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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 08 : Graham Russell (L) and Russell Hitchcock with AIR SUPPLY perform in concert, October 8, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
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It’s a genre of music that dominated the charts, then became a punch line, and finally, the melancholy strains of soft rock began to rise, experiencing a resurgence in recent years.
With three episodes entitled “Reign,” “Ruin,” and “Resurrection,” the documentary entitled Sometimes When We Touch tracks the unlikely trajectory of a musical movement that has delighted and mystified listeners for decades.
The documentary traces the untold story of soft rock, whose artists dominated pop music worldwide in the ’70s, only to crash and burn in the ’80s, while eventually experiencing one of the most unlikely comebacks in music history.
Even the song used for the title of the project has an interesting history.
The ballad was written by Canadian artist Dan Hill, with Barry Mann, in 1973. At the time, the then 19-year-old Hill hoped the tune would convince a woman he was dating to drop another man she was seeing and become his exclusive girlfriend. (Spoiler alert: it didn’t work and the woman left Canada to move to the United States with the other man).
Including rarely seen archival interviews, the series features discussions with some of soft rock’s biggest legends, like Air Supply (“All Out of Love”), Kenny Loggins (“This Is It”), Ray Parker Jr. (“A Woman Needs Love”), Rupert Holmes (“Escape: The Piña Colada Song”) and Toni Tennille (“Love Will Keep Us Together”).
Stories from these artists reveal insightful tidbits that enhance the viewer’s understanding of the creation of the music, and the artists who crafted these enduring tunes.
Other contemporary artists participating in series include LA Reid, Richard Marx, Sheryl Crow, Stewart Copeland, Susanna Hoffs and John Ondrasik, among others.
Sections of the documentary include an in-depth look at somewhat tumultuous partnership of Captain & Tenneille, the important contributions to the genre by Ray Parker, Jr., who many mistakenly think of as just the singer of the Ghostbusters theme song, and how the collaborations of Kenny Loggins and Micheal McDonald led to the rise of the singer/songwriter.
Yes, there’s a lot of Air Supply in this as the group could probably be considered the band that benefited the most from the rise of the power ballad,
However, as many of the contributors mention, this brand of music isn’t about pining away, but rather encourages love and connection, with that premise uniting people, which is why many feel that after being looked down on for a time, soft rock experienced a resurgence. It’s said that the trifecta of 9/11, Broadway, and, if you can believe it, the birth of Hip Hop, led to the a new appreciation, and acceptance, of the genre.
The documentary points out that a viral YouTube series helped bring the category back into fashion, and coin the phrase ‘Yacht Rock,’ which has now taken on a life of its own, spurring not only new fans of the genre but touring bands who perform a category of hits from the era as well.
What’s great about Sometimes When We Touch is finding out how songs take on new meaning when their origin story is revealed, along with learning interesting facts about the influence of the genre, including why Daryl ‘DMC’ Daniels, frontman of hip hop group Run DMC, believes that, “Without Bob James, there would be no hip hop,” as he explains how the jazz keyboard player, arranger and record producer influenced a genre that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, with many considering its official launch has having taken place in 1973. And, another fun fact that’s interesting to discover is the soft rock song with the most covers. The answer to that will undoubtedly surprise even fans who consider themselves music aficionados.
Overall, Sometimes When We Touch is successful in exploring and celebrating a subsection of music that, while often misunderstood and unappreciated, continues to have a lasting impact on American culture.
TITLE: “Somethings When We Touch”
RUNTIME: 3 episodes
GENRE: Documentary
FEATURING: Artists include Air Supply, Ambrosia, Captain & Tennille, The Carpenters, Christopher Cross, Hall & Oates, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Michael McDonald, and more
WHERE TO WATCH IT: Paramount+
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anneeaston/2025/08/29/stop-scrolling-sometimes-when-we-touch-tracks-rise-fall-resurgence-of-soft-rock/
