music.wikisort.org - Composition

"I Touch Myself" is a song recorded by the Australian rock band Divinyls and written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg with Christine Amphlett and Mark McEntee of the Divinyls.[3] It was released in November 1990 as the lead single from their fourth album, diVINYLS (1991), and is a paean to eroticism, orgasm and female masturbation.[4] The single achieved great success, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 18 May 1991 and number one in Australia. It was featured in the 1997 comedy film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and has been covered by numerous artists.

"I Touch Myself"
Single by Divinyls
from the album diVINYLS
B-side	"Follow Through"
Released	19 November 1990[1]
Recorded	1990
Studio	Groove Masters Studio, Santa Monica
Genre	Soft rock[2]
Length	3:44
Label	Virgin Records
Songwriter(s)	Christine Amphlett Tom Kelly Mark McEntee Billy Steinberg
Producer(s)	Christina Amphlett David Tickle Mark McEntee
Divinyls singles chronology
"Punxsie" (1988) "I Touch Myself" (1990) "Love School" (1991)
Music video
"I Touch Myself" on YouTube

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "I Touch Myself" was ranked number 60.[5]

Composition and recording

This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2020)

Chrissy Amphlett and Mark McEntee wrote the song in 1990 with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg (who have written songs such as "I'll Stand by You," "Like a Virgin," "Eternal Flame," "True Colors" and "So Emotional"). Billy Steinberg had "I Touch Myself" in his notebook; he had written the first verse and the chorus lyric. Amphlett liked it immediately. The next day, McEntee, Steinberg, Kelly, and Amphlett got together and wrote the rest, an unusual move, as Steinberg and Kelly rarely collaborated with others. Putting the song together took a lot of trial and error. It was recorded to two-inch tape, making it difficult to edit. After significant experimentation they came up with an unusual structure with the bridge placed after the first chorus.[6] It is written in the key of F major.[7]

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from AllMusic described the song as "infectious",[8] while another editor, Adrian Zupp called it a "lascivious headline-grabber".[9] A reviewer from Billboard stated that it is a "modern rock smash", noting lead singer Christina Amphlett's video appearance as "eye-catching".[10] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote that "once you have heard this excellent pop song, it will stay in your mind for the rest of the week. On the one hand it's only a step away from Blondie bubblegum, on the other hand it has the same fatal attraction as Maria McKee's Is This Heaven".[11] Alan Jones from Music Week commented, "I Touch Myself has already been a number one single in their native Australia, and is now in the US Top 10. It won't do that well here, but its loose, post-punk execution and killer hook add up to a hit."[12] Caroline Sullivan from Smash Hits called it "one of pop's finer nanoseconds" in her review of the Divinyls album.[13]

Music video

The song's accompanying music video, directed by Michael Bay, was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.[14]

Promotion and chart performance

In Australia "I Touch Myself" was released on 19 November 1990 on 7" and cassette,[1] and the CD single was released on 3 December 1990.[15] The single debuted at No. 77 on 2 December 1990.[16] On its tenth week on the chart, the song reached No. 1, replacing Vanilla Ice's debut single "Ice Ice Baby",[17] and stayed there for another week. The single was certified Platinum in Australia.

"I Touch Myself" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at No. 69 and on its eighth week it peaked at No. 10, spending a total of twelve weeks in the chart.[18] When released in the United States, the song caused a minor controversy. However, it managed to reach the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 4,[19] and at No. 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, after receiving extensive play on modern rock radio, which was more accepting of the song's subject matter. Divinyls are considered a one-hit wonder in the US, as "I Touch Myself" was their only Stateside Top 40.

I Touch Myself Project

The I Touch Myself Project was launched in 2014, twelve months after the passing of Chrissy Amphlett to breast cancer. Amphlett was passionate about spreading awareness of the importance of early detection and wanted the song to be adapted as an anthem for breast health around the world. The Project was created in Chrissy’s honour with a mission to create educational forums to remind women to check their breasts regularly and to take action if there are any changes.[20]

In June 2014, Connie Mitchell, Deborah Conway, Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan, Little Pattie, Megan Washington, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah Blasko, Sarah McLeod and Suze DeMarchi released a version of "I Touch Myself", each provided their own interpretation and distinct style to the song.[21] This version, credited to I Touch Myself Project peaked at number 72 on the ARIA Charts.[22]

In 2016, the I Touch Myself Project partnered with Berlei to create The Chrissy Bra – a bra to remind women to touch themselves when getting dressed and a Chrissy Post-Surgery Bra – a rock and roll-inspired bra designed specifically for women who have undergone breast cancer surgery.[23]

In 2018, Serena Williams recorded the song and posted her version on instagram. It became the most retweeted post, the most talked about campaign on Instagram and the most watched video during International Breast Cancer Awareness Month.[24]

Usage in other media

• The song was featured in the 1997 comedy film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, in the scene where Austin dances to make the Fembots' heads explode.
• The cover by Scala & Kolacny Brothers was featured in the opening of first episode of the second season of Sex Education, when Otis is finally able to masturbate.[25]

Cover versions

• Gina Riley parodied the song on Fast Forward.[26]
• Weird Al included a verse from the song in the polka medley "Polka Your Eyes Out" from Off the Deep End (later collected on Permanent Record).[27]
• FHM High Street Honeys released a version of the song in 2007, peaking at number 34 on the UK Singles Chart in February 2007.[28]
• Lime Cordiale released a cover of the song in 2019 for triple j's Like A Version, which went on to reach number 17 in the 2019 Triple J Hottest 100.[29]

Track listing

• Divinyls version

1. "I Touch Myself"
2. "Follow Through"
3. "I Touch Myself (Alternate Version)"

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40]	Platinum	70,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

На других языках

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- [en] I Touch Myself

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[ru] I Touch Myself

«I Touch Myself» — песня, написанная и записанная австралийской рок-группой Divinyls. Была выпущена в ноябре 1990 года в качестве ведущего сингла с их пятого альбома, diVINYLS. Является пеаном женского удовольствия, эротики, оргазма и мастурбации[2].

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