Don't Touch My Hair
by Solange (featuring Sampha)

Album: A Seat at the Table (2016)
Charted: 91
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Solange celebrates here the style and beauty of black hair. Speaking during an interview with mother Tina Lawson and journalist Judnick Mayard for her website, Solange said:

    "Hair is incredibly spiritual, and, energetically, it really encompasses and expresses who we are. Obviously, my relationship with hair, being that I grew up literally in a hair salon, is very deep and very complex. I think that one of the things that I'm also trying to communicate through that song is the way that people see us through our hair.

    I feel like when I cut my hair and I decided to wear my hair natural, I didn't feel any more pro-Black or like I identified any more or less in my walk as a Black woman. That just wasn't my personal journey."
  • The song title refers to a small but insulting act where a Caucasian pats a black woman's hair. Though intended as a compliment, the action is viewed as demeaning as it makes them feel like a pet dog.
  • English singer Sampha joins Solange on the song. The London crooner also sung on Drake's Nothing Was The Same tunes "Too Much " and "The Motion" and Kanye West's Saint Pablo title track.
  • Solange performed this song during her debut appearance on Saturday Night Live on November 5, 2016. She also brought out Sampha to join her on the hook.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Scott Stapp

Scott StappSongwriter Interviews

The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.