Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

The Sad Story Behind Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch”

The Sad Story behind Dan Hill's 'Sometimes When We Touch'
by
  • Riley is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, known for her engaging storytelling and insightful coverage of the genre.
  • Before joining Country Thang Daily, Riley developed her expertise at Billboard and People magazine, focusing on feature stories and music reviews.
  • Riley has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Belmont University, with a minor in Cultural Studies.

When it comes to serenading significant others, Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch” has been among the top song choices for decades. With intense and powerful lyrics that resonate well between lovers, this isn’t surprising. 

What came as a surprise to Hill, however, was the reaction of the woman who inspired his ballad. 

Here’s the sad story behind Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch.” 

RELATED: A 1980s Classic Love Song “Never Thought That I Could Love” by Dan Hill

Hill reminisced the tale in an interview, stating he was “falling desperately in love” with a girl at the time he wrote the song. 

Growing up in a really suburban area in Canada, he had zero experience with girls. So he didn’t know how to deal with this woman, whose way of thinking both surprised and fascinated him.  

With his parents as his role models, Hill had always believed in monogamy. But the object of his affection had different views. She liked to date other guys alongside him and made it a point to inform Hill of how much richer, older, and established these guys were compared to him. 

This brought out Hill’s insecurities, but he didn’t back down so easily. He believed the only thing that would make this girl take him more seriously was a song that would have her swooning over him. Songwriting and singing were the edges he believed he had over the other guys she dated. 

RELATED: 35 Heartfelt Country Love Songs to Swoon Over

Driven by love, Hill wrote what he referred to as “the most powerful song ever written.” He took great pride in his song, and that same pride prodded him to sing it to the girl he loved over the phone. 

He expected her to swoon. But what he got was a long sigh from the other end. She then told Hill that for a 19-year-old, he was “way too goddam intense” and that she was moving to North Carolina with a CFL football player. 

Just like that, she was gone, and Hill’s heart shattered. However, the song changed Hill’s life forever. 

RELATED: 15 Country Songs to Share with Your Boyfriend

What his girlfriend found way too intense at the time, later became a staple in radio stations, and in the sentimental playlists of millions. The song opened up great opportunities and made him an international artist. 

With lyrics that touched the hearts of many, Hill’s song even peaked No. 3 at the Billboard Hot 100

Listen to Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch” below.

Latest Stories

Toby Keith performs with his American flag guitar, the same patriotic spirit that fueled his song "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue."

The Untold Truth Behind Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”

When Toby Keith sat down with a fantasy football stat sheet and scribbled out “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue”, he didn’t just write a song. He lit a ...

Toby Keith plays guitar with an American flag design, capturing the patriotic vibe perfect for a Fourth of July country playlist.

35 Patriotic Country Songs to Turn Your Backyard Into the Ultimate 4th of July Party

Nothing says freedom like blasting a rowdy country playlist while you torch a few burgers, keep the cooler stocked, and watch your drunk uncle light fireworks way too close to ...

Keith Urban sits next to Nicole Kidman looking serious, a moment that echoes him shutting down talk about her steamy movie scenes.

Keith Urban Shuts Down Interview When Nicole Kidman’s Scenes With Younger Men Are Mentioned

Some lines just ain’t worth crossing, especially when you’re asking Keith Urban about Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron rolling around on screen. This week, the whole thing went sideways when ...

Tim McGraw sits outdoors with Faith Hill, leaning on a cane, sparking questions about his health but showing their strong bond.

Tim McGraw Using a Cane With Faith Hill Beside Him Raises Questions About His Health

Sometimes country music’s strongest cowboys need a little help standing tall, and Tim McGraw’s latest photo has folks asking how much longer he can keep carrying that torch. It’s not ...

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood smile together at an event, standing united amid the ongoing sexual assault lawsuit drama.

Garth Brooks’ Marriage With Trisha Yearwood Reportedly Unshaken by Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Nothing tests a marriage like ugly headlines, but Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are riding out this storm shoulder to shoulder. Since last October, Garth Brooks has been staring down ...

Country legend George Jones plays guitar under spotlight, embodying the raw heartbreak behind these 12 most depressing country songs.

These 12 Depressing Country Songs Will Have You Sobbing and Hitting Repeat All Night

Straight from the depths of Reddit’s country corner, here’s a list built by real fans who know heartbreak better than any Nashville hit machine ever could. These songs weren’t picked ...

Jimmy Swaggart preaching passionately in an undated photo, remembered now after his death at 90 from a heart attack.

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart Dies at 90 Just Weeks After Suffering a Massive Heart Attack

There’s a hush across Pentecostal churches this week as believers remember Jimmy Swaggart, the firebrand evangelist, gospel singer, and TV preacher who spent decades filling stadiums, living rooms, and airwaves ...

Gavin Adcock onstage raising a whiskey bottle while blasting Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ as “not real country music.”

Viral Country Star Gavin Adcock Slams Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Says ‘That S— Ain’t Country Music’

Some headlines feel like a parody of the country music circus these days, and this is one of them. Gavin Adcock, the beer-slinging viral star who built half his brand ...

George Strait beams onstage at Patriots Stadium, guitar in hand, as he brings Texas charm with “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

George Strait Brings Lone Star Magic to Patriots Stadium With “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Some legends don’t need confetti cannons or stadium-shaking pyros. They just need a guitar, a baritone voice, and a song about every ex they ever outran in a pickup truck. ...

Beyoncé points at her Buffalo Soldiers shirt during her Cowboy Carter tour, the shirt that sparked backlash for its wording.

Beyoncé Under Fire for Wearing Shirt That Calls Native Americans “Enemies of Peace”

Some controversy doesn’t fade with the stage lights. Just ask Beyoncé. The Houston-born superstar is facing backlash after wearing a T-shirt during her Cowboy Carter tour in Paris that some ...