocaine Socialism was originally entitled "Northern Souls" which was preferred by the band. However, the title was changed in order to avoid confusion with A Little Soul. According to Pulp's Instagram account, when this single was mastered, no-one could find the right version of Cocaine Socialism so an early mix was used. The finished version, featuring louder horns and female backing vocals, appeared on the deluxe edition of This Is Hardcore in 2006. The 2023 digital EP labelled Cocaine Socialism as "Single Version" to differentiate it from the Deluxe Edition mix.
This version of Like A Friend is identical to the one that appears on US copies of This Is Hardcore.
The alternative remix of A Little Soul is incorrectly listed as the original mix on the rear of the CD case and is referred to as the Johnny Dollar remix on the promo.
The Lafayette Velvet Revisited remix of A Little Soul was remixed by Kid Loco.
Commentary
The release of the digital EP in 2023 was heralded by the following commentary from Pulp's social media accounts, believed to have been written by Mark Webber:
You think I'm joking? Try me.
The British Academy of Composers & Songwriters surprised us all by nominating “A Little Soul” for an Ivor Novello Award in the category of “Best Song Musically and Lyrically”. It didn’t win, but how can it be a fair competition when you’re up against “Believe” by @cher?
“Cocaine Socialism” had the working title “Northern Souls”. It’s a simple song but we worked on it for a very long time. Everyone was pretty excited for a while & we considered rush releasing it as a single in 1997 but a few things held us back … It could’ve been viewed as opportunistic & maybe even a bit crass to be criticising the new Labour government so soon. And maybe it was too similar to “Common People”, plus we knew we wouldn’t have any more tracks ready for months. Eventually, we rewrote it as “Glory Days”. When the “Little Soul” single was mastered, no-one could find the right version of “C.S.” so an early mix was used. The finished version finally appeared on the “Deluxe” reissue of “This is Hardcore”.
The CD2 remixes by Jonny Dollar and @kidloco_music were joined by “That Boy’s Evil”, a track previously released as a white-label promo credited to The Chocolate Layers.
The video for “A Little Soul” was filmed at Olympic Studios & directed by Garth Jennings, who recently worked with Pulp as Creative Director of the 2023 Tour. (He’s also quite well-known for making the “Sing” films.) Each band member was portrayed by child actors: Jackson L (Jarvis), Marc (Steve), Jack (Mark), Jackson M (Nick), Ellice (Candida). We know @jacksonel is now a drummer, but where are the others?
Promotional video
Details here.
Charts and sales
UK Singles Chart
|
Week |
Date |
Position |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
20 June '98 |
22 |
|
2 |
27 June '98 |
55 |
Reviews
Though maybe not the invincible pop blast that Pulp might need to turn around the relative commercial failure of the 'This Is Hardcore' album, 'A Little Soul' is plainly one of the less distressed songs on that album - a gorgeous mid-paced, Memphis-tinged imagined appeal to Jarv from his errant daddy. Other treats in the two-CD sales pitch include remixes by Kid Loco and former Massive Attack associate Johnny Dollar. Not to mention the new songs 'Like A Friend' (from the Great Expectations soundtrack) and 'Cocaine Socialism'. Could the latter possibly be about El Noeleo?