| Soul Asylum discography | |
|---|---|
 Soul Asylum performing at a 2010 concert in Urbana, Illinois. From left to right: Michael Bland (drums), Dave Pirner (vocals, rhythm guitar), and Dan Murphy (lead guitar). | |
| Studio albums | 12 |
| EPs | 2 |
| Live albums | 2 |
| Compilation albums | 5 |
| Singles | 22 |
| Music videos | 17 |
| Other appearances | 15 |
The discography of American alternative rock band Soul Asylum consists of 12 studio albums, two live albums, five compilation albums, two extended plays (EPs), 22 singles, and 17 music videos. Formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota using the name Loud Fast Rules, the band's original lineup consisted of vocalist Dave Pirner, guitarist Dan Murphy, bassist Karl Mueller, and drummer Pat Morley. The band changed their name to Soul Asylum prior to the release of Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984. Later that year, Morley was replaced on drums by Grant Young.
The band released two studio albums for Twin/Tone Records in 1986, Made to Be Broken and While You Were Out, as well as the cassette-only Time's Incinerator, a collection of B-sides, outtakes, and demos. Having a loyal and growing fan base, along with positive reviews from alternative rock critics, Soul Asylum signed with A&M Records in 1988.[1] They recorded the Clam Dip & Other Delights EP for European release, followed by the full-length Hang Time in 1988. Produced by Lenny Kaye and Ed Stasium, Hang Time was well-received on college radio but the follow-up album, And the Horse They Rode in On (1990), was a critical and commercial disappointment, resulting in the band being dropped by A&M.[1]
Soul Asylum signed with Columbia Records and released Grave Dancers Union in 1992. The album's first single, "Somebody to Shove", went to number one on the Modern Rock chart, and "Black Gold" also received significant airplay on radio and MTV. "Runaway Train" crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993 and winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.[1] The song's music video, directed by Tony Kaye, features photos of missing children and was adapted for several international markets.[2] "Runaway Train" peaked at number one in Canada and reached the top 10 in the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The song's success helped Grave Dancers Union achieve double-platinum certification by Music Canada and by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States.
The band's seventh album, Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995), peaked at number six in the US and in Canada. It was certified double-platinum in Canada and platinum in the US. Lead single "Misery" charted at number three in Canada and was a top 30 hit in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. In September 1995, Soul Asylum performed at a concert commemorating the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opening in Cleveland, Ohio. A two-disc compilation of the event released the following year features the band's performances of "Back Door Man" with Iggy Pop and "Sweet Jane" with Lou Reed. Soul Asylum's next studio album, Candy from a Stranger (1998), charted in the US and Canada but it sold fewer copies and received less favorable reviews than its predecessors.[1] After taking a break, the band began recording a new album in 2004. However, sessions were put on hold when bassist Karl Mueller was diagnosed with throat cancer; he died the following year.[1] Guest musicians—including bassist Tommy Stinson, who later joined the group as a permanent member—were brought in to complete the album The Silver Lining (2006). The band's next album, Delayed Reaction (2012), received positive reviews and it entered the US album charts, but founding member Dan Murphy left the group at the end of the year.[1] Soul Asylum released their eleventh album, Change of Fortune, in 2016 and their twelfth album, Hurry Up and Wait, in 2020.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
AUS [4] |
AUT [5] |
CAN [6] |
GER [5] |
NL [5] |
NZ [5] |
SWE [5] |
SWI [5] |
UK [7] | |||
| Say What You Will... | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Made to Be Broken |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| While You Were Out |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Hang Time | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| And the Horse They Rode In On |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Grave Dancers Union | 11 | 63 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 30 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 27 | ||
| Let Your Dim Light Shine |
|
6 | 27 | 21 | 4 | 32 | 73 | 8 | 37 | 23 | 22 | |
| Candy from a Stranger |
|
121 | — | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Silver Lining | 155 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Delayed Reaction | 160 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Change of Fortune |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Hurry Up and Wait |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Slowly But Shirley |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT [25] | ||||||
| Insomniac's Dream |
|
39 | ||||
| After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997 |
|
— | ||||
| Extended Versions |
|
— | ||||
| The Complete Unplugged NYC '93 |
|
— | ||||
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Time's Incinerator |
|
| Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum |
|
| Closer to the Stars: Best of the Twin/Tone Years | |
| Welcome to the Minority – The A&M Years 1988–1991 | |
| Playlist: The Very Best of Soul Asylum |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Clam Dip & Other Delights |
|
| No Fun Intended |
|
| Born Free |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [38] |
US Alt [39] |
US Main. Rock [40] |
AUS [41][42] |
BEL (FL) [42] |
CAN [43] |
GER [42] |
NZ [42] |
SWE [42] |
SWI [42] |
UK [44] | ||||
