"Soup" is the second studio album by American rock band Blind Melon, released on August 15, 1995, through Capitol Records. This was the band's final album released during the lifetime of vocalist Shannon Hoon.
The album received generally mixed reviews from critics and performed poorly commercially, reaching only number 28 on the US Billboard 200 and selling 217,000 copies in the United States by October 1996. Hoon's tragic death from a drug overdose two months after the album's release led to the abrupt cessation of its promotion, which further hampered its sales. Despite its initial commercial struggles, Soup has been retrospectively regarded as a "dark horse" in the alternative rock genre.
Thematically, Soup is much darker than Blind Melon's debut album. "2 X 4" addresses Hoon's experience at a drug detox, while the lyrics to the acoustic ballad "Walk" cryptically reference his ongoing battle with addiction and attempts at recovery. "Skinned" explores the chilling story of infamous murderer Ed Gein, and "Car Seat (God's Presents)" is about Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman who drowned her children by driving her car into a lake. "St. Andrew's Fall" reflects the band’s experience witnessing a suicide during a tour stop in Detroit. Rogers Stevens described the song "Mouthful of Cavities" as potentially reflecting the "convoluted nooks and crannies" of Hoon's mind. The track featured harmonies between Hoon and Jena Kraus. "New Life" was inspired by the birth of Hoon’s daughter, Nico Blue, while "Wilt" humorously addresses the topic of halitosis. "Galaxie" explores Hoon's 1963 Ford Galaxie, using it as a metaphor for his first love and subsequent heartbreak. "Lemonade" is a lighter, more humorous track about a bar fight.
In a 2015 interview, Christopher Thorn explained that his purchase of various instruments during the songwriting process influenced several tracks on Soup. He mentioned buying a banjo and writing "Skinned" just for fun, not expecting Shannon to choose it as the basis for lyrics. Thorn described the experience as odd but exciting.
Brad Smith reflected in a 2013 interview that Shannon's emotional sincerity in the lyrics of Soup made it stand out even more than their debut album in terms of critical acclaim. While their debut sold far more copies, Soup was considered by many to be a more genuine and impactful record, with its themes of truth and emotional depth.
The album's cover art, designed by producer Andy Wallace, features him eating alphabet soup, with the letters spelling out "Blind Melon" in the bowl.
