Reach out and touch someone

The physical distancing demanded by our health care specialists is a reality for who knows how long. The slender one is actually putting on some pork onto his lean frame, you know, the quarantine fifteen, the urge to eat while staying at home. But cannot go to a friend’s sauna to sweat it off – too close to others. So that Bell jingle came to mind. And some other wonderful tunes about touching that take the mind off the pandemic. The slimster harkened back to Diana Ross and her first single after leaving the Supremes. Man, half a century ago, April 1970, she released her first solo single “ Reach out and touch (somebody’s hand)”. The second line of the song urged that through touch we can “make this world a better place”. It may not be too late for that. After leaving the Supremes she still kept that Motown sound, yet the song did not climb high on the charts. Only later did it achieve deserved success, leading Stevie Wonder and, alas, Michael Jackson, to cover it. The mind wandered further. Pre-Ross’ solo single, The Who released a classic: “Tommy”. The lyrics to “See me, feel me” continue touch...