Grateful Dead: Touch of Grey

The Grateful Dead began in 1965 and released 28 singles. Six of these singles charted on the Hot 100, but only one had success on the Top 40 charts – 1987’s “Touch of Grey.” Prior to this single that charted at #9, 1970’s “Truckin’” had been the band’s highest charting single at #64.

The single was unique in that it was pressed in grey colored vinyl and the picture sleeve was actually a folded poster. Because the single would just normally fall out of the sleeve, Arista records shrink wrapped the 45 – and unusual but necessary move. The words “Touch of Grey” only appear once in the lyrics, while the repeating hook line of the song is “I will get by; I will get by; I will get by; I will survive.” Typically a song’s hook line appears as part of the title, but not in this case.

I can’t swear I am a “Dead Head,” but I do like their recordings and I have several of their albums including “Vintage Dead,” “Workingman’s Dead,” “Terrapin Station,” “Reckoning,” and “Dead Set.” I think my favorite is “Dead Set” with “Workingman’s Dead” at a close second.