Touch, Peel and Stand
Encyclopedia
"Touch, Peel and Stand" is a song by the rock band Days of the New
and the lead single
from their self-titled debut album
. It was released in 1997 and remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and retained the spot for a then-record sixteen weeks. On their list of Top Mainstream Rock Songs of the Decade, the song ranked in at #8 for '97 and #4 for '98. Shortly after this success, the song rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their first Top 10 hit on this chart.
"Touch, Peel and Stand" is known for its raw, acoustic
feel and maintains considerable radio play to this day. Despite the fact that Travis Meeks
writes all songs by Days of the New, and considers it his own personal project, he has praised Matt Taul's cymbal
-heavy percussion in the song. In a 2008 interview, Meeks noted, "As far as I’m concerned, he owns the track."
The cover art of the "Touch, Peel and Stand" CD single
borrows a photograph from the band's debut album liner notes. This depicts the Wrestling Superstars figure
of George "The Animal" Steele
. The rubber figure is heavily battered with both his head and left arm torn off.
for "Touch, Peel and Stand" has a disgruntled young man(Lead Singer Travis Meeks Friend Levi Sulivan) watching TV in a filthy, rundown house. On the TV screen, the band is performing the song in a gray, open-spaced room and appears to acknowledge the man through the screen. He eventually becomes enraged and tosses furniture around the room before entering the bathroom and cutting off his long hair and shaving his head bald. Photos of the band are seen throughout his house. The man is eventually seen, with clothes neatly tucked in, facing a closed curtain while the band continues to perform in the TV screen.
in 1998.
"Touch, Peel and Stand" was featured on compilations
like X-Games, Vol. 3 in 1998, Shine! in 2000, and Total Rock and Crossing All Over, Vol. 7 in 2002. It can also be found on the soundtrack to Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
released in 1999 and Days of the New: The Definitive Collection
released March 2008.
In January 2006, the song was featured in a TV commercial for TLC
's reality television
program Beyond the Bull.
, released in 1998, also includes two B-sides, "Independent Slaves" and "Got to be You." The former was also included on the Crow: Salvation
soundtrack while the latter appeared on 2 Guitars, Bass & Drums: Songs For Survival.
Days of the New
Days of the New is an American alternative rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians...
and the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from their self-titled debut album
Days of the New (album)
Days of the New is the debut album of world music/post-grunge band Days of the New, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released in 1997 through Outpost....
. It was released in 1997 and remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and retained the spot for a then-record sixteen weeks. On their list of Top Mainstream Rock Songs of the Decade, the song ranked in at #8 for '97 and #4 for '98. Shortly after this success, the song rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their first Top 10 hit on this chart.
"Touch, Peel and Stand" is known for its raw, acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
feel and maintains considerable radio play to this day. Despite the fact that Travis Meeks
Travis Meeks
Travis Shane Meeks , is an American musician, and is the lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.-Early life and career:...
writes all songs by Days of the New, and considers it his own personal project, he has praised Matt Taul's cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
-heavy percussion in the song. In a 2008 interview, Meeks noted, "As far as I’m concerned, he owns the track."
The cover art of the "Touch, Peel and Stand" CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
borrows a photograph from the band's debut album liner notes. This depicts the Wrestling Superstars figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
of George "The Animal" Steele
George Steele
William James Myers , better known by his ring name George "The Animal" Steele is a former American professional wrestler and actor...
. The rubber figure is heavily battered with both his head and left arm torn off.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Touch, Peel and Stand" has a disgruntled young man(Lead Singer Travis Meeks Friend Levi Sulivan) watching TV in a filthy, rundown house. On the TV screen, the band is performing the song in a gray, open-spaced room and appears to acknowledge the man through the screen. He eventually becomes enraged and tosses furniture around the room before entering the bathroom and cutting off his long hair and shaving his head bald. Photos of the band are seen throughout his house. The man is eventually seen, with clothes neatly tucked in, facing a closed curtain while the band continues to perform in the TV screen.
Appearances
The song was performed live on Late Night with David LettermanLate Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
in 1998.
"Touch, Peel and Stand" was featured on compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
like X-Games, Vol. 3 in 1998, Shine! in 2000, and Total Rock and Crossing All Over, Vol. 7 in 2002. It can also be found on the soundtrack to Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows is a 1998 documentary film, written by Paul Jay, which follows World Wrestling Federation superstar Bret Hart during his last year in the WWF, from his WWF Championship victory at SummerSlam to his final match with the company at Survivor Series on November 9,...
released in 1999 and Days of the New: The Definitive Collection
Days of the New: The Definitive Collection
Days of the New: The Definitive Collection is a compilation album by acoustic rock/world music band Days of the New. It contains all of their singles as well as a few select tracks from the first three albums.-Track listing:# Shelf in the Room...
released March 2008.
In January 2006, the song was featured in a TV commercial for TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
's reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program Beyond the Bull.
Track listings
The CD singleCD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
, released in 1998, also includes two B-sides, "Independent Slaves" and "Got to be You." The former was also included on the Crow: Salvation
The Crow: Salvation
The Crow: Salvation is a 2000 film directed by Bharat Nalluri. The film is the third in a series based on The Crow comic book by James O'Barr...
soundtrack while the latter appeared on 2 Guitars, Bass & Drums: Songs For Survival.
- "Touch, Peel and Stand"
- "Independent Slaves"
- "Got to Be You"
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
Year |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
6 | 1998 |
| Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
1 | 1997 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 38 | 1997 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 35 | 1997 |