"Don't Touch Me" is a song written by

Hank Cochran Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (August 2, 1935 – July 15, 2010) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy ...

. It was originally written for and recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artist

Jeannie Seely Marilyn Jeanne Seely (born July 6, 1940) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She also has several acting credits and published a book. Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning hit "Don't Touch Me" (1966) ...

. The song was released as a single on

Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label in Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958 by Fred Foster, Buddy Deane (a prominent Baltimore disc jockey at WTTG), and business manager Jack Kirby. Buddy Deane soon left ...

in March 1966 and became a major ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country hit. "Don't Touch Me" became Seely's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

and her biggest hit as a solo artist. It would later appear on her debut studio album and be re-recorded by Seely in later years. "Don't Touch Me" has been covered by various artists. Among its notable covers was by country artist

Wilma Burgess Wilma Burgess (born Wilma Charlene Burgess; June 11, 1939 – August 26, 2003) was an American country music singer. She rose to fame in the mid-1960s and charted fifteen singles on the '' Billboard'' C&W charts between 1965 and 1975. Backgrou ...

around the same time as the original version. Burgess's version was released shortly after Seely's recording. The song became a major hit for Burgess as well, but reached a lower position on the ''Billboard'' country chart in comparison with Seely's. Burgess's cover of "Don't Touch" appeared on her studio album of the same name. It was also notably recorded by American R&B artist

Bettye Swann Betty Barton (born Betty Jean Champion, October 24, 1944), better known by the stage name Bettye Swann, is a retired American soul singer. She is best known for her 1967 hit song " Make Me Yours". Career Swann was born in Shreveport, Louisiana ...

whose version became a charting single on the ''Billboard'' pop and R&B singles charts. "Don't Touch Me" has since been recorded in different musical genres by different musical artists.

Background and recording

"Don't Touch Me" was originally written by songwriter

. Country artist

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for the Buckaroos, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 ...

had first wanted to record the track for himself. However, Cochran was not set on having Owens record it. At the same time, Jeannie Seely had just moved from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, to pursue a music career. Cochran had promised Seely the opportunity to collaborate musically. When she asked Cochran if the offer still stood, Cochran replied, "Yes, if you're going to let me make the decisions and do what I know is best for you." Seely agreed and in response, Cochran gave her the composition to record. Seely then signed with

in Nashville and recorded "Don't Touch Me" in her first session with producer

Fred Foster Fred Luther Foster (July 26, 1931 – February 20, 2019) was an American record producer, songwriter, and music business executive who founded Monument Records. As a record producer he was most closely associated with Roy Orbison, and was also ...

. The session took place at the Foster Recording Studio in February 1966. An additional track was cut during Seely's first recording appointment called "You Tied Tin Cans to My Heart".

Release and chart performance

"Don't Touch Me" was released as a single in March 1966 on Monument Records. It was issued as a

7" single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

with "You Tied Tins to My Heart" on the release's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. By June, the single had reached number 2 on the ''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. It was also her first and only track to reach the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, climbing to number 85. It would also be her only single to reach the ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart, peaking at number 29. The song was later released on her debut studio album, '' The Seely Style'', which was also issued in 1966. "Don't Touch Me" was Seely's biggest hit as a recording artist and has since been considered her

. In 1967, Seely's original version of "Don't Touch Me" won the

Best Female Country Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes: *From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female *In 1 ...

accolade at the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. The song's success also led to an invitation for Seely to become a member of

The Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM (AM), WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment ...

. She joined the cast soon after and has been an active member since. "Don't Touch Me" helped jump-start Seely's recording career as a country artist. She found success with songs that evoked a similar musical style to "Don't Touch Me". These further country hits were popular for Seely in the 1960s and 70s. Examples of this were "

It's Only Love "It's Only Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written mostly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first released in 1965 on the ''Help!'' album in the United Kingdom and on the ''Rubber Soul'' album in the ...

" (1966), "

I'll Love You More (Than You'll Need) "I'll Love You More (Than You'll Need)" is a single by American country music artist Jeannie Seely. The single was written by Hank Cochran and was released in September 1967, peaking at #10 on the ''Billboard Magazine'' Hot Country Singles Hot Co ...

