B-side "Hollywood" Genre Electropop | Recorded 2006 Label Sire | |
Released 8 December 2007 (2007-12-08) Length 4:14 (album version)
3:21 (radio edit)
3:41 (video edit) | ||
"Untouched" is a song by Australian recording group The Veronicas, which is featured on their second studio album Hook Me Up (2007). The song was written by Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, and Toby Gad and was produced by Gad as well. It was released as the second single from the band's album in Australia on 10 December 2007, and the first single in the UK and US.
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"Untouched" received generally positive reviews from music critics, which applauded the departure from their previous music, with some highlighting it as the album's standout track and comparing it to the work of Pink and Avril Lavigne. The song was commercially successful worldwide, as the song reached number seventeen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's only top twenty there and was known as their breakthrough single. The song also peaked at number eight in the UK, number two in their native Australia, number nine in New Zealand and at number one in Ireland. The song was certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over one million shipments there.
An accompanying music video was released for the single, directed by Anthony Rose, where it was shot in Sydney, Australia. The video starts with a lot of pictures in the hallway. The video received generally positive reviews, having over 37 million hits on YouTube, remaining the group's highest viewing video. The song was featured in 90210 and then in Hellcats and also featured in EA Sports game, FIFA 09. The song has also been nominated for different awards, being nominated for Highest Selling Single at the ARIA Music Awards and nominated for Favorite Song at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards.
Background and composition
"Untouched" was written by The Veronicas twins Jessica Origliasso, Lisa Origliasso and Toby Gad, with Gad also producing the track. Writing and recording of the song took place at Jessica and Lisa's home in Los Angeles, California The song relates to Jessica and Lisa's feelings of separation from loved ones. In an interview with Rachel Jones of Female First, Lisa explained the theme of "Untouched": "It's about not physically being able to touch someone or be with them but kind of needing that person".
"Untouched" is an electropop song set in common time with an energy-filled fast tempo of 176 beats per minute. The song is written in the key of F-sharp minor. The song begins with strings, which are sometimes performed by a real string section in live performances, followed by guitars and synthesized drums. Lisa and Jess's vocal ranges span from A3-E5.
Critical reception
Ben Norman from About.com said "Untouched" is fast, both in BPM and in the way the twins vocally present the song, yet it proves once again that speed and pain are not mutually exclusive ideas.". K. Ross Hoffman from Allmusic had highlighted the track as an album standout, saying " "Untouched" bursts out of the gate with majestic, menacing string stabs and a driving synth-rock pulse beneath its stuttered verses and breathlessly obsessive refrain." Emily Mackay from NME gave it a positive remark from the album review as she described the song as "raunchy". Evan Sawdey from PopMatters highlighted "Untouched" as a standout, saying "some of the best tracks the girls have ever made, some of which (“Untouched,” “Revenge Is Sweeter”) even outclass previous high points like Secret Life‘s flawless anthem “When It All Falls Apart”."
David Balls from Digital Spy gave it three stars out of five. He said "Though it's been knocking about for a while, it's 'Untouched' that The Veronicas are touting as their breakthrough single over here." He concluded saying "There's little in the way of originality here, but the girls' vampish style and quirky charm should work in their favour." He had compared the song to the music of Pink and Avril Lavigne. FemaleFirst.co.uk gave the song four-and-a-half out of five stars, saying "Other than that, this looks set to be an epic dance floor tune over the summer of 2009, it’s definitely finding a place on my iPod that’s for sure!".
Chart performance
In their native Australia, the song had debuted at number four, until peaking at number two for three consecutive weeks. The song stayed in the charts for a total of twenty-nine weeks and was certified platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), shipping over 70,000 copies there. The song became the seventy-eighth best-selling single in Australia in 2007. The song had also debuted at number thirty-four, after peaking at number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), shipping over 7,500 copies there."Untouched" made its debut on the US Billboard charts at number sixteen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, but eventually dropped off the charts until 3 December 2008, when it rose to number sixty-two on the Hot 100 countdown, due to radio play, and became their first Hot 100 entry. The song later peaked at number seventeen as of 30 January 2009, making it their first top 20 hit in the U.S. The single has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over one million paid downloads. "Untouched" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at 92. "Untouched" received an "MTV Push" and large amounts of airplay on music channels when it was officially released on 25 May 2009. On 31 May 2009, "Untouched" re-entered the chart at #8, becoming its British chart peak. In Ireland, the song debuted at #2 in the Irish Singles Chart on 29 May. After two weeks in the #2 spot, on 12 June 2009, "Untouched" climbed to #1 on the Irish Singles Chart, making "Untouched" The Veronicas' first number-one single outside of Australia.
Music video
The music video for the song was filmed at the Marble Bar in Sydney’s Hilton Building and it took eighteen hours to film with fifty extras dressed in gothic glamour. The video starts with a lot of pictures in the hallway. It goes to the band performing with a crowd in front of them. Jess and Lisa are in the hallway singing. They meet a man later. In the chorus, Jess and Lisa perform with the rest of the group. Jess is hanging around with the man and after a while, she goes to get something. The man then sees Lisa walking around in the crowd, and, since they are twins, he thinks that she is Jess. So he follows her and brings her back to the couch where he was sitting. In a little bit, Jess comes back to the couch. She sees that the man is kissing Lisa, and is offended. They see that he is trying to make a move with both of them, so together, they walk away. The music video was released on 3 December 2007 to Australian music channel shows. The video made its debut on MTV's TRL as a first look on 9 July 2008, and a week later made its debut on the countdown at #10.
Live performance
The Veronicas had performed the song live at the ARIA Music Awards in 2008.