Sometimes When We Touch

Hill was inspired to write "Sometimes When We Touch" from a previous relationship. In an interview with CBN News in 2017, Hill explained that the song was about being in love with someone who did not have similar feelings for him, "She was interested in another man, so that was breaking my heart. So I thought I needed to write a song that would capture her and win her over—that would be so passionate in a sense that she’d see that I’m the only guy for her."[4]

"Sometimes When We Touch" was first recorded in 1977. Musicians included Bobby Ogdin (piano), Larrie Londin (drums), Bob Mann (guitar), Don Potter (guitar), Tom Szczesniak (bass). The record was produced by Fred Mollin and Matthew McCauley, recorded at Manta Sound, Toronto.

It was Hill's biggest hit, peaking at #3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[5] The song was issued on Hill's studio album Longer Fuse.

In 1985, "Sometimes When We Touch" was notably covered by American country music artists Mark Gray and Tammy Wynette. The tune was recorded as a duet between the artists and originally released as a single the same year.

The song was recorded in November 1984 and was produced by Steve Buckingham. It was released as a single in January 1985 via Columbia Records. The B-side of the record was a solo recording by Mark Gray entitled "You're Gonna Be the Last Love".[16] The single reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart[17] and number 25 on the Canadian Country chart.[18] The song became Wynette's first top ten hit since 1982's "Another Chance" and Gray's fourth top ten hit as a solo artist.[17]

The song was issued on both Gray and Wynette's solo studio albums. "Sometimes When We Touch" first appeared on Gray's album This 'Ol Piano in 1984. It was the only duet recording featured on the album and was his second studio album release.[19] It was then issued on Tammy Wynette's 1985 studio album, also called Sometimes When We Touch. The track was also the only duet recording on Wynette's studio release.[20]

Tina Turner recorded a version for her 1978 album, Rough. An Estonian language version of the song (entitled "Puudutus" ("Touch")) also exists. Often performed as a duet, the song has been covered by Koit Toome and Maarja-Liis Ilus among others. On Toome's acoustic greatest hits album, Allikas, the song is present as a solo piece with the tune credited to 'H. Dan'.

UK dance singer Newton also took the song into the top 40 in the UK (peaking at #32 in February 1996) and to #5 in Australia, also in 1996. Newton's version went Gold in Australia.

In 2008, Daniel Evans performed the song at his first audition on series 5 of the X Factor (UK) bringing judge Cheryl Cole to tears after he sang in memory of his wife, who died shortly after childbirth. The clip has had nearly 20 million views on YouTube. He subsequently released the song on his debut album No Easy Way in 2010.

The ska band Five Iron Frenzy also did a cover of this song as part of a "Medley" during their farewell tour in 2004. There is also a version recorded in 1980 by Cleo Laine and James Galway. Tammy Wynette covered the song in 1985 with country-pop singer Mark Gray. Their duet version peaked at No. 6 on the country singles chart in 1985. British singer Rod Stewart recorded the song for his 1996 album If We Fall in Love Tonight. Veteran British entertainer Tommy Steele recorded this on his Family Album.

Manny Pacquiao sang this song[21] on the November 3, 2009 showing of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. This was Pacquiao's first guest appearance on an American late night TV talk show and his first singing performance on American TV. He would later record this song in April 2011 as a single which reached number 19 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

In August 2012, Dream Theater performed an impromptu short cover in Rio de Janeiro.[22]

• 1978, Lynn Anderson covered the song on her album From the Inside.
• 1979, Ginette Reno covered the song in French Quand nos corps se touchent (When our bodies touch).
• 1979, Karel Gott recorded a Czech version Stokrát chválím čas (I praise time a hundred times).
• 1979, Demis Roussos recorded and released versions in French Tu N'as Pas Le Droit (You have no right), Italian Il Tocco Dell'Amore (The Touch Of Love), Spanish Rozando Nuestra Piel (Rubbing Our Skin), and German Nur Manchmal In Der Nacht (Only sometimes at night). He also performed the original in English during his concert at Sydney Opera House in December 1979, released in the following year on his official Roussos Live! LP.
• 1980, Cilla Black released on the song on her album "Especially for You (Cilla Black album)".
• 1981, Bonnie Tyler released the song on her album Goodbye to the Island.
• 1983, An instrumental version was used as the theme to sitcom Sweet Sixteen.
• 1996, Barry Manilow covered the song for his compilation album, Summer of '78.
• 1996, Rod Stewart covered the song in his album If We Fall in Love Tonight.
• 2000, Engelbert Humperdinck recorded it on his album Engelbert at his very best.
• 2000, Barry Mann made his own version of the song on his solo album "Soul & Inspiration".
• 2004, Five Iron Frenzy included a portion of the song during a medley on their live album The End Is Here.
• 2007, Donny Osmond released a cover of this song on his solo studio album, Love Songs of the '70s.
• 2007, Ara Muna recorded it in Tagalog version with Kapampangan lyrics under the title O 'Jo Kaluguran Da Ka ("Oh My Love, I Love You").
• 2008, Olivia Ong covered the song in her album Best of Olivia.
• 2010, Daniel Evans covered the song on his album No Easy Way.
• 2011, Manny Pacquiao released the song as a single with Dan Hill.

The song has been used in numerous films, television programs and commercials since its initial release. Among the more notable usages are the 1999 film Superstar, a 2003 GEICO commercial, the 2008 film Tropic Thunder (it's agent Rick Peck's ringtone), and the 2014 Simpsons episode The Yellow Badge of Cowardge.

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• "You'll never guess what Dan Hill thinks of his own song" by Dan Hill, Maclean's Magazine, January 14, 2010, http://www.macleans.ca/culture/sometimes-its-too-much/