1982 song performed by Peter Gabriel
"
I Have the Touch
" is a song by the English
rock
musician
Peter Gabriel
from his
fourth eponymous studio album
released in 1982. The song's working title during the recording sessions was "Hands".
[4]
This song was featured in the film
The Chocolate War
(1988). The 1996 remix was used in the film
Phenomenon
of the same year. In 1996,
Heather Nova
recorded a
cover version
of the song for the teen-witch horror film
The Craft
.
[5]
Background
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]
Musically, the song is built around a drum machine pattern and various synthesisers, including a
Prophet-5
played by
Larry Fast
.
[5]
The lyrics deal with the desire for human contact, which Gabriel explored after reading about the importance of touch, citing an example of how the amount of physical contact can influence newborn brain development.
[1]
During the penultimate lines of each verse, the vocals reach the highest note, after which the tension releases at the title line: 'I have the touch'.
[6]
At the end of the song, Gabriel lists off several activities that he believes are insufficient to human contact, including
arm folding
,
scratching
, and finger tapping.
[5]
A German re-recording, titled "Kon Takt!", was included on the
Deutsches Album
. This version features an added refrain with shouted
gibberish
.
[7]
The
B-side
of the single, "Across the River", was an instrumental which came from a session between Gabriel,
Stewart Copeland
,
L. Shankar
, and long-time Gabriel guitarist
David Rhodes
, recorded for on a
WOMAD
benefit album,
Music and Rhythm
, that had been released six months earlier.
[7]
The single cover art is a
still frame
from the "
Shock the Monkey
" music video.
[1]
Alternate versions
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In 1983, Gabriel and
Peter Walsh
re-recorded the track featuring an extended instrumental section, first released as a B-side to the 12" single of "Walk Through the Fire", a non-album track from the motion picture
Against All Odds
(1984). An edited remix of this version was later released on the 12" single of "
Sledgehammer
" and the compilation album
Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats
(1990).
In 1996, Gabriel remixed "I Have the Touch" with
Robbie Robertson
for the movie
Phenomenon
. This version was included on the 2003 compilation album
Hit
.
[7]
Personnel
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]
Chart performance
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]
References
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Studio albums
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Live albums
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Singles
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Songs
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Soundtracks
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Compilations
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Concert tours
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Films
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Video games
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Other
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