Out of Touch explained

Out of Touch
Cover:OutofTouch.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Daryl Hall & John Oates
Album:Big Bam Boom
B-Side:Cold, Dark and Yesterday
Released:October 4, 1984
Studio:Electric Lady (New York City)
Genre:
Length:
  • 4:21 (album version)
  • 3:55 (single version)
  • 4:33 (video version)
Label:RCA Victor
Producer:
Prev Title:Adult Education
Prev Year:1984
Next Title:Method of Modern Love
Next Year:1984

"Out of Touch" is a song by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates from their twelfth studio album Big Bam Boom (1984). The song was released as the lead single from Big Bam Boom on Thursday, October 4, 1984, by RCA Records. This song was their last Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, topping the chart for two weeks in December 1984. It also became the duo's fourteenth consecutive top 40 hit since 1980.[1]

The song often segued from "Dance on Your Knees", which is the opening song of the Big Bam Boom album. The accompanying music video for "Out of Touch", featuring a gigantic drum kit, also contains the "Dance on Your Knees" intro, which segues into an edit of the 12-inch remix version.

According to John Oates, he came up with the chorus while randomly playing around with a synthesizer that he did not know how to use. He thought it could be a song for the Stylistics, having a Philly sound. But in the studio the next day a co-producer told him it should be a hit for Hall & Oates themselves. Oates and Hall then co-wrote the verse.[2]

Track listing and formats

US 7-inch vinyl single

  1. "Out of Touch" — 3:55
  2. "Cold, Dark and Yesterday" — 4:35

US 12-inch vinyl single

  1. "Out of Touch" (Club Version) — 7:36
  2. "Out of Touch" (Dub Version) — 7:24
  3. "Cold, Dark and Yesterday" — 4:35

UK 12-inch vinyl single

  1. "Out of Touch" (Video Mix)
  2. "Dance on Your Knees" (Extended Mix)
  3. "Everytime You Go Away" (Remix Version)

Credits

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984–1985)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 11
Canada (The Records Retail Singles)[4] 4
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[5] 45
US Cash Box Top 100[6] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 47
US Cash Box Top 100[8] 43

Music video

A video was made for the song, including scenes in which Hall and Oates were inside a gigantic drum set, which Oates bangs an equally gigantic bass drum pedal into, and from which at the end of the video, both Hall and Oates escape. The video also features the word boom in gigantic letters, with Hall and Oates dancing inside the two big O letters.[10]

Uniting Nations version

Out of Touch
Cover:Out-of-touch-by-uniting-nations.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Uniting Nations
Album:One World
Length:2:47
Label:Gusto
Producer:
Next Title:You and Me
Next Year:2005

English dance music act Uniting Nations covered "Out of Touch" and released it as their debut single on November 15, 2004. This version peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in January 2005 and remained in the top 75 for 21 weeks. Elsewhere, the cover reached number one in Romania—where it was the most successful single of 2005—and became a top-10 hit in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway. The vocals on the recording were done by vocalist and session artist Jinian Wilde.

Music video

The music video for the song features actors Paul Spicer,[11] Charleene Rena, Hayley-Marie Coppin, Sophie Lovell Anderson, Daniela Martins, a participant of French Big Brother Secret Story, and one unidentified woman playing strip poker.

Track listings

UK CD single[12]

  1. "Out of Touch" (radio mix) – 2:46
  2. "Out of Touch" (extended mix) – 6:16
  3. "Out of Touch" (Skylab Remix) – 7:03
  4. "Out of Touch" (Tyrrell Remix) – 6:50
  5. "Out of Touch" (The Vanden Plas Remix) – 7:20
  6. "Out of Touch" (Paul Roberts Remix) – 6:55
  7. "Out of Touch" (video)

UK 12-inch single[13]

A1. "Out of Touch" (extended mix) – 6:16

A2. "Out of Touch" (Hardfaze Remix) – 7:55

B1. "Out of Touch" (Skylab Remix) – 7:03

B2. "Out of Touch" (Tyrell Remix) – 6:50

Australian and New Zealand CD single[14]

