Song:I Touch Myself
Album:Frequency 99: Greatest Hits of the '90s
Though very popular in their native Australia, here in North America The Divinyls are primarily known for the the 1991 top five hit I Touch Myself. The song and the video was controversial at the time. That part has worn off but it's still a pretty good song. Guitarist Mark McEntee was an original member of Air Supply. Lead singer Christina Amphlett had been performing since she was a teen and met McEntee when he saw her perform at the Sydney Opera House in 1980. These two were the main members of The Divinyls and the rest of the band was revolving door of musicians. They provided the music for the 1982 film Monkey Grip. They recorded three albums for Chrysalis Records. Their success in Australia encouraged Chrysalis to release The Divinyls in the US, other than MTV airplay of the 1985 song Pleasure and Pain, they did not catch on. By 1990, The Divinyls were a duo. They left Chrysalis for Virgin. Apparently Virgin liked Christina's sex appeal and thought she could be the next Madonna. The two were sent to Los Angeles to record the 1991 album diVinyls. They used studio musicians Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on keyboards and American Idol judge Randy Jackson on bass. Drummer Charley Drayton toured with The Divinyls for several years. The album reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Gold. I Touch Myself reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV. Amphlett and McEntee co-wrote the song with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg. They wrote Madonna's Like A Virgin among other things. Steinberg came up with the title and the first verse. It's obvious what they were going for and it worked until the controversy ended up with The Divinyls being dropped by Virgin. The Divinyls fell off the radar. The 1996 CD Underworld was released only in Australia and they split up in 1997. You can get I Touch Myself on this 2CD budget various artists comp from Capitol. Christina Amphlett did some stage acting in Australia and now lives in New York with her husband. She has been derailed by recent health problems. McEntee seems to have left the music business and owns a clothing company in Perth, Australia. Here's the video for I Touch Myself by The Divinyls.
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