Touched by the Hand of God

Ryan and I like to create difficult musical questions for each other to answer.

There are the classics: What are your top three albums of all time? Who are your three favorite vocalists?
The more eccentric: Name your top five Adam Clayton bass lines. Name the best Jarvis Cocker sighs or other extraneous sounds.
Most recently: What is the one song that sums up your musical taste?

I thought this would be a really hard question to answer, but the song that does that for me came pretty quickly to mind; "Touched by the Hand of God" by New Order from the 1987 single.

The song was originally provided for the soundtrack of a film called Salvation! that was a parody of televangelism; it's fitting then that the video for this song is also a parody...one I thoroughly enjoy but didn't see until long after I'd gotten hooked on "Touched by the Hand of God."

The song itself is serious in tone...It's New Order after all (and Bernard's marriage had just ended, so more angst than usual). Perhaps it's about the singer realizing what he wants when he's just lost his chance at ever getting it. More likely, it's about trying to preserve identity in the midst of illusions fading, things breaking, realizing that giving has turned into someone else taking....and yet still desiring proximity, connection, love.

There are so many ways I love this song...

I love the intensity, the immediacy.

I am a sucker for electro-rock; this song's got me dancing one bar in. Bernard's vocal is understated, passionate, pre-Jarvis Cocker whispery.

I love the desperation, the attitude, the barely restrained angry.

And check out the sweet, sweet, MELODY BASS LINE!!

Turn on the mood lighting and see what kind of dance moves this song inspires in you.