Genesis – Invisible Touch (Invisible Touch Tour)

Video: Genesis played four sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium in London between July 2nd and 4th, 1987

“Invisible Touch” – Single by Genesis from the album Invisible Touch
B-side “The Last Domino”
Released 19 May 1986
Recorded October 1985–February 1986
Label Charisma Virgin Atlantic Vertigo
Composers Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford
Lyricist Phil Collins
Producers Genesis and Hugh Padgham
Charted No.1 in US; No.1 in Canada; No.2 in Netherlands; No. 15 in UK.

“Invisible Touch” came about during a jam session, Rutherford playing a guitar riff while Collins improvised the line “She seems to have an invisible touch.” Collins has said he heard the influence of Prince and Sheila E. in the drum machine and his lyrics were inspired by a few people he had known who had got under his skin. Despite liking the song himself, and despite the band’s previous success, he has claimed he wasn’t certain the song would be a hit. Collins said that “large chunks” of the lyrics are about his first wife Andrea Bertorelli, to whom he was married from 1975 to 1980.

A live version of “Invisible Touch” appears on the albums The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts (1992), and Live over Europe 2007, as well as on the DVDs Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium (1989), The Way We Walk – Live in Concert (1992) and When in Rome 2007.

“Invisible Touch” was performed during the Invisible Touch, We Can’t Dance, Calling All Stations (with Ray Wilson on lead vocals), Turn It On Again and The Last Domino? tours. During the Turn It On Again Tour, the song was the main set finale featuring fireworks going off as the song ended. It was also the set closer on The Last Domino? Tour, but there weren’t any fireworks. Collins has also performed the song on his solo tours since its release, including The First Final Farewell and Not Dead Yet tours.

Genesis also performed the song at Wembley Stadium for Live Earth. Collins’s use of the word “fuck” in the song (which he had done since 1992) in front of millions of television viewers at 2pm resulted in an apology from English presenter Jonathan Ross, who vowed to give Collins a “talking to”. Collins was one of several performers at the event whose offensive language caused the BBC to be censured by the media regulator Ofcom.

Genesis
Phil Collins – vocals
Tony Banks – synthesizers
Mike Rutherford – electric guitar

Touring musicians
Daryl Stuermer – bass
Chester Thompson – drums