"Touch, Peel and Stand" is a song by the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Days of the New Days of the New was an American rock band from Charlestown, Indiana, formed in 1995. The band later relocated to Louisville, Kentucky. They consisted of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians. They are best know ...

and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It was released in July 1997 to mainstream rock radio and then in September 1997 to modern rock station. It remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. It was named, ″Greatest of All-Time Mainstream Rock Song″ by ''

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'' magazine. The song reached #1 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" ...

chart and retained the spot for a then-record sixteen weeks. Shortly after this success, the song rose to #6 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart, becoming their first Top 10 hit on the chart. "Touch, Peel and Stand" is known for its raw, acoustic feel and maintains considerable radio play to this day. Despite the fact that Travis Meeks writes the majority of the songs by Days of the New, and considers it his own personal project, he has praised Matt Taul's cymbal-heavy percussion in the song. In a 2008 interview, Meeks noted, "As far as I'm concerned, he owns the track." The cover art of the "Touch, Peel and Stand" CD single borrows a photograph from the band's debut album liner notes. This depicts the ''

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'' figure of George "The Animal" Steele. The rubber figure is heavily battered with both his head and left arm torn off.

Music video

The music video for "Touch, Peel and Stand", directed by Frank W. Ockenfels 3, has a disgruntled young man (Lead Singer Travis Meeks' friend Levi Sulivan) watching TV in a filthy, rundown house. On the TV screen, the band is performing the song in a gray, open-spaced room and appears to acknowledge the man through the screen. He eventually becomes enraged and tosses furniture around the room before entering the bathroom and cutting off his long hair and shaving his head bald. Photos of the band are seen throughout his house. The man is eventually seen, with clothes neatly tucked in, facing a closed curtain while the band continues to perform in the TV screen.

Appearances

The song was performed live on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' on November 28, 1997. "Touch, Peel and Stand" was featured on compilations like ''

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, Vol. 3'' in 1998, ''Shine!'' in 2000, and ''Total Rock'' and ''Crossing All Over, Vol. 7'' in 2002. It can also be found on the soundtrack to '' Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows'' released in 1999 and '' Days of the New: The Definitive Collection'' released March 2008. The song appeared in the ninth episode of ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'', originally airing on March 17, 1998. In January 2006, the song was featured in a TV commercial for

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's reality television program ''Beyond the Bull''.

Track listings

The CD single, released in 1998, also includes two B-sides, "Independent Slaves" and "Got to be You." The former was also included on the '' Crow: Salvation'' soundtrack while the latter appeared on ''2 Guitars, Bass & Drums: Songs For Survival''. #"Touch, Peel and Stand" #"Independent Slaves" #"Got to Be You"

Charts

Covers

″Touch, Peel and Stand (Reimagined)″, in the style of NÜ-JAZZ (a fusion of

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and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

) from the album, ''Wish You Were Brooklyn'' by Jonathan Hay on ( Ingrooves (part of

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), a subsidiary of

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. Hay is a former business partner of Travis Meeks.

References

{{Days of the New 1997 debut singles Days of the New songs Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Songs written by Travis Meeks 1997 songs 1998 singles