Touchy!

Last updated

"Touchy!"
A-ha Touchy Single.jpg
Single by A-ha
from the album Stay on These Roads
B-side
Released15 August 1988 [1]
Recorded1988
Length4:38
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Alan Tarney
A-ha singles chronology
"The Blood That Moves the Body"
(1988)		"Touchy!"
(1988)		"You Are the One"
(1988)
Music video
"Touchy!" on YouTube

"Touchy!" (also known simply as "Touchy") is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 15 August 1988 as the third single from their third studio album, Stay on These Roads (1988).

Contents

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Being tipped by many Euro-DJs for months now, this highly commercial track just cannot fail." [2]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Touchy!" was directed by Kevin Moloney in France, and shows the band at a beach resort, interspersed with black-and-white footage of singer Morten Harket and the other members miming the song.

Track listings

  1. "Touchy!" – 4:38
  2. "Hurry Home" (Album Version) – 4:34
  1. "Touchy!" (Go-Go Mix) – 8:20
  2. "Touchy!" (Album Version) – 4:38
  3. "Hurry Home" (Album Version) – 4:34
  1. "Touchy!" (Go-Go Mix) – 8:20
  2. "Hurry Home" (Album Version) – 4:34
  3. "Hunting High and Low (Edit) - 3:47

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Touchy!"
Chart (1988)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [3] 14
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles) [4] 23
Europe (European Airplay Top 50) [5] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [6] 25
France (SNEP) [7] 5
Ireland (IRMA) [8] 6
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [9] 23
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [10] 14
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [12] 18
UK Singles (OCC) [13] 11
West Germany (Official German Charts) [14] 13
Year-end chart performance for "Touchy!"
Chart (1988)Position
Europe (European Airplay Top 50) [15] 28

Related Research Articles

<i>Stay on These Roads</i> 1988 studio album by A-ha

Stay on These Roads is the third studio album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 3 May 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. Six singles were released from the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sun Always Shines on T.V.</span> 1985 single by a-ha

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, released as the third single from their debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The song was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. In some commercial markets the single was not as popular as their previous (debut) single "Take On Me", which had reached the top spot in the United States and several other countries around the world, but in the United Kingdom and Ireland it improved upon the number-two charting of "Take On Me", reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1986, having been released there on 16 December 1985. Its success secured for the band the prestige of having number-one single status on both primary Anglo-American popular music charts on either side of the Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I've Been Losing You</span> 1986 single by A-ha

"I've Been Losing You" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released as the lead single from their second studio album, Scoundrel Days (1986). It reached number one in Denmark and Norway, and number eight in the United Kingdom. It achieved worldwide sales of over 1.1 million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You</span> Song by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin

"Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" is a song written by composers Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin. It was originally recorded by American singer and guitarist George Benson for his 1985 studio album 20/20, released by Warner Bros. Records. This original version was produced by co-writer Masser, and was released as a single in Europe only in 1985. In 1987, Hawaii born singer Glenn Medeiros released a version, which became a worldwide success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blood That Moves the Body</span> 1988 single by A-ha

"The Blood That Moves the Body" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 6 June 1988 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, Stay on These Roads (1988). The song was written by bandmember Pål Waaktaar and produced by Alan Tarney. It peaked at number one in Iceland, and was a top 20 hit in Belgium, Ireland, Italy and South Africa. The music video was directed by Andy Morahan and filmed in Austria and France. On 30 March 1992, the song was re-released with the remixes by Alan Tarney. The video remained unchanged. The dark, enigmatic lyrics of this song have been attributed to many things, including teen suicides in Japan and literary references to Eyes of a Blue Dog. The "Two-Time Gun Remix" was later included on A-ha's 2010 compilation album, 25, which features all of the band's hits, across two CDs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train of Thought (A-ha song)</span> 1986 single by a-ha

"Train of Thought" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, released in March 1986 as the fourth single from their debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The lyrics for this song were based on the existentialist authors and poets Gunvor Hofmo, Knut Hamsun and Fyodor Dostoevsky – Pål's favourites at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shapes That Go Together</span> 1994 single by A-ha

Shapes That Go Together is a song by Norwegian band A-ha and the official song of the Paralympics '94 which was held at Lillehammer, Norway. The single was written by Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar, who from now onwards refers to himself as Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, produced by Christopher Neil and arranged by A-ha and Kjetil Bjerkestrand. The song was released in February 1994 by Warner Bros. and reached number 27 on the charts in the UK, staying within the charts for three weeks total. It also reached number 57 in Germany, number 28 in Poland and number 15 in Denmark. The band performed the song at the 1994 IRMA Awards in Dublin. Its music video was directed by Barry Maguire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting High and Low (A-ha song)</span> 1986 single by a-ha

