Invisible Touch (song)
| "Invisible Touch" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Genesis | ||||||||||
| from the album Invisible Touch | ||||||||||
| B-side | "The Last Domino" | |||||||||
| Released | 19 May 1986 | |||||||||
| Format | CD single | |||||||||
| Recorded | The Farm, Surrey, October 1985 | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Length | 3:27 | |||||||||
| Label | Atlantic, Vertigo | |||||||||
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| Producer(s) | ||||||||||
| Genesis singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Invisible Touch" is the title track and first single from the 1986 Genesis album of the same name. It is the most successful single in the band's career and was their first and only No. 1 single in the United States; the song additionally spent three consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart during summer 1986 until it was surpassed by Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love". The song was the first of five consecutive U.S. top five singles from the album of the same name.[1][2] It also reached No. 4 in Canada and No. 15 in the United Kingdom.[3]
Its B-side is the second part of "Domino", titled "The Last Domino". (The album includes both parts of "Domino" combined together.)
History
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Genesis "Invisible Touch" (1986)
 22-second sample from Genesis's "Invisible Touch" |
| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
"Invisible Touch" came about during a jam for the second part of "Domino", Rutherford playing a guitar riff while Collins improvised the line "She seems to have an invisible touch". It was recorded at The Farm in Surrey during 1985 and 1986.
In summer 1986, "Invisible Touch" was succeeded in the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 by the multi-Grammy nominated "Sledgehammer", performed by Genesis' former lead singer, Peter Gabriel.
The single also reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Live versions
A live version of "Invisible Touch" appears on the albums The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts, and Live over Europe 2007, as well as on the DVD's Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium, The Way We Walk – Live in Concert and When in Rome 2007.
"Invisible Touch" was performed during the Invisible Touch, We Can't Dance, Calling All Stations (with Ray Wilson on vocals) and Turn It On Again tours. On later tours, the song segued from "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", albeit transposed to a lower key to accommodate Collins' deepening voice.
Eventually, Collins began performing the song on his solo tours with the song once again tuned down to compensate for his deepening range.
During the 2007 reunion tour, the song was the finale featuring fireworks going off as the song ended.
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 3 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[5] | 6 |
| Finnish Singles (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] | 15 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts)[7] | 16 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 7 |
| Italy (FIMI)[9] | 21 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] | 28 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 8 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] | 13 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[13] | 15 |
| United States (Billboard Hot 100)[1] | 1 |
| Zimbabwe Singles (ZIMA)[14] | 11 |
Personnel
- Phil Collins – vocals, drums, Linn LM-1
- Tony Banks – keyboards
- Mike Rutherford: electric guitar, bass guitar
Live single
| "Invisible Touch (Live)" | ||||
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| Single by Genesis | ||||
| from the album The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts | ||||
| B-side |
"Abacab" (live) "The Brazilian" (live) | |||
| Released | 9 November 1992 | |||
| Format | 7", CD | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Writer(s) | Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford | |||
| Producer(s) | Nick Davis, Robert Colby, Genesis | |||
| Genesis singles chronology | ||||
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In 1992, "Invisible Touch" was recorded live during Genesis's 1991–1992 We Can't Dance world tour and released on limited edition 7" and CD near the end of the tour. Both formats were numbered and came with a booklet; the CD was housed in a box and the vinyl edition in a gatefold sleeve.
The A-side is the same version found on the accompanying live album The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts. The B-sides "Abacab" and "The Brazilian" were culled from the filmed (and later released) Wembley Stadium gig from the 1987 Invisible Touch tour.
The 7" featured an edited version of "Abacab," while the CD included complete versions of both songs.
Like the albums The Shorts and The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs, and the home video The Way We Walk – Live in Concert, the title of the record was prefixed by "Genesis Live", with "(Live)" appearing as a suffix on the back sleeve and on the disc itself.
During live performances of "Invisible Touch," Collins substituted the line "And though she will mess up your life" with "And though she will fuck up your life". Consequently, the swear word was bleeped out on the single.
Unlike the original recording of the song, this live version was a top 10 hit in the UK, reaching number seven. In one of the interview sections on the Way We Walk – Live in Concert DVD, Collins jokes about re-releasing the song until it finally becomes a hit.
Personnel
- Phil Collins: vocals
- Tony Banks: keyboards
- Mike Rutherford: guitar
- Daryl Stuermer: bass
- Chester Thompson: drums
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Genesis Artist Biography by Bruce Eder – Awards". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ↑ Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 317. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
- ↑ Genesis UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Genesis – Invisible Touch". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Genesis Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Genesis.
- ↑ "Genesis: Invisible Touch". (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Genesis – Invisible Touch". GfK Entertainment.
- ↑ "Chart Track: Week 11, 1986". Irish Singles Chart.
- ↑ "I singoli più venduti del 1986". HitParadeItalia (in Italian). Creative Commons. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
10. Invisible Touch – Genesis [#21] - ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Genesis search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Genesis – Invisible Touch". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Genesis – Invisible Touch". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
- ↑
- Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
External links
| Preceded by "Holding Back the Years" by Simply Red |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single 19 July 1986 |
Succeeded by "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel |
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