Touch Me (The Doors song)
| "Touch Me" | |||||||||||||||||
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| Single by The Doors | |||||||||||||||||
| from the album The Soft Parade | |||||||||||||||||
| B-side | "Wild Child" | ||||||||||||||||
| Released | December 1968 | ||||||||||||||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | Autumn 1968 | ||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, Hard rock | ||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Label | Elektra | ||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Robby Krieger | ||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Paul Rothchild | ||||||||||||||||
| The Doors singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||
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"Touch Me" is a song by The Doors from their album The Soft Parade. Written by Robby Krieger, its riff was influenced by The Four Seasons' "C'mon Marianne." It is notable for its extensive usage of brass and string instruments (including a solo by featured saxophonist Curtis Amy) to accent Jim Morrison's vocals. It was one of The Doors' most popular singles.
It was released as a single in December 1968. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the Cashbox Top 100 in early 1969 (the band's third American number-one single). The single also did well elsewhere, peaking at #1 in the RPM Canadian Singles Chart and at #10 in the Kent Music Report in Australia. However, despite the band's commercial success the previous year, "Touch Me" did not chart in the UK Singles Chart.
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[edit] Working titles
According to Bruce Botnick's liner notes the song was initially referred to by its various working titles; "I'm Gonna Love You," from a line in the chorus, or "Hit Me," a reference to blackjack. The opening line was originally "C'mon, hit me, I'm not afraid," the line thus reflecting the first person vantage point of a blackjack player.[1] Morrison reportedly changed the lyric out of concern that rowdy crowds at their live shows would mistakenly believe that "hit me" was a challenge to physically assault him.
One of the group's most famous television appearances is their performance of "Touch Me" on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour along with the single's B-side, "Wild Child". The taping date was December 6, 1968 with air date of December 15. During the performance, Morrison missed his cue for the lines "C'mon, c'mon" and Krieger could be seen with a black eye. Krieger stated in several interviews given after Morrison's death that Morrison had given him the black eye during a confrontation, inadvertently referencing the song's original title. The group is backed by the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, plus Curtis Amy duplicating the saxophone solo he also performed on the studio version.
[edit] Versions
The Guess Who covered the song.
Ian Astbury covered the song for the Doors tribute album, Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors.
In Oliver Stone's 1991 biopic The Doors, Jim Morrison is portrayed as having modified the lyrics at a concert while drunk to make the song about oral sex.
The song was also featured in the 2003 film School of Rock when Jack Black's character teaches a child how to play the keyboard. It is included in the film's soundtrack.
[edit] Ajax Allusion
At the end of the song, Morrison can be heard saying, "Stronger than dirt," which was the slogan of the Ajax household cleaning company, because the last four notes of "Touch Me" were the same as those in an Ajax commercial and as a mocking criticism of Krieger, John Densmore, and Ray Manzarek wanting to accept an offer from Buick to use "Light My Fire" in a commercial[citation needed]. The deal was aborted when Morrison opposed it. This vocal was omitted on the single version which was a different mix.
[edit] References
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1969) | Position |
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| Australian Kent Music Report | 10 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| U.S. Cashbox Top 100 | 1 |
