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"Touch Me" is an original song introduced in the eighth episode of the first season of the musical TV series Smash, entitled "The Coup". It is written by Ryan Tedder and Bonnie McKee. In the show's universe, the song is written by Tedder, who plays himself.

In the episode, because there are problems with the storyline for the Bombshell musical about Marilyn Monroe, choreographer and director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) and producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston) seek a new direction for the show without telling songwriting duo Tom Levitt (Christian Borle) and Julia Houston (Debra Messing). Derek enlists Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) to work with him. He has gotten Tedder to write a song that shows a more contemporary and edgy side of Marilyn Monroe, and Karen, with dancers enlisted by Derek, along with Tedder and his band, performs the song in front of Tom and Julia, on a bed and wrapped in a bedsheet while dancers playing paparazzi swirl around her.

The song is on the cast album The Music of Smash.

As of May 9, 2012, the song had sold 18,000 digital copies.

Production

Tedder made a cameo on the series in "The Coup" as himself and within the show gives the song to Karen to perform after Derek (Jack Davenport) asks him to and work on the Marilyn Monroe project for him.

The scene, described by The Smoking Gun, is as follows: "Karen appears wrapped in a white sheet, singing and thrashing while surrounded by masked men. By the end of the song, she's completely caged in and looks a bit like a 'scared bird'".

The Hollywood Reporter suggested that the spot, which first aired during the Super Bowl, was deliberately seductive (e.g. with McPhee only wearing a sheet) in "an attempt to entice male viewers".

Critical reception

Prior to its release, the song drew comparisons with the Max Martin-produced Glee song "Loser Like Me" which peaked at #6 on the Hot 100.

Sam Lansky of MTV Buzzworthy said that the song serves as a reminder "of just how killer Katharine McPhee's vocals really are as well as her not-insignificant contribution to the realm of popular music". Although Entertainment Weekly called "Touch Me" "empty, generic electro-garbage", PopCrush declared it a "dancefloor-ready" number, "a slice of synth pop that finds plenty of effects lacing McPhee's vocals". They referred to this version of Karen as "RoboMcPhee", due to the "studio treatment on her voice as she delivers parts of the sexified lyrics in robot fashion", and concluded by saying "the song evolves into an EDM epic that should have fans putting their drinks down so they can shake their things while unencumbered on the dance floor".

Charts

The song peaked at #4 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Release history

References

1. "Katharine McPhee - 'Touch Me' Lyrics". Retrieved April 28, 2012.
2. Idol Chatter USAToday.com 05-09-2012 "Kelly Clarkson hits 3 million for 'Stronger' single"
3. "OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder on Smash; Katharine Sings "Touch Me" in Episode 1×08 "The Coup"". Retrieved April 28, 2012.
4. "Katherine McPhee's Sheet-Clad Smash Performance". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
5. Goldberg, Lesley (February 5, 2012). "Smash: Katharine McPhee's 'Touch Me' Shows a New Side of the Broadway Drama (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
6. Bain, Becky (February 2, 2012). "Katharine McPhee Performs Ryan Tedder-Produced 'Touch Me' In Smash Promo". Idolator. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
7. Lansky, Sam (March 29, 2012). "Why Katharine McPhee's Role On Smash Is A Total, Um, Smash". MTV Buzzworthy. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
8. EW Staff (February 5, 2013). "Smash Songs: 10 Bombshells (and 5 Bombs)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
9. Sciarretto, Amy (March 17, 2012). "Katharine McPhee Sings Original Song 'Touch Me' on Smash Soundtrack". PopCrush. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
10. ^ Hollywood Reporter, February 21, 2013, "American Idol on the Charts: Katharine McPhee Makes Smash Return; Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood See Grammy Bumps"
11. "Pop Digital Songs: May 19, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
12. "The Music of SMASH". Amazon. 2012.

• Songs from Smash (TV series)
• 2012 singles
• Songs written by Ryan Tedder
• Songs written by Bonnie McKee
• 2012 songs
• Katharine McPhee songs