" (1968) and "

Lucky Ladies ''Lucky Ladies'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by John Rawlins and starring Sydney Fairbrother, Emily Fitzroy and Tracy Holmes. Plot summary Some sisters inherit a large sum of money. Cast * Sydney Fairbrother as Angle Tuckett * Emi ...

" (1974).

Legacy

Since its release, Seely's version of "Don't Touch Me" has been praised and mentioned by various music journalists and writers. Publications have considered it both a "standard" and a "classic" in country music.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

commented on its legacy in an article from the 1970s. "In 1966, Seely's 'Don't Touch Me' took country women's sexuality from the

honky-tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...

into the bedroom even though it didn't end up there, and the on-again-off-again ache in her voice retained its savor afterwards," he wrote. In 2003, Mary Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann called Seely's version "a throbbing song of unfulfilled passions". They also praised Seely's vocals on the track, describing her voice as having "aching conviction". In 2005, the Seely's version was featured in David Cantwell and Bill Friskics-Warren's book, ''Heartaches By the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles''. In 2019,

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

discussed her version in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

documentary ''

Country Music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

''. Burns described it as "a song of unfulfilled passion." In 2019, ''The Boot'' ranked it among their "Top 5 Jeannie Seely Songs" for it being able to prove that "women can sing about sex too."

Track listings

;1966 7" vinyl single (Monument Records) * "Don't Touch Me" – 2:59 * "You Tied Tin Cans to My Heart" – 2:06 ;1981 7" vinyl single (Gusto Records) * "Don't Touch Me" – 3:14 * "

Can I Sleep in Your Arms "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" is a single by American country music artist Jeannie Seely. Released in May 1973 under MCA Records, the song peaked at #6 on the ''Billboard Magazine'' Hot Country Singles chart, becoming Seely's first top ten solo hit si ...

" – 3:13

Charts

Weekly charts

Cover versions

Since its original recording, "Don't Touch Me" has been notably covered by several music artists in different genres. Among its first covers was by

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

in 1967, whose version appeared on her debut studio album ''

Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad ''Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad'' is a studio album by American country artist Tammy Wynette. It was released in May 1967 and contained ten tracks. The majority of the album was a collection of cover tunes Wynette recorded, including songs by Geor ...

''.

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

covered the tune in 1968 on her studio album entitled ''

Misty Blue Misty may refer to: Music * ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" Holmes featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Eddie "Lockjaw" ...

''. In 1969, American R&B artist

released a version of the song as a single on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. Swann's version became a top-40 hit on the

and reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart. In 1994, country artist

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. Mo ...

recorded a version of the song for her studio album '' War Paint''. In 1997,

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

recorded "Don't Touch Me" for her studio album '' Love's Been Rough on Me''.

Wilma Burgess version

Among the notable covers of "Don't Touch Me" was a 1966 version recorded by American

artist

. Burgess's version was recorded and released within a month of Seely's original. The song was recorded on March 24, 1966 at the Columbia Recording Studio in

. The session was produced by

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. In the same session, Burgess cut two other tracks including "

", another major hit for Burgess in 1966. Her version of "Don't Touch Me" was released in April 1966, a month following the original version's release. The song also became a major hit, peaking at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. Burgess's version of "Don't Touch Me" was released on her 1966 studio album of the same name. Her vocal delivery of the song was given positive reviews following its release. In 2003, Mary Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann described her voice on the track (along with several other hits of this time period) as having "a warmth of tone" and a "yearning soprano". In 1966, ''Billboard Magazine'' reviewed the track alongside her album of the same name. "Wilma Burgess has two very important factors working in her favor on this LP -- 'Don't Touch Me' and 'Baby'," writers commented.

Track listings: 7" vinyl single

* "Don't Touch Me" – 2:59 * "Turn Around Teardrops" – 2:20

Weekly charts

References

Footnotes

Books

* *

External links

"Don't Touch Me" lyrics
by Jeannie Seely at

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

{{authority control 1966 singles 1966 songs Decca Records singles Ella Fitzgerald songs Etta James songs Jeannie Seely songs Lorrie Morgan songs Monument Records singles Songs written by Hank Cochran Song recordings produced by Fred Foster Song recordings produced by Owen Bradley Tammy Wynette songs Wilma Burgess songs