Sometimes When We Touch
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"Sometimes When We Touch" is a 1977
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
written by Canadian
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
artist
Dan Hill Daniel Grafton Hill IV (born 3 June 1954) is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He had two major international hits with his songs "Sometimes When We Touch" and "Can't We Try", a duet with Vonda Shepard, as well as a number of other charting ...
(lyrics) and
Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early li ...
(music) on the album ''
Longer Fuse ''Longer Fuse'' is a 1977 album by Canadian pop singer Dan Hill. It reached number 2 in Canada, and was in the Top 100 for 42 weeks. It was number 7 in the top 100 albums chart for 1978. Track listing All songs written by Dan Hill, unless other ...
''. It was first released as a single by Hill. His version of the song became the most successful and his biggest hit. Since its original release "Sometimes When We Touch" has been released by several different artists in various musical formats.


Dan Hill version

Hill was inspired to write "Sometimes When We Touch" from a previous relationship. In an interview with
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in 2017, Hill explained that the song was about being in love with someone who did not have similar feelings for him, "She was interested in another man, so that was breaking my heart. So I thought I needed to write a song that would capture her and win her over—that would be so passionate in a sense that she’d see that I’m the only guy for her." "Sometimes When We Touch" was first recorded in 1977. Musicians included
Bobby Ogdin Robert Ford Ogdin (born September, 1945) is a Nashville-based recording session pianist. He is best known as a member of Elvis Presley's TCB band. He performed on 20 of Presley's recordings and accompanied him on 45 live shows until Presleys' deat ...
(piano),
Larrie Londin Ralph Gallant (October 15, 1943 − August 24, 1992), better known by the stage name Larrie Londin, was an American drummer and session musician. According to journalist James Byron Fox, "If not the best known, Larrie is one of the most listene ...
(drums), Bob Mann (guitar),
Don Potter Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school. He joined t ...
(guitar), Tom Szczesniak (bass). The record was produced by
Fred Mollin Fred Mollin is an American and Canadian record producer, musician, film and TV composer, music director, music supervisor, and songwriter. He has produced records for Jimmy Webb, Johnny Mathis, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lamont Dozier and America (band), A ...
and
Matthew McCauley Matthew McCauley may refer to: * Matthew McCauley (politician) (1850–1930), Canadian politician * Matthew McCauley (producer) Matthew McCauley (born 1954) is a Canadian composerMotion'. 1973. p. 206. and record producer based in Los Angeles ...
, recorded at Manta Sound, Toronto. It was Hill's biggest hit, peaking at #3 on the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #10 on the
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. The song was issued on Hill's studio album ''
Longer Fuse ''Longer Fuse'' is a 1977 album by Canadian pop singer Dan Hill. It reached number 2 in Canada, and was in the Top 100 for 42 weeks. It was number 7 in the top 100 albums chart for 1978. Track listing All songs written by Dan Hill, unless other ...
''.


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Mark Gray and Tammy Wynette version

In 1985, "Sometimes When We Touch" was notably covered by American
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, ...
artists Mark Gray and
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 ...
. The tune was recorded as a
duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...
between the artists and originally released as a single the same year. The song was recorded in November 1984 and was produced by Steve Buckingham. It was released as a single in January 1985 via
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The
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 ...
of the record was a solo recording by Mark Gray entitled "You're Gonna Be the Last Love". The single reached number 6 on the ''Billboard''
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 and number 25 on the Canadian Country chart. The song became Wynette's first top ten hit since 1982's " Another Chance" and Gray's fourth top ten hit as a solo artist. The song was issued on both Gray and Wynette's solo studio albums. "Sometimes When We Touch" first appeared on Gray's album ''This 'Ol Piano'' in 1984. It was the only duet recording featured on the album and was his second studio album release. It was then issued on Tammy Wynette's 1985 studio album, also called ''
Sometimes When We Touch "Sometimes When We Touch" is a 1977 ballad written by Canadian pop rock artist Dan Hill (lyrics) and Barry Mann (music) on the album '' Longer Fuse''. It was first released as a single by Hill. His version of the song became the most successful ...
''. The track was also the only duet recording on Wynette's studio release.


