Touch of Grey
| "Touch of Grey" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Grateful Dead | |
| from the album In the Dark | |
| Released | 1987 |
| Format | 12", 7" |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length |
5:50 (Album Version) 4:35 (Single Version) |
| Label | Arista |
| Writer(s) | Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter |
| Producer(s) | John Cutler |
"Touch of Grey" is a 1987 single by the Grateful Dead, and is from the album In the Dark. The song is known for its refrain "I will get by / I will survive". It combines non sequitur lyrics with a pop tempo. The music was composed by Jerry Garcia, and the lyrics were written by Robert Hunter. It was also released as a music video, the first one by the Grateful Dead.
First performed as an encore on September 15, 1982 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, it was finally released on In the Dark in 1987. The song got into the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 9,[1] and reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the only song by the band ever to do so on both charts.[2] It was released as a single with "My Brother Esau" and later "Throwing Stones", and has appeared on a number of albums and collections.[3]
Music video
The music video for "Touch of Grey" gained major airplay on MTV and featured a live performance of the band, first shown to be life-size skeleton marionettes dressed as the band, then as themselves. The video was directed by Gary Gutierrez, who had previously created the animation sequences for The Grateful Dead Movie.
The popularity of the single and its video helped introduce the Grateful Dead to a new group of fans, resulting in the band gaining additional mainstream attention.[2][4]
Video documentary
The Grateful Dead also released a 30-minute documentary called Dead Ringers: The Making of Touch of Grey, about the production of the music video. The documentary was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, the son of drummer Bill Kreutzmann.[5]
Chart Performance
“Touch of Grey” reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. “Touch of Grey” and “Truckin'” were the band's only songs to ever reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with “Truckin'” peaking at #37 in 1970-1971.
Notes
- ↑ "Touch of Grey", Billboard.com
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ruhlmann, William. "Touch of Grey" at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Touch of Grey" on DeadDisc.com
- ↑ Jackson, Blair (June 15, 2012). "That 'Touch of Grey' Summer", dead.net. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Dead Ringers: The Making of A Touch of Grey" on DeadDisc.com
