Song written by Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee, Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg. Billy Steinberg had 'I Touch Myself' in his notebook; he had written the first verse and the chorus lyric. Christina Amphlett, singer from the band the Divinyls liked it immediately. The next day, McEntee (also from the band) and Amphlett got together with Kelly and Steinberg and wrote the rest. It was an unusual move, as Steinberg and Kelly rarely collaborated with others. Putting the song together took a lot of trial and error. It was recorded to two inch tape, making it difficult to edit. After significant experimentation they came up with an unusual structure with the bridge placed after the first chorus. The lyric is widely regarded as a paean to female masturbation.
The song was released by the Australian rock band Divinyls in December 1990 as the first single from their fifth album, 'diVINYLS'. The single achieved great success, reaching the Top 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and reaching the number 1 position in their native country, Australia.
Live performances
Kim Wilde performed the song in November 2013 during her five concerts in Australia as a tribute to Amphlett, who had died in April 2013.