Track listings

;7" vinyl single * "Sometimes When We Touch" – 3:37 * "You're Gonna Be the Last Love" – 2:37


Charts


Other versions

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
recorded a version for her 1978 album, ''
Rough Rough may refer to: * Roughness (disambiguation) * Rough (golf), the area outside the fairway on a golf course Geography * Rough (facility), former gas field now gas storage facility, off the Yorkshire coast of England People * Alan Rough (born 1 ...
''. An
Estonian language Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language, written in the Latin script. It is the official language of Estonia and one of the official languages of the European Union, spoken natively by about 1.1 million people; 922,000 people in Estonia and 160,0 ...
version of the song (entitled "Puudutus" ("Touch")) also exists. Often performed as a duet, the song has been covered by
Koit Toome Koit Toome (born 3 January 1979), is an Estonian singer and musical actor. He has twice represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1998 he finished 12th with the song "Mere lapsed". In 2017 he sang a duet with Laura Põldvere, entit ...
and
Maarja-Liis Ilus Maarja-Liis Ilus, sometimes better known by her performing name Maarja (born 24 December 1980) is an Estonian pop music, pop musician and presenter. She has represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest twice. She was only 15 when she particip ...
among others. On Toome's acoustic greatest hits album, ''Allikas'', the song is present as a solo piece with the tune credited to 'H. Dan'. Irish pop group Fifth Avenue also covered this song on their only album. This rendition contains a key change. UK dance singer
Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...
also took the song into the top 40 in the UK (peaking at #32 in February 1996) and to #5 in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, also in 1996. Newton's version went Gold in Australia. The
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
band
Five Iron Frenzy Five Iron Frenzy is an American band formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron was one of the pioneering figures of the Christi ...
also did a cover of this song as part of a "Medley" during their farewell tour in 2004. There is also a version recorded in 1980 by
Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". He established an international career as a solo flute player. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstan ...
. British singer
Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
recorded the song for his 1996 album ''
If We Fall in Love Tonight ''If We Fall in Love Tonight'' is an album released by Rod Stewart on 12 November 1996. It includes mostly previously released songs. The album was released in both the US and UK, though the versions differ slightly. It was released by Warne ...
''. Veteran British entertainer
Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...
recorded this on his ''Family Album''.
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
sang this song on the November 3, 2009 showing of the ''
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'' show. This was Pacquiao's first guest appearance on an American late night TV talk show and his first singing performance on American TV. He would later record this song in April 2011 as a single which reached number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart.


"När vi rör varann"

There is a
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
version of the lyrics, called "När vi rör varann" ("''When We Touch Each Other''"), written by Ingela "Pling" Forsman and recorded by
Kikki Danielsson Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson (born 10 May 1952) is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained he ...
in 1980 and
Susanne Alfvengren Susanne Alfvengren (born Susanne Irene Lund, 12 February 1959 in Visby, Gotland, Sweden) is a Swedish singer. In 1984, Susanne Alfvengren had a hit with '' När vi rör varann''. Another of her hits was ''Magneter''. She competed in Melodifest ...
in 1984. "När vi rör varann" has become the
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 ...
for Susanne Alfvengren. The Monica Silverstrand version reached the Svensktoppen from 24 February-2 March 1980, peaking at number 6. Swedish Opera singer
Loa Falkman Carl Johan "Loa" Falkman (born 24 July 1947) is a Swedish opera singer, actor and artist. He was appointed hovsångare by H.M. the King of Sweden in 2003.http://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt Swedish Royal Court official home page After studying ...
covered this song on his album ''
Symfonin "Symfonin" is a song written by Elisabeth Lord and Tommy Gunnarsson, and performed by Loa Falkman at Melodifestivalen 1990. Lyrical, it deals with using music and singing to unite the peoples of the Earth. The single, which was released the same ...
'' in 1990.


Cultural influence

The song has been used in numerous films, television programs and commercials since its initial release. Among the more notable usages are the 1999 film ''
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'', a 2003
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commercial, the 2008 film ''
Tropic Thunder ''Tropic Thunder'' is a 2008 satirical action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a gro ...
'' (it's agent Rick Peck's ringtone), and the 2014
Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...
episode ''
The Yellow Badge of Cowardge "The Yellow Badge of Cowardge" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 552nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United ...
''. In 1996, ''
This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...
'' ran a comedic sketch in which Canada was taken over by terrorists who in turn were promptly defeated when the
Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...
deployed the song as their secret weapon. At the time, Hill was making television appearances to promote his new album ''I'm Doing Fine'', and
Pamela Wallin Pamela Wallin (born April 10, 1953) is a Canadian senator, former television journalist, and diplomat. She was appointed to the senate on January 2, 2009, where she initially sat as a Conservative. Early life and career Wallin was born in W ...
confronted Hill (who had not yet seen it) with the sketch on live national television.


References


External links

* "You'll never guess what Dan Hill thinks of his own song" by Dan Hill, ''Maclean's Magazine'', January 14, 2010, http://www.macleans.ca/culture/sometimes-its-too-much/ {{Authority control 1970s ballads 1977 songs 1978 singles 1985 singles 20th Century Fox Records singles Dan Hill songs Songs written by Dan Hill Songs written by Barry Mann Mark Gray (singer) songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Tammy Wynette songs Male–female vocal duets Epic Records singles Susanne Alfvengren songs Manny Pacquiao songs Rock ballads