"Touch Me" | |||||||||||||||||
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Single by The Doors | |||||||||||||||||
from the album The Soft Parade | |||||||||||||||||
B-side | "Wild Child" | ||||||||||||||||
Released | December 1968 | ||||||||||||||||
Format | 7" single | ||||||||||||||||
Recorded | October 1968 | ||||||||||||||||
Genre | Progressive pop, symphonic rock, music hall | ||||||||||||||||
Length | 3:11 | ||||||||||||||||
Label | Elektra | ||||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Robby Krieger | ||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Paul A. Rothchild | ||||||||||||||||
The Doors singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||
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"Touch Me" is a song by The Doors from their album The Soft Parade. Written by Robby Krieger, it is notable for its extensive usage of brass and string instruments as well as a Christmas Music like sound to accent Jim Morrison's vocals, including a solo by featured saxophonist Curtis Amy. Ray Manzarek played harpsichord and organ on the song; he also interpolated the guitar riff from the 1967 Four Seasons song "C'mon Marianne" in his part. The song is also noted for the last sung line, "stronger than dirt", which was taken from a 1962 Ajax commercial. The Ajax company sued the Doors for plagiarizing the ad's trademark tune. The Doors paid the financial damages in a settlement to the Ajax company.
It was released as a single in December 1968 and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the Cashbox Top 100 in early 1969 (the band's third American number-one single). The single also did well elsewhere, peaking at #1 in the RPM Canadian Singles Chart and at #10 in the Kent Music Report in Australia. However, despite the band's commercial success the previous year, "Touch Me" did not chart in the UK Singles Chart.
A remixed version with added bass and compression appeared on a 1974 compilation called Heavy Metal released via Warner Bros. Special Products.
According to Bruce Botnick's liner notes the song was initially referred to by its various working titles; "I'm Gonna Love You," from a line in the chorus, or "Hit Me," a reference to blackjack. The opening line was originally "C'mon, hit me ... I'm not afraid," the line thus reflecting the first person vantage point of a blackjack player. Morrison reportedly changed the lyric out of concern that rowdy crowds at their live shows would mistakenly believe that "hit me" was a challenge to physically assault him.