Out of Touch

"Out of Touch" is a song by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates from their twelfth studio album Big Bam Boom (1984). The song was released as the lead single from Big Bam Boom on Thursday, October 4, 1984, by RCA Records. This song was their last Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, topping the chart for two weeks in December 1984. It also became the duo's fourteenth consecutive top 40 hit since 1980.

The song often segued from "Dance on Your Knees", which is the opening song of the Big Bam Boom album. The accompanying music video for "Out of Touch", featuring a gigantic drum kit, also contains the "Dance on Your Knees" intro, which segues into an edit of the 12-inch remix version.

According to John Oates, he came up with the chorus while randomly playing around with a synthesizer that he did not know how to use. He thought it could be a song for the Stylistics, having a Philly sound. But in the studio the next day a co-producer told him it should be a hit for Hall & Oates themselves. Oates and Hall then co-wrote the verse.

Track listing and formats
US 7-inch vinyl single
 * 1) "Out of Touch" — 3:55
 * 2) "Cold, Dark and Yesterday" — 4:35

US 12-inch vinyl single
 * 1) "Out of Touch" (Club Version) — 7:36
 * 2) "Out of Touch" (Dub Version) — 7:24
 * 3) "Cold, Dark and Yesterday" — 4:35

UK 12-inch vinyl single
 * 1) "Out of Touch" (Video Mix)
 * 2) "Dance on Your Knees" (Extended Mix)
 * 3) "Everytime You Go Away" (Remix Version)

Credits

 * Daryl Hall – lead vocals and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
 * John Oates – synthesizers and backing vocals
 * G. E. Smith – lead guitar and backing vocals
 * Tom Wolk – bass and backing vocals
 * Wells Christy – synthesizer
 * Clive Smith – sampler
 * Jimmy Bralower – drum machine

Music video
A video was made for the song, including scenes in which Hall and Oates were inside a gigantic drum set, which Oates bangs an equally gigantic bass drum pedal into, and from which at the end of the video, both Hall and Oates escape. The video also features the word boom in gigantic letters, with Hall and Oates dancing inside the two big O letters.

Uniting Nations version
English dance music act Uniting Nations covered "Out of Touch" and released it as their debut single on November 15, 2004. This version peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in January 2005 and remained in the top 75 for 21 weeks. Elsewhere, the cover reached number one in Romania—where it was the most successful single of 2005—and became a top-10 hit in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway. The vocals on the recording were done by vocalist and session artist Jinian Wilde.

Music video
The music video for the song features actors Paul Spicer, Charleene Rena, Hayley-Marie Coppin, Sophie Lovell Anderson, Daniela Martins, a participant of French Big Brother Secret Story, and one unidentified woman playing strip poker.

Track listings
UK CD single
 * 1) "Out of Touch" (radio mix) – 2:46
 * 2) "Out of Touch" (extended mix) – 6:16
 * 3) "Out of Touch" (Skylab Remix) – 7:03
 * 4) "Out of Touch" (Tyrrell Remix) – 6:50
 * 5) "Out of Touch" (The Vanden Plas Remix) – 7:20
 * 6) "Out of Touch" (Paul Roberts Remix) – 6:55
 * 7) "Out of Touch" (video)

UK 12-inch single
 * A1. "Out of Touch" (extended mix) – 6:16
 * A2. "Out of Touch" (Hardfaze Remix) – 7:55
 * B1. "Out of Touch" (Skylab Remix) – 7:03
 * B2. "Out of Touch" (Tyrell Remix) – 6:50

Australian and New Zealand CD single
 * 1) "Out of Touch" (Love You So Much radio mix) – 3:31
 * 2) "Out of Touch" (extended mix) – 6:16
 * 3) "Out of Touch" (radio edit with Vox filter intro) – 2:46
 * 4) "Out of Touch" (Skylab Remix) – 7:03
 * 5) "Out of Touch" (Outsiderz Remix) – 7:05
 * 6) "Out of Touch" (Paul Roberts Remix) – 6:55