Out of Touch


"Out of Touch" is a song by American duo Hall & Oates from their twelfth studio album Big Bam Boom. The song was released as the lead single from Big Bam Boom on 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.
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" 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.

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" — 7:36
  2. "Out of Touch" — 7:24
  3. "Cold, Dark and Yesterday" — 4:35
UK 12-inch vinyl single
  1. "Out of Touch"
  2. "Dance on Your Knees"
  3. "Everytime You Go Away"

    Credits and personnel

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Rank
US Billboard Hot 1006

All-time charts

Uniting Nations version

"Out of Touch" was covered by Uniting Nations in 2004. Uniting Nations' 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 highest-selling single of 2005—and became a top-ten 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, Charleene Rena, Hayley-Marie Coppin, Sophie Lovell Anderson and two unidentified women playing strip poker.

Track listing

The 12" vinyl included the tracks:
  1. "Out of Touch" – 6:16
  2. "Out of Touch" – 7:55
  3. "Out of Touch" – 7:03
  4. "Out of Touch" – 6:50
The enhanced CD single included the tracks:
  1. "Out of Touch" – 2:36
  2. "Out of Touch" – 6:15
  3. "Out of Touch" – 7:03
  4. "Out of Touch" – 6:50
  5. "Out of Touch" – 7:20
  6. "Out of Touch" – 5:55
  7. "Out of Touch"

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Netherlands 26
Romania 1
UK Singles 74

Certifications