Touch It (Monifah song)

"Touch It"
Single by Monifah
from the album Mo'hogany
Released	July 21, 1998 (1998-07-21)
Length	4:45
Label	Uptown Universal
Songwriter(s)	Screwface Jack Knight John Guldberg Tim Stahl
Producer(s)	Jack Knight
Monifah singles chronology
"I Still Love You" (1997) "Touch It" (1998) "Bad Girl" (1999)
Music video
"Touch It" on YouTube

"Touch It" is the lead single from American R&B singer Monifah's second album, Mo'hogany. The song was produced and written by Jack Knight and Screwface. It uses a sample of Laid Back's 1983 hit "White Horse", so songwriters Tim Stahl and John Guldberg are given writing credits.

Released as a single on July 21, 1998, the song became a worldwide hit, charting within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Canada. In the United States, it peaked at number nine on both the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, giving Monifah her highest-peaking single on the US charts. The song's music video features Monifah performing the song in front of the United States Armed Forces, modeled after a famous scene in the movie Apocalypse Now (movie).

Track listings

US CD and cassette single, Australian CD single[1][2] "Touch It" (radio edit) "Touch It" (album version) "Suga Suga" (snippet) "Fallin' in Love" (snippet) "Better Half of Me" (snippet) US 12-inch single[3] "Touch It" (LP version) — 4:46 "Touch It" (clean LP version) — 4:47 "Touch It" (instrumental) — 4:35

UK CD and 12-inch single[4][5] "Touch It" (clean radio edit) "Touch It" (Clark Kent remix) "Touch It" (Ignorants remix) "Touch It" (Maurice Joshua main edit) UK cassette single and European CD single[6][7] "Touch It" (clean radio edit) "Touch It" (Clark Kent remix)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998–1999) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[8] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 7 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 15 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 15 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[12] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 66 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 27 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 24 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 27 Scotland (OCC)[17] 98 UK Singles (OCC)[18] 29 UK Dance (OCC)[19] 14 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[20] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 9 US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[22] 9 US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)[23] 1 US Top 40 Tracks (Billboard)[24] 13

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position UK Urban (Music Week)[25] 38 US Billboard Hot 100[26] 77 US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[27] 63 US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)[28] 23 Chart (1999) Position Australia (ARIA)[29] 30 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[30] 54 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31] 65 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[32] 145 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[33] 54 US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)[34] 45

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[35]	Platinum	70,000^^
Belgium (BEA)[36]	Gold	25,000^*
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	July 21, 1998	Rhythmic contemporary radio	Uptown Universal	[37]
		12-inch vinyl CD cassette		[38]
	August 11, 1998	Contemporary hit radio		[39]
United Kingdom	January 18, 1999	12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Universal	[40]

Cover versions and samples

• 2001: Mytown sampled the lyrics referencing Jack Knight and Dakoda House in "Party All Night" from their self-titled album
• 2003: Dannii Minogue sampled the song and the 1983 original "White Horse" by Laid Back on the track "Push" from the album Neon Nights
• 2014: Nena Buddemeier (ft. DJ Tomekk)

References

1. Touch It (US & Australian CD single liner notes). Monifah. Uptown Records, Universal Records. 1998. UPTDS-56207.
2. Touch It (US cassette single sleeve). Monifah. Uptown Records, Universal Records. 1998. UPTCS-56207.
3. Touch It (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Monifah. Uptown Records, Universal Records. 1998. UPT12 56207.
4. Touch It (UK CD single liner notes). Monifah. Universal Records. 1999. UND 56218.
5. Touch It (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Monifah. Universal Records. 1999. UNT 56218.
6. Touch It (UK cassette single sleeve). Monifah. Universal Records. 1999. UNC 56218.
7. Touch It (European CD single liner notes). Monifah. Universal Records. 1998. UND 56229.
8. "Monifah – Touch It". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
9. "Monifah – Touch It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
10. "Monifah – Touch It" (in French). Ultratop 50.
11. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7472." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
12. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7146." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 6. London. February 6, 1999. p. 10. ISSN 1385-612X. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 3, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
15. "Monifah – Touch It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
16. "Monifah – Touch It". Top 40 Singles.
17. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
19. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
20. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
21. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. October 17, 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
22. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. October 3, 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
23. "Rhythmic Airplay". Billboard. October 31, 1998. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
24. "Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 50. December 12, 1998. p. 80.
25. "The Urban Top 40 of 1998" (PDF). Music Week. January 9, 1999. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
26. "Billboard Top 100: 1998". Archived from the original on 10 September 2015.
27. "The Year in Music 1998: Hot R&B Singles". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-51.
28. "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 46.
29. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
30. "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
31. "Rapports annuels 1999" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
32. "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
33. "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 54.
34. "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 53.
35. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
36. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1999". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
37. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1257. July 17, 1998. p. 86. Misprinted as 14 July on source.
38. Smith, Shawnee (July 25, 1998). "Monifah Takes Control on 2nd Set". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 30. p. 29. The single, which was produced by Winans, will be in stores Tuesday (21)...
39. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1260. August 7, 1998. p. 72.
40. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 16, 1999. p. 27. Retrieved July 16, 2021.