  1. "Out of Touch" (Love You So Much radio mix) – 3:31
  2. "Out of Touch" (extended mix) – 6:16
  3. "Out of Touch" (radio edit with Vox filter intro) – 2:46
  4. "Out of Touch" (Skylab Remix) – 7:03
  5. "Out of Touch" (Outsiderz Remix) – 7:05
  6. "Out of Touch" (Paul Roberts Remix) – 6:55

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004–2006)Peak
position
Czech Republic (IFPI)[15] 20
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[16] 1
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[17] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2005-2006)Position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[19] 87
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 26
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[21] 1
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[22] 134
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 74

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
AustraliaNovember 15, 2004CDFestival Mushroom[24]
United KingdomNovember 22, 2004Gusto[25]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Video Medium Not The Message For Daryl Hall & John Oates. Jeff Tamarkin. October 13, 1984. Billboard. July 14, 2010.
  2. Web site: John Oates performs "Out of Touch" on Ditty TV. YouTube. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/IcjKxwcWbLI . December 21, 2021 . live.
  3. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . illustrated . St Ives, N.S.W. . Australian Chart Book . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6.
  4. Book: Lwin, Nanda . Nanda Lwin . Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide . Music Data Canada . 2000.
  5. European Top 100 Singles . . 2 . 2 . January 14, 1984 . 6 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  6. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending December 15, 1984 . . January 12, 2021.
  7. Top 100 Singles of 1984 . RPM . 41 . 17 . January 5, 1985 . 7 . 0315-5994 . Library and Archives Canada.
  8. Web site: The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1984 – Top 100 Pop Singles . Cash Box . December 29, 1984 . January 12, 2021.
  9. Web site: Top Pop Singles of 1985 . Billboard.biz . December 31, 1985 . January 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121008123100/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/archivesearch/article_display/855355 . October 8, 2012.
  10. Web site: Daryl Hall & John Oates - Out Of Touch (Official HD Video). www.youtube.com.
  11. Web site: Out of Touch by Uniting Nations.. YouTube it & have a chuckle at my expense!! RT @AnneVosser: @Spiceboy81 What video?. Paul. Spicer. May 21, 2011.
  12. Out of Touch. Uniting Nations. 2004. UK CD single liner notes. Gusto Records. CDGUS13.
  13. Out of Touch. Uniting Nations. 2004. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Gusto Records. 12GUS13.
  14. Out of Touch. Uniting Nations. 2004. Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes. Festival Mushroom Records. 021985.
  15. Web site: Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden 19/2005. IFPI ČR. cs. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050518080953/http://www.ifpicr.cz/radio.htm. May 18, 2005. January 12, 2020.
  16. Web site: Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 9 December 2004. GfK Chart-Track. June 19, 2019.
  17. Web site: Arhiva romanian top 100: Editia 14, saptamina 11.04 – 17.04, 2005. Romanian Top 100. ro. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050514170639/http://www.rt100.ro/editie-top-100_x10163.html. May 14, 2005. June 23, 2023.
  18. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2004. UKChartsPlus. December 24, 2018.
  19. Year End European Hot 100 Singles Chart 2005 01 – 2005 52. Billboard. VNU Media. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121018142431/http://www.vnuemedia.com/bb/biz/images/pdf/YearEndEuropeanHot100.pdf. October 18, 2012. January 7, 2022.
  20. Web site: Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2005. nl. Dutch Top 40. November 13, 2019.
  21. Web site: Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 2005. Romanian Top 100. ro. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060410152756/http://www.rt100.ro/romanian-top-100-2005.html. April 10, 2006.
  22. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2005. TopHit. April 24, 2024. April 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240421190640/https://tophit.com/chart/top/radio/hits/ru/annual/2005. live.
  23. Web site: End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2005. Official Charts Company. December 24, 2018.
  24. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 15th November 2004. ARIA. 28. November 15, 2004. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20041219130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20041220-0000/issue768.pdf. December 19, 2004. July 8, 2021.
  25. Web site: Out of Touch. Amazon. July 8, 2021.