| "Tied to the Tracks" | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Made to Be Broken | |
| "Sometime to Return" | 1988 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hang Time | |
| "Cartoon" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Standing in the Doorway" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Spinnin'" | 1990 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | And the Horse They Rode In On | |
| "Easy Street" | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Somebody to Shove" | 1992 | — | 1 | 9 | 123 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | Grave Dancers Union | |
| "Black Gold" | — | 6 | 4 | 197 | — | 58 | — | 25 | — | — | 26 | |||
| "Runaway Train" | 1993 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| "Without a Trace" | — | 27 | 6 | — | 32 | 37 | 44 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Summer of Drugs" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams | ||
| "Sexual Healing" | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No Alternative | ||
| "Can't Even Tell" | 1994 | — | 16 | 24 | 194 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Clerks: Music from the Motion Picture | |
| "Misery" | 1995 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 22 | — | 3 | 75 | 21 | — | — | 30 | Let Your Dim Light Shine | |
| "Just Like Anyone" | — | 19 | 11 | 114 | — | 54 | — | — | — | — | 52 | |||
| "Promises Broken" | 1996 | 63 | — | 29 | 134 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Will Still Be Laughing" | 1998 | — | 24 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Candy from a Stranger | |
| "Close" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Stand Up and Be Strong" | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Silver Lining | |
| "Gravity" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Delayed Reaction | |
| "Supersonic" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Change of Fortune | |
| "Doomsday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Dead Letter" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hurry Up And Wait | |
| "If I Told You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Got It Pretty Good" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Here We Go (acoustic)" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Born Free EP | |
| "High Road" | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Slowly But Shirley | |
| "Freak Accident" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Only Thing I'm Missing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Black and Blue" and "Propaganda" | 1982 | Barefoot and Pregnant (cassette)[47] | Recorded as Loud Fast Rules. Reissued on CD in 1998. |
| "Bad Moon" and "Happy" | 1982 | Kitten Kompilation (cassette)[48] | Recorded as Proud Crass Fools. Reissued as Kitten: A Compilation on CD in 1999. |
| "It's Not My Fault" | 1988 | Free To Be… A Family: Marlo Thomas & Friends[49] | Later released on Welcome to the Minority – The A&M Years 1988–1991. |
| "Barstool Blues" | 1989 | The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young[50] | Cover of a 1975 Neil Young song. |
| "Baby Baby" | 1992 | Freedom of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits as Performed by Today's Stars[51] | Cover of a 1977 Vibrators song. |
| "The Break" | 1993 | So I Married an Axe Murderer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)[52] | Previously released on the B-side of "Black Gold". |
| "Somebody to Shove" (Live) | 1994 | The Unplugged Collection, Volume One[53] | Live version from an appearance on MTV Unplugged. |
| "Misery" (Live) | 1995 | Minnesota Modern Rock: The Pachyderm Sessions[54] | Acoustic performance for Minnesota radio station 93X. |
| "Miss This" | 1996 | Twister: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack[55] | Featured in the 1996 film Twister. |
| "When I Ran Off and Left Her" | Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation[56] | Cover of a 1993 Vic Chesnutt song. | |
| "Eyes of a Child" (Live) | Modern Rock Live[57] | Live version from an appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show Modern Rock Live. | |
| "Motel Notell" | Honor: A Benefit for the Honor the Earth Campaign[58] | Previously released on the B-side of "Promises Broken". | |
| "Back Door Man" (Live; with Iggy Pop) | The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[59] | Live versions from a 1995 concert to celebrate the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. | |
| "Sweet Jane" (Live; with Lou Reed) | |||
| "Losin' It" | 1997 | I Know What You Did Last Summer (The Album)[60] | Later released on Candy from a Stranger in Japan, and on the B-side of "I Will Still Be Laughing" in Europe. |
| "School's Out" | 1998 | The Faculty: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture[61] | Cover of a 1972 Alice Cooper song. |
| "Good Morning Good Morning" | 2010 | Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 2[62] | Cover of a 1967 Beatles song; later released as a bonus track on Delayed Reaction. |
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Artificial Heart" | 1988 | Mike Etoll, Dave Pirner, David Roth[63] |
| "P-9" | Phil Harder[64] | |
| "Sometime to Return" | Kevin Kerslake[65] | |
| "Cartoon" | — | |
| "Easy Street" | 1990 | Drew Carolan[66] |
| "Somebody to Shove" | 1992 | Zack Snyder[67] |
| "Black Gold" | 1993 | David Roth[68] |
| "Runaway Train" | Tony Kaye[69] | |
| "Summer of Drugs" | Chris Hegedus, D. A. Pennebaker[70] | |
| "Without a Trace" | Meiert Avis[71] | |
| "Can't Even Tell" | 1994 | Kevin Smith[72] |
| "Misery" | 1995 | Matt Mahurin[73] |
| "Just Like Anyone" | P. J. Hogan[74] | |
| "Promises Broken" | Carlos Grasso[75] | |
| "I Will Still Be Laughing" | 1998 | Mark Neale[76] |
| "Gravity" | 2012 | — |
| "Supersonic" | 2016 | Dan Huiting[77] |
| "Here We Go (acoustic)" | 2020 | Jeneen Anderson |
| "Hight Road (lyric video)" | 2024 | 12 Inch Media |
| "Freak Accident (lyric video)" | Jeffrey & Nikki Puccini | |
| "The Only Thing I'm Missing" | David Roth |
