Massive Attack had been trying to work with Irish singer Sinead O’Connor since 1994 before finally coming together for three tracks on 100th Window including What Your Soul Sings.
UK Release: 10th February 2003 (100th Window)
Track Duration: 06:37
Formats: CD, DVD, Vinyl, Digital.View Discography Entry.
Written By: Robert Del Naja, Neil Davidge and Sinead O’Connor
Produced By: Robert Del Naja and Neil Davidige
What Your Soul Sings genesis came about from one of the very few leftover pieces of music composed during the 2000/2001 Lupine Howl period, which were mostly all scrapped. The gentle guitar riff and plucking of Angelo Bruschini that can be heard throughout What Your Soul Sings is what would be taken from those almost forgotten sessions to form the basis for the song when Massive Attack were writing what would eventually become 100th Window during 2002.
What Your Soul Sings was at one point in 2003 very close to becoming the third single released from 100th Window after Special Cases and Butterfly Caught. A preliminarily date of the 1st September was even given to certain record suppliers but no tracklisting or artwork details were ever leaked. For whatever reason, the single release was unfortunately canned at the last minute and Butterfly Caught remained the final single from 100th Window.
What Your Soul Sings was the second song after Future Proof to be written during the 100th Window recording sessions in 2002.
Sinead O’Connor performing What Your Soul Sings live in Glasgow, April 2003. She only performed live on 5 dates for the whole tour.
What Your Soul Sings (along with A Prayer For England) has only been played live four times in total. It’s first time been played was at The Academy in Glasgow,UK on 9th April 2003 and played then for the next three shows up until the Manchester Apollo show on the 24th April 2003. In the three days between this last show and the start of Massive Attack’s five night residency at the Brixton Academy in London,UK, it was publicly announced that due to health reasons (a dubious reason as it was latter revealed that Sinead had quit the music business entirely, latter of course to return to it a few years later) Sinead O’ Connor would be unable to tour for the entire remaining duration of the 2003 tour. Dot Allison would take over for Sinead’s vocals on tour substituting on Special Cases but not on What Your Soul Sings or A Prayer For England either for that matter and these two songs were never played live again.
MA.COM Instrumental Stems – While there was no official remixes of What YourSoul Sings released, the official Massive Attack website back in 2003, used short instrumental stem tracks from What Your Soul Sings (as well as other 100th Window tracks) as background music as you browsed the website. These stem tracks are collected here on the embedded player for you to listen to.
Neil Davidge on recording What Your Soul Sings – “That started when we brought in a violinist friend of ours, Stuart Gordon, and he played just a simple three-note two-chord thing. I used Pure Pitch to rearrange the notation and create the arrangement, rather than get a sample CD of string notes and then use MIDI. It’s only through the context of Pro Tools that I can fully realize things like that and it’s an essential part of the way I work these days†[Sound On Sound Magazine – April 2003]
3D on What Your Soul Sings – “That’s just Sinead being very optimistic and its all about self empowerment really. It’s very simple, very gentle and beautiful†[The Raft – February 2003]
Don’t be afraid Open your mouth and say Say what your soul sings to you Your mind can never changeUnless you ask it to Lovingly re-arrangeThe thoughts that make you blue The things that bring you downOnly do harm to you And so make your choice joyThe joy belongs to you And when you doYou’ll find the one you love is youYou’ll find you Love you Don’t be ashamed noTo open your heart and praySay what your soul sings to youSo no longer pretendThat you can’t feel it near That tickle on your handThat tingle in your earOh ask it anythingBecause it loves you dear It’s your most precious kingIf only you could hear And when you do You’ll find the one you need is youYou’ll find you Love you