How the Carpenters' 1970s Christmas Song Became an Ageless Hit - WSJ

About the song: 

“Touch Me When We’re Dancing” is a song written by Terry Skinner, J.L. Wallace, and Ken Bell. It was originally recorded by American country singer Johnny Duncan in 1979, but it became a bigger hit when it was covered by The Carpenters in 1981. The Carpenters’ version of the song was released as the second single from their album Made in America. It reached number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is about a couple who are in love and enjoy dancing together. The lyrics describe the feeling of closeness and intimacy that comes from dancing with someone you love. The song has a soft, romantic melody and features Karen Carpenter’s beautiful vocals. “Touch Me When We’re Dancing” is a classic love song that continues to be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Here are some additional details about the song:

  • The song was written in the key of A major and has a tempo of 120 beats per minute.
  • The song’s instrumentation includes piano, drums, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar.
  • The song was produced by Richard Carpenter.
  • The song’s music video features The Carpenters performing the song in a variety of settings, including a dance club, a beach, and a forest.
  • The song has been covered by many artists, including Dolly Parton, Olivia Newton-John, and Kenny Rogers.

“Touch Me When We’re Dancing” is a beautiful and romantic song that is sure to put a smile on your face. If you’re looking for a song to dance to with your loved one, this is the perfect choice.

Video 

Lyrics: Touch Me When We’re Dancing

Play us a song we can slow dance on
We want to hold each other
Play us a groove so we hardly move
Just let our hearts beat together
Oh, baby, ’cause it feel so good
When we’re close like this
Whisper in my ear and let me steal a kiss[Chorus:]
Come on and touch me
When we’re dancing
You know you’ve got that loving touch
Touch me when we’re dancing
I want to feel you when I’m falling in loveTonight’s the night and it feels so right
My heart is saying it to me
You’re the one I’ve waited for so long
So let your love flow through me
Oh, baby, ’cause it feels so good
Just to be this close
You’ve got me up so high
I could fly coast to coast[Repeat Chorus]

You Missed

SHE WAS A BRIDE AT FIFTEEN, A MOTHER AT SIXTEEN, AND THE FIRST WOMAN NASHVILLE EVER HAD TO CALL “ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR” — THEN SHE NAMED HER BABY AFTER THE BEST FRIEND SHE’D JUST BURIED, AND THAT BABY SPENT A LIFETIME MAKING SURE NEITHER VOICE WAS FORGOTTEN. Loretta Lynn came out of Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, with nothing but a coal miner’s last name and a voice that could pin a grown man to his chair. Married before she could drive. Four children by twenty-two. Then she wrote songs that scared Nashville half to death — about cheating husbands, birth control pills, and women who’d had enough. Sixteen number-ones. Presidential Medal of Freedom. The whole world calling her the Coal Miner’s Daughter. In 1963, her best friend Patsy Cline died in a plane crash. The next year, Loretta gave birth to twins. She named one of them Patsy. That little girl grew up backstage, between tour buses and honky-tonks. She formed The Lynns with her twin sister Peggy. Earned CMA nominations. Then she did something quieter and heavier — she stepped behind the glass and co-produced her mother’s final albums alongside Johnny Cash’s son. Loretta died October 4, 2022. That first birthday without her, Patsy woke up reaching for a phone call that wasn’t coming — her mama singing “Happy Birthday,” the way she always had. Does knowing Loretta named her daughter after a ghost she never stopped grieving make “I Fall to Pieces” feel like it belongs to both of them now?