11 Marvelously Tactile Touch Songs | Playlist 🎧

1. Ro James, “Touchy Feely”

MANTIC • By Storm Entertainment / RCA • 2020

“Hands on you, hands on me / I’m on you, she’s on me (Yeah)…” The tactile “Touchy Feely” appears as the third track from Ro James’ sophomore album. MANTIC. Significantly shorter than the preceding song (“Last Time”), James effectively convey romantic, sexy vibes.

James certainly sings with conviction, balancing the soulfulness of the R&B of old with the swagger and hip-hop vibes of the modern edition of the genre.  MP808 gives him a nice lift regarding the production. Undoubtedly, this little gem makes you want to do a lil sumthin’, sumthin’! “Touchy Feely” previously appeared on Touch: 5ive Songs No. 26 and 10 Intriguing Songs That Reference the 5 Senses.

2. Dan Talevski, “Touch the Sky”

“Touch the Sky” • Holleration Entertainment • 2020

“Baby, it’s paradise every time I kiss your lips / And I don’t wanna come back down if heaven’s like this.” Who would wanna come back down? Definitely sounds like heaven, Dan Talevski. Talevski is a hunky (NO CAP), Canadian pop singer/songwriter.  In 2020, he dropped a pretty rad single that fits the TOUCH component of this playlist perfectly entitled “Touch the Sky.”

“Touch the Sky” features bright, exuberant production work. It’s sleekly executed to the nth degree by Ryan Kowarsky. Our shamelessly studly Canadian, Talevski, serves up expressive, nuanced vocals, exhibiting a beautiful tone.  The focus is on love and sex (not his bod, haha) – tastefully done. The songwriting is solid (Kowarsky and Talevski), while the form is straightforward and sectionally organized. I heart the vocal effects during the catchy chorus section, before the awesome musical drop.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment, baby, all my life
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here by your side
It’s taking over me and I can’t let go
And when the lightning strikes our love, yeah, we can touch the sky.”

3. Victoria Monét, “Touch Me”

JAGUAR • Tribe • 2020

“Went from hands on the wheel to hands on my thigh / To hands on my body in the back of the Porsche / I’m in love with your fingertips / I reminisce places you kiss / Girl, it’s been too long.” “Touch Me” appears as the ninth track on JAGUAR, the debut studio album by R&B singer/songwriter, Victoria Monét.  Monét delivers cool, calm, collected, and incredibly smooth vocals throughout the three-minute-plus joint. Furthermore, she sounds incredibly sexy in the process.  Add in ‘girl’ in the mix, and “Touch Me” becomes a stellar addition to LGBTQ+🌈 collection of songs.

Additionally, Victoria pens a set of sexy lyrics alongside Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II and B. Edmonds – great songwriting team to say the list.  Amplifying the closing cut from JAGUAR even more is slick, balanced production from D’Mile. The sound is modern yet soulful, and highly effective when it’s all said and done.  You’ll definitely be touched (and perhaps wanna be touched) after indulging into the gem that is “Touch” from this talented R&B singer/songwriter.

4. Sleeping at Last, “Touch”

Atlas: II • Asteroid B-612 • 2019

“All I want is to flip a switch / Before something breaks that cannot be fixed.” “Touch” is a ballad that appears as the fifth track from Atlas: II, the 2019 album by Sleeping at Last.  Worth noting, Atlas: II is quite a prolific effort when it comes to length: 25 tracks, nearing two hours in duration! Sleeping at Last, of course, is an alternative/singer/songwriter-oriented collective led by Ryan O’Neal.

“Touch” Begins abruptly with tender singing vocals.  Ryan serves up an expressive vocal performance throughout the four-minute-plus duration.  The record is led by piano accompaniment, with some lovely, emotional strings.  Lyrically, “Touch” is emotional and thoughtful; beautifully penned all said and done. A prime example:

“Fall in love with a single touch
And fall apart when it hurts too much
Can we skip past near-death clichés?
Where my heart restarts as my life replays.”

Generally pretty even keel, within the last minute of the song, “Touch” grows more epic, with more instrumentation and increased dynamics.  Of course, it only percolates for a briefly before Ryan O’Neal brings things back down.

5. Ariana Grande, “Touch It”

Dangerous Woman • Republic • 2016

“‘Cause every time I’m with you, I go into a zone / And I remember all the places you wanna go / Take me all the way / Ain’t nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it.” Wow! Ariana Grande is a Dangerous Woman indeed.  Her 2016 album definitely marked a more mature, adult Ariana, which has remained her musical persona to this date.

“Touch It” arrives as the 13^th track.  The record brilliantly balances an emotional connection as well as physical pleasure.

“How do I feel you on me, when you're not on my skin?
Why do you say you want me, then tell me you're not coming in?”

“Touch It” ends up being a late highlight on Dangerous Woman.  This particular tactile number appeared on Touch: 5ive Songs No. 26.

6. Future, “Touch the Sky”

High Off Life • Epic • 2020

“In the penthouse in my room, I can touch the sky, yeah, yeah.” “Touch the Sky” arrives early on High Off Life, the 2020 album by autotune loving rapper, Future.  It shouldn’t surprise you that “Touch the Sky” isn’t the deepest record ever.  This is Future after all!

“I just put a brand-new Phantom no my credit card,” Future brags on the first verse, continuing, “I just bought the Rollie store with my credit card.” Yeah, “Touch the Sky” thrives on drip and little else.  It certainly lacks profundity. The backdrop is simple – some keyboard work and a heavy hitting beat providing the spark.  “Touch the Sky” previously appeared on Touch: 5ive Songs No. 26.

