Midas Touch

Album: Headlines (1986)
Charted: 8 42
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Songfacts®:

  • Midnight Star were an American R&B-dance band formed in 1976 at Kentucky State University. This song, from their sixth album Headlines, was the second of two UK Top 40 hits for the group in the UK. Their only top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was "Operator, " which peaked at #18 in early 1985.
  • Vocalist Melvin Gentry is declaring here that he is the right choice to be someone's lover, as he has the "Midas Touch." This is a reference to the Greek mythological figure King Midas, who requested of the gods that everything he touched might be turned to gold. Midas' request was granted, but he came to regret it when his food became gold, the moment he touched it.
  • Ellie Goulding covered this in 2013 for the deluxe edition of her Halcyon Days album. Her version is a collaboration with British DJ and producer Burns. He told Billboard magazine: "She recorded it a cappella, and the beat [I had done] was the same key and tempo as 'Midas Touch.' It was fate that it worked."

Comments: 3

  • Brian from Pittsburgh PaAbsolutely loved this song. To be honest, every song from them turned to gold.
  • Juquan Williams from Flint, MiActually, Midas Touch was co-written by Bo Watson and his sister June. I can verify this firsthand: Bo is my uncle and June is my mother.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1986 {September 20th} Midnight Star performed "Midas Touch" on the nationally syndicated television program, 'Soul Train'...
    At the time "Midas Touch" was at position #11 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, two weeks later it would peak at #7 {for 1 week} and it spent eighteen weeks on the chart...
    As noted above, it reached #42 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart...
    And on the same 'ST' show they also performed "Headlines", it would peak at #3 on the Hot R&B Singles chart...
    Between 1980 and 1990 the Kentucky band had nineteen records on the Hot R&B Singles chart, five made the Top 10 with one* reaching #1, "Operator", for 5 weeks in December of 1984...
    R.I.P. Don Cornelius {1936 - 2012}
    *They just missed having a second #1 record when their "Freak-A-Zoid" peaked at #2 for 4 weeks, the first two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "She Works Hard For The Money" by Donna Summer, and for it's 3rd and 4th week at $2, "Get It Right" by Aretha Franklin was in the top spot...
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