A Rather ‘Risky’ Song, “Don’t Touch Me” Became A Hit

Song Background

“Don’t Touch Me” is a classic country song that was first popularized by Jeannie Seely in 1966. Her husband Hank Cochran penned the lyrics and wanted her to record it originally. That’s why, before another country music singer, Buck Owens could record the song, Cohan gave it to Seely. Recorded in the Monument studios in Nashville on March 12, 1966, “Don’t Touch Me” was Seely’s first single under Monument records. The song immediately became a hit right after it was released to the country radio station. The song reached the second spot of Billboard country singles chart while it peaked at No. 85  on the pop singles chart.

The song though became a chart topper on the other country charts, namely Cashbox and Record World.

A year after the song’s released, Seely won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocalist Performer. That made her the third woman to receive such coveted award. Following the success of “Don’t Touch Me”, Seely has produced more top 10 and top 20 hits in the next several years. Meanwhile,  other female country music artists followed Seely’s steps and began recording songs that were described as ‘risky’ due to their content. Among them are Loretta Lynn (“The Pill”), Dotty West (“When It’s Just You And Me”), and Dolly Parton (“Just Because I’m A Woman”).

The Big Star Behind the Hit Song

Marilyn Jeannie Seely or Jeannie Seely for short was born on July 6, 1940. The American country music singer has produced numerous country hits between the 1960s and mid-1970s. She also had several duets with Jack Greene. One of which was their 1970 hit single “I Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You”. Considered one of the successful duet pairings of the early 1970s, the duo was nominated for the CMA Awards’ Vocal Duo of the Year. Apart from that, the two received other various Grammy Awards nominations.

To become part of the Grand Ole Opry was Seely’s lifelong dream which materialized in September 1967. More interestingly, she celebrated her golden anniversary as a member on September 16, 2017. With that, she became only the third woman to achieve this milestone. The two others were Loreta Lynn and Connie Smith. She released her latest album entitled Written In Song early last year. The new project contains a total of 14 tracks. All of which were written and co-written by Seely, herself.

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