Touch It (Monifah song) explained

Touch It
Cover:	Touch It (Monifah song) coverart.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Monifah
Album:	Mo'hogany
Length:	4:45
Label:	Uptown Universal
Producer:	Jack Knight
Prev Title:	I Still Love You
Prev Year:	1997
Next Title:	Bad Girl
Next Year:	1999

"Touch It" is the lead single from American R&B singer Monifah's second album, Mo'hogany. The song was produced and written by Jack Knight and Screwface. It uses a sample of Laid Back's 1983 hit "White Horse", so songwriters Tim Stahl and John Guldberg are given writing credits.

Released as a single on July 21, 1998, the song became a worldwide hit, charting within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Canada. In the United States, it peaked at number nine on both the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, giving Monifah her highest-peaking single on the US charts. The song's music video features Monifah performing the song in front of the United States Armed Forces.

Track listings

US CD and cassette single, Australian CD single^{[1] [2]}

1. "Touch It" (radio edit)
2. "Touch It" (album version)
3. "Suga Suga" (snippet)
4. "Fallin' in Love" (snippet)
5. "Better Half of Me" (snippet)

US 12-inch single^[3]

1. "Touch It" (LP version) — 4:46
2. "Touch It" (clean LP version) — 4:47
3. "Touch It" (instrumental) — 4:35

UK CD and 12-inch single^{[4] [5]}

1. "Touch It" (clean radio edit)
2. "Touch It" (Clark Kent remix)
3. "Touch It" (Ignorants remix)
4. "Touch It" (Maurice Joshua main edit)

UK cassette single and European CD single^{[6] [7]}

1. "Touch It" (clean radio edit)
2. "Touch It" (Clark Kent remix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998–1999)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[8]	66
US Billboard Hot 100^[9]	9
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)^[10]	9
US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)^[11]	1
US Top 40 Tracks (Billboard)^[12]	13

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)	Position
UK Urban (Music Week)^[13]	38
US Billboard Hot 100^[14]	77
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)^[15]	63
US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)^[16]	23

Chart (1999)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[17]	30
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[18]	54
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[19]	65
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[20]	145
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[21]	54
US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)^[22]	45

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United States	July 21, 1998	Rhythmic contemporary radio		^[23]
				^[24]
	August 11, 1998	Contemporary hit radio		^[25]
United Kingdom	January 18, 1999		Universal	^[26]

Cover versions and samples

• 2001: Mytown sampled the lyrics referencing Jack Knight and Dakoda House in "Party All Night" from their self-titled album
• 2003: Dannii Minogue sampled the song and the 1983 original "White Horse" by Laid Back on the track "Push" from the album Neon Nights
• 2014: Nena Buddemeier (ft. DJ Tomekk)

Notes and References

1. Touch It. Monifah. 1998. US & Australian CD single liner notes. Uptown Records, Universal Records. UPTDS-56207.
2. Touch It. Monifah. 1998. US cassette single sleeve. Uptown Records, Universal Records. UPTCS-56207.
3. Touch It. Monifah. 1998. US 12-inch single vinyl disc. Uptown Records, Universal Records. UPT12 56207.
4. Touch It. Monifah. 1999. UK CD single liner notes. Universal Records. UND 56218.
5. Touch It. Monifah. 1999. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Universal Records. UNT 56218.
6. Touch It. Monifah. 1999. UK cassette single sleeve. Universal Records. UNC 56218.
7. Touch It. Monifah. 1998. European CD single liner notes. Universal Records. UND 56229.
8. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 16. 6. 10. February 6, 1999. London. 1385-612X. June 26, 2018.
9. Billboard Hot 100. Billboard. October 17, 1998. February 10, 2023.
10. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Billboard. October 3, 1998. subscription. February 10, 2023.
11. Rhythmic Airplay. Billboard. October 31, 1998. August 3, 2023.
12. Top 40 Tracks. Billboard. 110. 50. 80. December 12, 1998.
13. The Urban Top 40 of 1998. Music Week. January 9, 1999. August 6, 2023.
14. Web site: Billboard Top 100: 1998. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150910073318/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1998. September 10, 2015. dmy-all.
15. The Year in Music 1998: Hot R&B Singles. Billboard. 110. 52. YE-51. December 26, 1998.
16. Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1998. Airplay Monitor. 6. 52. 46. December 25, 1998.
17. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 25, 2019.
18. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1999. Ultratop. nl. August 31, 2019.
19. Web site: Rapports annuels 1999. Ultratop. fr. August 31, 2019.
20. Web site: Jaarlijsten 1999. nl. Dutch Top 40. May 11, 2022.
21. Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999. Airplay Monitor. 7. 52. 54. December 24, 1999.
22. Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1999. Airplay Monitor. 7. 52. 53. December 24, 1999.
23. New Releases. Radio & Records. 1257. 86. July 17, 1998. Misprinted as 14 July on source.
24. Monifah Takes Control on 2nd Set. Smith. Shawnee. Billboard. 110. 30. 29. July 25, 1998. The single, which was produced by Winans, will be in stores Tuesday (21)....
25. New Releases. Radio & Records. 1260. 72. August 7, 1998.
26. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 27. January 16, 1999. July 16, 2021.