"Can't Touch It" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985) is an Australian singer-songwriter, television and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, raised in Gold Coast, Queensland, and began performing at age 15. Coulter rose to fame in ...
. It was written by Coulter with Brian Kierulf and Joshua M. Schwartz of KNS Productions, who also produced the song. "Can't Touch It" was released as the
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
from Coulter's second studio album, ''
Brand New Day'', on 4 August 2007. Upon its release, "Can't Touch It" peaked at number two on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and number one on the ARIA Dance Singles Chart, where it remained for eight consecutive weeks. It was certified platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
for shipments of 70,000 copies.
The accompanying music video was directed by Fin Edquist and features Coulter with her girlfriends at a nightclub. She promoted "Can't Touch It" with performances at instore appearances and the
2007 ARIA Music Awards. The song was also part of Coulter's
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
for her first solo headlining tour,
The Brand New Day Tour. In May 2008, a digital remix
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
of "Can't Touch It", re-titled "U Wanna Little of This", was released throughout Europe by dance label
Ministry of Sound UK. "Can't Touch It" has been used for several American television shows and was featured in both the trailer and closing credits of the film ''
Sex and the City 2
''Sex and the City 2'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Sex and the City','' which was based on the 1998–2004 HBO television series of ...
'' (2010).
Background and release
In 2006, Coulter joined forces with previous ''
Australian Idol
''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...
'' contestants
Paulini,
Emily Williams and
Kate DeAraugo to be part of the all-girl singing project called
Young Divas
Young Divas was an Australian pop girl group formed in 2006 by Sony BMG Australia, initially for a one-off single and national tour to promote all members as solo artists. The original line-up consisted of former '' Australian Idol'' contest ...
.
The project was initially formed to promote a joint 17-date national tour, where all singers would perform their solo material and several songs as a group.
Together, they released a
self-titled album of classic
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
and
pop covers, which included the top-ten singles "
This Time I Know It's for Real" and "
Happenin' All Over Again".
The album was a commercial success, debuting at number four on the
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was certified double platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
for shipments of 140,000 copies.
In February 2007, Coulter headed overseas to work on her second solo album. Four months later, Coulter announced her departure from the Young Divas to resume her solo career. She was later replaced by
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy (; born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the Australian Idol (season 4), fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and s ...
.
"Can't Touch It" was released as the
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
from Coulter's second solo album, ''
Brand New Day'', on 4 August 2007 as a
digital download and on 6 August as a
CD single
A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
.
It was written in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
by Coulter with Brian Kierulf and Joshua M. Schwartz of KNS Productions,
who also produced the song.
Coulter explained, "The song is about me and my best friend going out for a night out in New York, not needing the guys, and just having a great night." The
digital release of "Can't Touch It" included the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
track "Take Me to a Place", a cappella and instrumental versions and two remixes by Rok Coalition.
In December 2007, it was announced that Coulter had signed an international record deal with dance label
Ministry of Sound UK. A digital remix
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
of "Can't Touch It", re-titled "U Wanna Little of This", was released through the label in Europe on 18 May 2008.
The EP featured radio edits and remixes by WAWA and
Ali Payami.
Reception
Bernard Zuel of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' described "Can't Touch It" as a "very
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
-like beefed up
'40s swing" type of song. It was nominated for 'Best Performing Independent Single/EP' at the
2007 AIR Awards. For the issue dated 13 August 2007, "Can't Touch It" debuted at number two on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was the highest new entry of that week.
It became Coulter's third top-ten single as a solo artist and spent eight consecutive weeks in the top-ten.
The song also appeared on the ARIA Dance Singles Chart, where it peaked at number one and remained at that position for eight consecutive weeks. In 2008, "Can't Touch It" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of 70,000 copies.
Music video and live performances
The music video was directed by Fin Edquist and filmed at the Lotus Bar in June 2007.
The video was released in August 2007 and features Coulter with her girlfriends at a
nightclub
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
.
It also includes a
cameo appearance
A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
by former ''Australian Idol'' contestant and ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'' star
Dan O'Connor, who acts as a
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...
and love interest.
Coulter performed "Can't Touch It" and signed CD copies of the single during instore appearances at
Knox City Shopping Centre and
Highpoint Shopping Centre on 4 August 2007,
Warringah Mall and
Rhodes Shopping Centre on 5 August 2007, and
Logan Hyperdome
Logan Hyperdome Shopping Centre in Shailer Park, Queensland, is the largest shopping centre in Logan City and one of the largest single storey shopping centres in Australia.
The Queensland Police Service operates a police beat shopfront in the ...
on 9 August 2007. She also performed the song during the half time of the 2007
SANFL
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport.
...
Grand Final on 7 October and on the red carpet of the
2007 ARIA Music Awards on 28 October. "Can't Touch It" was later added to the
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
of Coulter's first solo headlining tour,
The Brand New Day Tour, in March 2008.
Usage in media
In Australia, "Can't Touch It" was used to promote the American drama series ''
Cashmere Mafia
''Cashmere Mafia'' is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008, to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Ra ...
'' on the
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
while in the United States, the song was used to advertise the comedy-drama series ''
Lipstick Jungle''.
In 2008, the song was included in the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
music video game ''
SingStar Party Hits''. In April 2010, "Can't Touch It" was featured in the trailer for the film ''
Sex and the City 2
''Sex and the City 2'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Sex and the City','' which was based on the 1998–2004 HBO television series of ...
''.
It was also played over the film's closing credits and appeared on the
official soundtrack album.
In September 2010, "Can't Touch It" was featured in the third episode of the American cheerleading comedy-drama series ''
Hellcats''. The song was also used in the
thirteenth season of the US version of ''
Dancing with the Stars'' and in the
tenth season of ''
So You Think You Can Dance US''.
Track listings
* Digital download
# "Can't Touch It" (radio edit) – 2:53
# "Take Me to a Place" – 4:32
# "Can't Touch It" (Rok Coalition radio remix) – 4:35
# "Can't Touch It" (a capella) – 2:47
# "Can't Touch It" (instrumental) – 2:56
# "Can't Touch It" (Rok Coalition extended remix) – 8:33
* Digital remix EP
# "U Wanna Little of This" (WAWA radio edit) – 2:43
# "U Wanna Little of This" (Ali Payami radio edit) – 2:20
# "U Wanna Little of This" (WAWA vocal mix) – 7:23
# "U Wanna Little of This" (Ali Payami club mix) – 6:22
# "U Wanna Little of This" (WAWA dub) – 6:56
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Ricki-Lee: The Singles''.
Locations
* Mixed at Sing Sing Studios
* Mastered at Stepford Audio
Personnel
* Songwriting – Ricki-Lee Coulter, KNS Productions (Brian Kierulf and Joshua M. Schwartz)
* Production and engineering – KNS
* Additional vocal production – Glenn Cunningham
* Background vocals – Ricki-Lee Coulter,
Carmen Smith
* Mixing – Tony Espie
* Mastering – Dave Walker
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certification
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Can't Touch It
2007 singles
2007 songs
Ricki-Lee Coulter songs
Shock Records singles
Songs written by Brian Kierulf
Songs written by Ricki-Lee Coulter