Peter Gabriel has thanked director Josh Safdie for including his 1982 song “I Have the Touch” in the upcoming Timothée Chalamet-starring film Marty Supreme, even though he hasn’t yet seen it. The movie features Chalamet as a 1950s-era rising table tennis star alongside Gywneth Paltrow and Odessa A’zion and will be released on Christmas Day.
“I was delighted that ‘I Have the Touch‘ was chosen for the soundtrack of Marty Supreme,” Gabriel wrote on his web site. “The song is rarely asked out for a dance and I have always loved table tennis. Now there seems to be a real buzz about the film. Although I have it in my Academy [screener] pack, we are waiting to see it on the big screen in the Christmas holiday.”
He added that “on tour, we always have a table backstage for any of the crew or band to jump on. The other curious fact is that three of the songs chosen for the soundtrack were written and recorded around the city of Bath: the Korgis ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime,’ Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants To Rule the World’ and ‘I Have the Touch.’ Thank you to the director Josh Safdie!”
“I Have the Touch” is a highlight of Gabriel’s fourth self-titled solo album following his 1975 departure from Genesis. It was a staple of his live shows through 1986, after which it has only been performed on two occasions during the artist’s 2007 tour.
As previously reported, the Marty Supreme score was penned by longtime Safdie collaborator Daniel Lopatin’s Oneohtrix Point Never project and will be available the same day as the film.
