"Untouchable" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control (2008). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Influenced by trance music and Balearic beat, the album version of "Untouchable" is almost seven minutes long. Remixed for single release in April 2009, "Untouchable" memorably became Girls Aloud's first of only two singles to miss the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, breaking a run of 20 top ten hits. The song received generally favorable reviews from most contemporary music critics, who praised its ambition. "Untouchable" would be the final release by the group before their hiatus.
In the accompanying music video, inspired by Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: Space Odyssey, the group members travel through space and approaches Earth in illuminated glass spheres, resembling meteorites. "Untouchable" was promoted through an appearance on Dancing on Ice, and was later performed on the group's Out of Control Tour (2009) and (2013).
Background and composition
"Untouchable" is a trance-inspired "rave ballad," which marries "Balearic guitar lines with a pulsating techno throb." The song is Girls Aloud's longest yet, at a full runtime of 6:45. "Untouchable" follows the common verse-chorus form, but includes a number of instrumental solos. Nadine Coyle sings a middle 8 ("Without any meaning, we're just skin and bone...") as the music drops out. The song builds back up and concludes with a final chorus.
The "emotional twangy guitar noise" heard in the song was the result of Xenomania musician Jason Resch responding to Higgins' request for something "special". Higgins left the song at its full length, knowing that "The Promise" and "The Loving Kind" would be the first two singles and he could remix "Untouchable" for single release at a later point. The song was "chopped and changed for its single release", with Girls Aloud's vocals being vocodered.
Release
"Untouchable" was selected as the third single from Out of Control after it fared best in a fan poll on Girls Aloud's official forum. It was announced as the single on 20 February 2009. "Untouchable" was released on CD single and 7" vinyl formats on 27 April, while digital download formats were available a day earlier. The CD includes a previously unreleased b-side entitled "It's Your Dynamite", which Digital Spy says "matches the standard set on their previous releases [...] a treat for the ears." The 7" vinyl picture disc format includes the Thriller Jill Mix of "Love Is the Key", as heard on The Girls Aloud Party opening credits and commercials. A promo CD was released with various remixes previously unreleased or part of the singles collection.
Reception
Critical response
"Untouchable" received generally favourable reviews from music critics. Slant Magazine said that it was "one of Girls Aloud's finest achievements." Matthew Horton of The Quietus labelled the song as an "epic, a nearly-seven-minute monster". Similarly, John Murphy from MusicOMH called the track an "epic seven-minute electro-thumper which builds slowly, explodes into life, drops out brilliantly, then bursts back into life". In a blog for BBC, Fraser McAlpine agreed that "it's epic and dreamy and a bit of a diversion from the usual GA pattern while still being recognisably very Girls Aloud." It was also praised by NMEs Jaimie Hodgson, described as "post-Ibiza power-balladeering". The song was referred to as "fast, electronic and fantastic" with an immense build-up to the chorus by Peter Robinson from Popjustice. Talia Kraines of BBC Music felt "the Balearic bliss of epic seven minute marathon Untouchable [...] prove[s] that you don't have to be brassy to be brilliant."
Michael Cragg from The Guardian called it a proper "statement song", as well as "the band's most effortless-sounding single" without ever feeling overly long. Nick Levine of Digital Spy said the song "serves as the centrepiece" on the album and that even the radio edit "remains surprising, thrilling and strangely moving - in short, classic Girls Aloud." Matthew Chisling from AllMusic deemed it "the album's most club-friendly smash". Newsround declared it "seems to want to be a ballad and a dance track without doing either well." GayNZ.coms Andrew Grear stated that the song "works....but possibly not as well as the girls were hoping." Andy Gill from The Independent called it a "stomp-a-matic filler" from the album.