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"This Is How It Feels" is a song by English rock band Inspiral Carpets. Written by the band, it was their first single to enter the UK top 40, peaking at number 14. It also reached number 149 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Composition

The song tells the story of a working class mother, involved in an extramarital affair, which resulted in her lover's suicide (the lover instead leaves town in the radio edit). Meaning, she is unable to reveal the reason for her grief, without also revealing the affair. The second verse of this song was changed for the radio edit. The original lyrics for the first and third line were: "There's a funeral in the town" and "Seems they found him under a train" respectively. However, in the radio version, they are as follows: "Black car drives through the town" and "Left a note for a local girl." The edit was most likely made because the original version's lyrics were in reference to suicide.

Since the Carpets' reunion in 2022, the song has been sung live using the radio lyrics.

Music video

The music video was directed by Anton Corbijn and was filmed on the Snake Pass between Sheffield and Manchester during a cold January.

Track listings

7-inch

1. "This Is How It Feels"
2. "Tune for a Family"

12-inch and CD

1. "This Is How It Feels" (extended)
2. "Tune for a Family"
3. "This Is How It Feels" (radio edit)
4. "Seeds of Doubt"

Cassette

1. "This Is How It Feels" (extended)
2. "Tune for a Family"
3. "This Is How It Feels" (radio edit)
4. "Whiskey"

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "New Singles". Music Week. 3 March 1990. p. 45.
2. "'After gigs, we'd drop off our drummer to do his paper round': how Inspiral Carpets made This Is How It Feels".
3. "'After gigs, we'd drop off our drummer to do his paper round': how Inspiral Carpets made This Is How It Feels".
4. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2015-06-05". Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015 – via Imgur.
5. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 14. 7 April 1990. p. IV.
6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
7. "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. 16 February 1991. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
8. "British single certifications – Inspiral Carpets – This Is How It Feels". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 March 2023.

• 1990 singles
• 1990 songs
• Inspiral Carpets songs
• Music videos directed by Anton Corbijn
• Mute Records singles
• Songs about suicide