The Way I Want to Touch You - Captain & Tennille (1975) 3/9/23

Once upon a time (the early '70s), Toni Tennille and Daryl Dragon (aka The Captain) were members of the Beach Boys' backup band.

They fell in love. Well, at least Toni did. Daryl was always a bit too quiet and stoic, and Toni wasn't quite sure how he felt.

So, in an effort to draw him out and let him know exactly how she felt, she wrote today's "Great Song of 1974."

It worked! They got married, and eventually, "The Way I Want to Touch You" became a BIG hit.

Keyword: Eventually,

After they left the Beach Boys to become their own act, they pretty much had to start from scratch. No one had really heard of them, so they started playing small gigs around California. They certainly didn't have a record contract.

One night, while playing at a restaurant in Encino, they were approached by a couple of DJs who asked if they had any records. They didn't...so the DJs went away disappointed.

That, however, gave Toni and Daryl the nudge they needed.

They self-funded pressing a few hundred records, and sent them out to radio stations, mostly on the West Coast.

Before too long, famous L.A. DJs Gary Owens and Wink Martindale were playing "The Way I want to Touch You" and promoting the song on the air.

One thing led to another...and another...and another, and a major label (A&M) signed them to a contract, had them record their debut album that included "The Way I Want to Touch You," and officially released it as a single worldwide.

In 1975, the song reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts in both the US and Canada....and #4 on the US Hot 100 and Canadian Top 40.

And that set the stage for a long string of hits to come!

"The Way I Want to Touch You" by The Captain and Tennille: a "Great Song of the '70s!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAc4diV79E