Song · Thompson Twins
“Lay Your Hands on Me” by Thompson Twins
From the album Here’s to Future Days (1985)
“Lay Your Hands on Me” by Thompson Twins appears on 11 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1985 and 2026. It was first released in 1985 on the album Here’s to Future Days. Its best result is #22 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1985. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #31 alternative song of 1985, #2,951 alternative song of all time and #370 of the '80s.
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"Lay Your Hands on Me" had two lives. Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway wrote it, and a first version, produced by Alex Sadkin and Bailey, came out in Europe and Australia in November 1984. Then Nile Rodgers got his hands on it: the 1985 reworking he co-produced added his electric guitar and a gospel choir, and that's the version that landed on Here's to Future Days and went out as the US single.
It's the Twins at their most soaring, a synth-pop hymn with the East Harlem Hobo Choir lifting the chorus toward the rafters and Rodgers' guitar giving it a dancefloor spine. The single reached No. 13 in the UK and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 58 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1985 | 107 |
| 1985 | 22 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1985 | 91 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 259 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 1992 | 367 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) | 500 |
| 1996 | 378 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) | 500 |
| 1998 | 450 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 1999 | 874 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) | 1002 |
| 2002 | 1056 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 764 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 822 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2026 | 245 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
Also listed as: Lay Your Hands On Me.
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