Book of Love “I Touch Roses (Long Stemmed Version)” b/w “I Touch Roses” (single version) and “Lost Souls.” 1985, 12″ single. One of the many perks of my work is being able to make and share playlists with my students and “I Touch Roses” appeared this morning. Fortunately I just got this 12″ single from an old friend. The mid-tempo dancey synth pop “I Touch Roses” was the second single by Book of Love (the first was “Boy”) and it did well enough to secure the band a debut record on Sire Records, Book of Love, released in 1986. The B-side’s “Lost Souls” is musically much darker than “I Touch Roses” but still heavy on the synths, drum machine and clear 80′s polished vocals.

I saw Book of Love perform when they opened for Depeche Mode (on tour for Black Celebration) on June 22, 1986 at Poplar Creek Music Theater outside of Chicago. I went with my friend Carrie and we bought a T-shirt that we were supposed to share but it pretty much remained in my possession and I wore it relentlessly through the rest of the summer of ‘86 until it eventually disintegrated. Here is a picture of me wearing the shirt that summer, hanging out at my parents’ house in the country.