Touch (Daft Punk song)

2013 song by Daft Punk featuring Paul Williams

"Touch"

Song by Daft Punk featuring Paul Williams
from the album  Random Access Memories
Released| 17 May 2013 (2013-05-17)
Genre|

* Disco
* progressive rock
* jazz fusion
* ambient

Length| 8:19
Label| Columbia
Songwriter(s)|

* Thomas Bangalter
* Chris Caswell
* Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
* Paul Williams

Producer(s)| Daft Punk
Audio video
"Daft Punk - Touch (Official Audio) ft. Paul Williams" on YouTube

"Touch" is a song written and recorded by French electronic music duo Daft Punk and American singer-songwriter Paul Williams. "Touch" serves as the seventh track from the group's fourth studio album, Random Access Memories (2013). The song was featured in the American thriller TV series, Mr. Robot,[1] and Daft Punk's farewell video, "Epilogue".[2]

## Composition

[edit]

While working with Chris Caswell, Daft Punk mentioned they had been heavily influenced by the 1974 film Phantom of the Paradise, starring Paul Williams. Caswell offered to arrange a meeting between Williams and the duo, leading to Williams singing on the track and writing lyric treatments for a few tracks on the album. Daft Punk had an initial melody for the song, but, when Caswell arranged a counter-melody for string accompaniment, Daft Punk preferred Caswell's. This became the melody Williams sang to and led to Caswell receiving a songwriter credit for the track.[3]

"Touch" is a multi-part ballad in common time.[4][5][6] The track is performed in the key of F-sharp minor, with a tempo of 91 BPM except for a faster middle section at 116 BPM.[7][8] Music journalists described the song musically as disco,[5] progressive rock,[6] and jazz fusion.[9] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork described the track as "over-the-top" and ambitious, with a "Cluster-fied spacey intro, some showtune balladry, a 4/4 disco section complete with swing music trills, and a sky-scraping choir, all in service of a basic lyrical idea: love is the answer and you've got to hold on."[10] Nick Decosemo of Mixmag compared "Touch" to rock ballads heard in musicals similar to Jesus Christ Superstar, additionally calling it "part Brian Eno ambient experimentation, part musical theatre, part gospel epic".[11]

## "2021 Epilogue" version

[edit]

"Touch (2021 Epilogue)"

Song by Daft Punk featuring Paul Williams
from the album  Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)
Released| 22 February 2021
Length| 3:00
Label| Columbia
Songwriter(s)|

* Thomas Bangalter
* Chris Caswell
* Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
* Paul Williams

Producer(s)|

* Thomas Bangalter
* Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo

Audio video
"Touch (2021 Epilogue) (feat. Paul Williams)" on YouTube

In February 2021, a version of "Touch" was featured in Daft Punk's eight-minute video announcing the group's disbandment, entitled "Epilogue". The video shows a part of the ending from the group's 2006 film Electroma in which one member of Daft Punk explodes while the other walks away, after which a rendition of "Touch" is played,[12] featuring an orchestra and a choir. The video has amassed over 29 million views on YouTube.[2] The version from the epilogue video was released as part of the 10th anniversary edition reissue of the album.[13]

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Random Access Memories liner notes.[14]

* Daft Punk \- production, vocals, modular synthesizer
* Paul Williams \- vocals
* Paul Jackson, Jr \- guitar
* Greg Leisz \- lap steel guitar
* Chris Caswell \- keyboards
* Thomas Bloch \- ondes martenot
* James Genus \- bass
* Omar Hakim \- drums

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Mr. Robot Soundtrack". Tune Find. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
2. ^ a b Daft Punk - Epilogue, retrieved 2023-04-22
3. ^ "Chris Caswell on Playing the GRAMMYs with Daft Punk and The Beatles — SonicScoop". sonicscoop.com. 2014-02-13. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
4. ^ Thomas, Bangalter; Guy-Manuel, de Homem-Christo; Paul, Williams; Chris, Caswell; Punk, Daft (2013-05-31). "Touch". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
5. ^ a b Romano, Tricia (21 May 2013). "Daft Punk Goes Back to the Future With 'Random Access Memories'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
6. ^ a b Reynolds, Simon (15 May 2013). "Daft Punk Gets Human With a New Album". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
7. ^ "BPM and key for Touch (feat. Paul Williams) by Daft Punk | Tempo for Touch (feat. Paul Williams) | SongBPM | songbpm.com". SongBPM. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
8. ^ "Key & BPM for Touch (feat. Paul Williams)". Tunebat.
9. ^ Hermes, Will (2013-05-13). "Random Access Memories". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
10. ^ "Daft Punk: Random Access Memories". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
11. ^ "Mixmag | NICK DECOSEMO: 'RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES' REVIEW". 2013-09-27. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
12. ^ Daly, Rhian (2021-02-22). "Music world reacts to Daft Punk's split: "An inspiration to all"". NME. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
13. ^ "Daft Punk Announce New Random Access Memories Reissue With Unreleased Music". Pitchfork. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
14. ^ "Random Access Memories". albumlinernotes. Retrieved 2023-04-22.

* v
* t
* e

Daft Punk

* Thomas Bangalter
* Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo

Studio albums|

* Homework
* Discovery
* Human After All
* Random Access Memories

Live albums|

* Alive 1997
* Alive 2007

Soundtracks|

* Tron: Legacy

Remix albums|

* Daft Club
* Human After All: Remixes
* Tron: Legacy Reconfigured
* Homework (Remixes)

Compilation albums|

* Musique Vol. 1 1993–2005
* Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)

Singles|

* "Da Funk"
* "Around the World"
* "Burnin'"
* "Revolution 909"
* "One More Time"
* "Aerodynamic"
* "Digital Love"
* "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
* "Face to Face"
* "Something About Us"
* "Robot Rock"
* "Technologic"
* "Human After All"
* "The Prime Time of Your Life"
* "Derezzed"
* "Get Lucky"
* "Lose Yourself to Dance"
* "Doin' It Right"
* "Instant Crush"
* "Give Life Back to Music"
* "Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)"

Featured singles|

* "Gust of Wind"
* "Starboy"
* "I Feel It Coming"

Other songs|

* "Giorgio by Moroder"
* "Touch"
* "Fragments of Time"
* "Contact"

Concert tours|

* Daftendirektour
* Alive 2007

Films|

* D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes
* Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
* Daft Punk's Electroma

Related articles|

* Discography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Phoenix
* Together (French duo)
* Roulé
* Crydamoure
* "Music Sounds Better with You"
* "Hypnotize U"
* Daft Punk Unchained

* Category

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