"Hunting High and Low" is a song by Norwegian band a-ha, released in June 1986 as the fifth and final single from the band's debut studio album of the same name (1985). It became the third most successful single from Hunting High and Low on the charts and one of the band's most recognizable and popular songs. The song did not chart in the United States, but reached the top five in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cry Wolf (A-ha song)</span> 1986 single by A-ha

"Cry Wolf" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released as the second single from their second studio album, Scoundrel Days (1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Skyline (song)</span> 1987 single by A-ha

"Manhattan Skyline" is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha, released in February 1987 as the third single from their second studio album, Scoundrel Days (1986). It reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Living Daylights (song)</span> 1987 single by A-ha

"The Living Daylights" is the theme song from the 1987 James Bond film of the same name, performed by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha. It was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. A revised version of the song was included on the band's third studio album, Stay on These Roads (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stay on These Roads (song)</span> 1988 single by A-ha

"Stay on These Roads" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 March 1988 by Warner Bros. Records as the lead single from their third studio album of the same name (1988). The song achieved success in many European countries, becoming the most successful single from the Stay on These Roads album, along with "The Living Daylights" on the UK charts. It did not hit the national charts in the United States, but was a significant hit across Europe. It went to number seven in West Germany, number three in France and Iceland, and number two in Ireland. In Norway, the song was the band's fourth number one single. "Stay on These Roads" was A-ha's seventh and final top five showing in the United Kingdom, reaching number five on the chart edition of March 27, 1988. It would also prove their last top ten hit in the country for almost two decades, as they did not score another UK top ten hit until eighteen years later in 2006. The song's music video was directed by Andy Morahan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voyage, voyage</span> 1986 song by Desireless

"Voyage, voyage" is a song by French singer Desireless, released as the first single from her debut studio album, François (1989). It was written by Jean-Michel Rivat and Dominique Dubois, and produced by the former. Sung entirely in French, the song transcended the language barrier on the music charts and became a huge international success between 1986 and 1988, reaching the top position in more than ten countries across Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella, elle l'a</span> 1987 single by France Gall

"Ella, elle l'a" is a single released by French singer France Gall. It was released as a single from her album Babacar, on 24 August 1987, and became a hit across Europe, the Americas and Asia. It was covered live by French singer Alizée at a TV show in 2002 and by Belgian singer Kate Ryan in a dance version in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boys (Summertime Love)</span> 1987 single by Sabrina

"Boys (Summertime Love)" is a song by Italian singer Sabrina, released in May 1987 as the third single from her self-titled debut studio album (1987). The song topped the charts in France (where it became the first number-one single by an Italian singer since 1984) and Switzerland, while peaking within the top five in Austria, Belgium, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Is the Night for All</span> 1993 single by A-ha

"Dark Is the Night for All" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 24 May 1993 by Warner Bros. as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Memorial Beach (1993). The song was written by Pål Waaktaar and produced by the band with David Z. Like the rest of Memorial Beach album, the song was recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios. This was also the last A-ha single to be released in the United States. There are two versions of the music video, directed by Erick Ifergan; the first version was banned due to disturbing scenes, including Morten Harket's face ripping through the skin of his abdomen. The second version features more scenes of the band. Overall, the video shows people in various forms of bondage and reflects the dark time A-ha was going through at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Are the One (A-ha song)</span> 1988 single by A-ha

"You Are the One" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released as the fourth single from their third studio album, Stay on These Roads (1988). It was remixed by Justin Strauss for single release. The music video was filmed in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take On Me</span> 1984 song by a-ha

"Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The 1985 international hit version was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The recording combines synth-pop with a varied instrumentation, including acoustic guitars, keyboards, and drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Call Your Name (A-ha song)</span> 1990 single by A-ha

"I Call Your Name" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 3 December 1990 as the second single from their fourth studio album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990). It was written by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Move to Memphis</span> 1991 single by A-ha

"Move to Memphis" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, which was released in October 1991 as a single from their greatest hits album Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of A-ha (1991). It was written by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, and produced by A-ha. "Move to Memphis" reached number two in Norway and number 47 in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Robin (13 August 1988). "News: Releases". Record Mirror . p. 6. ISSN   0144-5804.
  2. ↑ "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 27 August 1988. p. 15. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "a-ha – Touchy!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 50. 10 December 1988. p. 22-23. OCLC   29800226 . Retrieved 16 August 2023– via World Radio History.
  5. ↑ "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 41. 8 October 1988. p. 29. OCLC   29800226 . Retrieved 16 August 2023– via World Radio History.
  6. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  7. ↑ "a-ha – Touchy!" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Touchy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "A-Ha".
  10. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – a-ha" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "a-ha – Touchy!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "a-ha – Touchy!". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "a-ha: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – Touchy!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "1988 Year-End Eurocharts - Ariplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 6, no. 52/1. 1 January 1989. p. 29. Retrieved 11 June 2024– via World Radio History.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.