In a world that was once inhabited by an infinite loop of romantic-comedy trailers set to “Solsbury Hill,” Peter Gabriel is thrilled that paddles have been drawn for one of his lesser-known songs. Marty Supreme, the upcoming ping-pong epic starring Timothée Chalamet and a guy from Shark Tank, uses “I Have the Touch” as a pivotal needle drop somewhere in the movie. On his website, Gabriel relayed gratitude to director Josh Safdie for choosing “I Have the Touch” — from his 1982 eponymous album and, of course, featuring Tony Levin on bass — because he says it’s not often caressed by the masses. “The song is rarely asked out for a dance, and I have always loved table tennis,” he wrote. “Now there seems to be a real buzz about the film. Although I have it in my Academy pack we are waiting to see it on the big screen in the Christmas holiday. On tour we always have a table backstage for any of the crew or band to jump on.”
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Gabriel also inadvertently broke the news that two other synth-heavy songs from the 1980s will be setting the scene in Marty Supreme: the Korgis’ “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” and Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Add “I Have the Touch” to the mix and the trifecta share a strange connection in geography. “The other curious fact,” Gabriel added, “is that three of the songs chosen for the soundtrack were written and recorded around the city of Bath.” He added, to be sure, “check it out.” We will. But when will a director be brave enough to use “Carpet Crawlers”?
