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Touch of Grey
1987 single by the Grateful Dead From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Touch of Grey" is a 1987 single by the Grateful Dead, and is from the album In the Dark. The song is known for its refrain "I will get by / I will survive." It combines dark lyrics in the verses with upbeat pop instrumentation. A simple pronoun change in the final chorus (“We will get by / We will survive”) transformed the song into an anthem, especially for the band's most ardent followers.[1]
"Touch of Grey" became the band's only top 10 hit on Billboard Hot 100.[2] [3] Peaking at #9,[4] and also reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[5]
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Background
The music was composed by Jerry Garcia, and the lyrics were written by Robert Hunter. It was also released as a music video, the first one by the Grateful Dead.
The song was first performed as an encore on September 15, 1982, at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, and was finally released on In the Dark in 1987. It was released as a single with "My Brother Esau" and later "Throwing Stones", and has appeared on a number of albums and collections.[6]
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Music video
The music video for "Touch of Grey" gained major airplay on MTV and featured a live performance of the band, first shown to be life-size skeleton marionettes dressed as the band, then as themselves. The skeleton of bassist Phil Lesh catches a rose in its teeth, thrown by a female attendee; later, a dog steals the lower leg of percussionist Mickey Hart, and a stagehand hurries to retrieve and reattach it. Near the end of the video, the camera tilts up into the rafters to reveal that the living band members are themselves marionettes being operated by a pair of skeletal hands.
The video was directed by Gary Gutierrez, who had previously created the animation sequences for The Grateful Dead Movie. It was filmed at Laguna Seca Raceway after one of the band's concerts in May 1987.[7][8]
The popularity of the single and its video helped introduce the Grateful Dead to a new group of fans, resulting in the band gaining additional mainstream attention.[5][9]
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Video documentary
The Grateful Dead also released a 30-minute documentary called Dead Ringers: The Making of Touch of Grey, about the production of the music video. The documentary was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, the son of drummer Bill Kreutzmann.[10]
Personnel
- Jerry Garcia – lead vocals, lead guitar
- Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Phil Lesh – bass guitar
- Brent Mydland – organ, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann – drums and percussion
- Mickey Hart – drums and percussion
Legacy
The song "Harmony Hall" by Vampire Weekend has been compared to "Touch of Grey".[11][12][13][14]
Chart performance
"Touch of Grey" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 77 for the week dated July 25, 1987; in the process, it became their first song to appear on the Hot 100 in seven years and was the second most added song on radio that week.[15] For the week dated August 15, 1987, the song ascended 15 places to number 32, becoming the band's first song to reach the top 40, which was seventeen years after their first entry on the Hot 100 with "Uncle John's Band. At the time, this marked the longest span of time between a band's debut on the Hot 100 and their first entry into the top 40.[16] "Touch of Grey" peaked at number 9,[17] and reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the only song by the band ever to do so on both charts.[5]
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Notes
External links
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