7. Black Pumas, “Touch the Sky”

Black Pumas (Deluxe) • ATO • 2020

Black Pumas sensationally capture the psychedelic soul sound, period.  The duo – Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada – released their debut album, Black Pumas, back in 2019.  In 2020, the pair would reissue the self-titled gem in its deluxe edition, a trend throughout the music business in 2020. Thankfully, the soul collective manages to give us a superb, touch-savvy record with “Touch the Sky” which appears as the penultimate cut on the first side of the deluxe album.

“Let me touch the sky, brother / Let’s play the game…” Eric Burton shines on lead vocals – understatement! He brings that biting, gritty, old-school soul aesthetic to the 21^st century. Of course, Burton can’t do it without the awesome production by Adrian Quesada. The arrangement and orchestration are nothing short of excellent.  By my estimations, horns make everything better.  So do real instruments, which is part of what is so refreshing and ultimately ‘touching’ about Black Pumas.  The songwriting is pretty dope as well, led by the simple yet potent chorus:

“If we touch the sky, brother
You’ll hear the lovers cry, sister
‘Til we’re satisfied lovers
Now we’re taking flight.”

8. Solange, “Don’t Touch My Hair”

Ft. Sampha

A Seat at the Table • Sony • 2016

“Don’t touch my hair / When it’s the feelings I wear / Don’t touch my soul / When it’s the rhythm I know…” Solange served up a homerun with “Don’t Touch My Hair” (featuring Sampha), one of many gems from her 2016 album, A Seat at the Table. “Don’t Touch My Hair” plays up black stereotypes and naivety; hair certainly isn’t the focal point.

“…Hair” is deep and metaphorical; The jazzy neo-soul affair tackles invasiveness, racial profiling, and pride. “What you say to me,” sung by Sampha might seem incredibly simple, but unpacked, it really says it all – the built-up response from invasiveness, profiling, stereotyping, and more.

9. Cascada, “Everytime We Touch”

Everytime We Touch • Robbins Entertainment LLC • 2007

“‘Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling / And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly.” “Everytime We Touch” concluded the prior sense-driven list, 10 Intriguing Songs That Reference the 5 Senses. Cascada – Natalie Horler, DJ Manian, and DJ Yanou – is known for one hit and one hit only. Fittingly, “Everytime We Touch” serves as the title track of the German music act’s 2007 album.

Of course, the part of the song that instantly comes to mind is the aforementioned chorus, period. The chorus continues:

“Can’t you feel my heat beat fast? I want this to last
Need you by my side.”

Honestly, this dance gem is quite tasteful when it comes to matters of the bedroom. Oh, the power of innuendo, sigh. “Everytime We Touch” also previously appeared on Touch: 5ive Songs No. 26.

10. Daft Punk, “Touch”

Ft. Paul Williams

Random Access Memories • Columbia • 2013

“Touch, sweet touch / You’ve given me too much to feel / Sweet touch / You’ve almost convinced me I’m real / I need something more.” 2013 was a big year for French electronic music duo, Daft Punk – understatement! Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo would release the highly successful album, Random Access Memories, which debuted at no. 1 no the Billboard 200, and went on to win four Grammys including Album of the Year. Pretty epic! Among the gems from this fine album is the touching “Touch,” which appears mid-album as the seventh track.

Contextually, “Touch” finds itself situated between two of the surefire hits from Random Access Memories.  Track six is “Lose Yourself to Dance”, featuring Pharrell Williams.  Even bigger, is the eighth track, “Get Lucky”, also featuring Williams and bringing in Chic icon Nile Rodgers.  What I’m saying is, “Touch” has stiff competition. It works out marvelously though as Paul Williams ends up delivering a superb vocal performance.

“Touch, where do you lead?
I need something more
Tell me what you see
I need something more.”

In addition to his sound vocals, we get awesome neo-disco styled production, a triumphant orchestra, and a choir (“Hold on, if love is the answer, you’re home”). These things definitely make for quite a nice “Touch.” It may run long, but it’s a glorious eight-and-a-half-minutes of song!

11. Kanye West, “Touch the Sky”

Ft. Lupe Fiasco

Late Registration • UMG Recordings, Inc. • 2005

“I gotta testify / Come up in the spot lookin’ extra fly / ‘Fore the day I die, I’ma touch the sky.” Once upon a time, we were fixated on Kanye West because we considered him to be a musical genius.  His contributions to hip hop in the aughts can’t be stressed enough – he was a big player.  There were three indisputable classic albums from the Grammy-winner in the aughts – The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation – while some would even build a case for the experimental 808s & Heartbreaks (ahead of its time). Of course, West has managed to ‘get in his own way’ many times since the early days, which I believe has overshadowed his musical skill.

“Touch the Sky” is a fitting closer to this kinesthetic, touch-driven list – one of the gems from the masterful Late Registration (2005). There are a number of reasons why “Touch the Sky” is so epic.  First, is the production.  The highly skilled Just Blaze is behind the boards, but it is the “Move On Up” sample courtesy of the late, great Curtis Mayfield that propels “Touch the Sky,” period.  Next, there’s West himself, who delivers an incredibly catchy chorus (aforementioned), and two confident verses.   Furthermore, he drops that “sky high” outro that’s pretty sweet.  Oh, and what about a then rising Lupe Fiasco, who brings the heat to the third verse?

“Yes, yes, yes, guess who’s on third?
Lupe steal like Lupin the 3rd
Here like ear ‘til I'm beer on the curb
Peach fuzz buzz but beard on the verge...”