The track "I Touch Myself" set off a furor when it was performed by The Divinyls during 1991. The single's title line brought n the listeners (the song peaked at no. 1 in the United States), but left disc jockeys in a flummox over whether vocalist Christina Amphlett meant what we thought she meant, and whether what we though she meant constituted obscenity. An all-star collection of Australian female performers have adapted the song to lend a positive meaning to the track, at least from the physical health perspective.
Amphlett died from breast cancer nearly one year ago on April 21, 2013. The songwriter had undergone mammograms and ultrasound, which hadn't detected a tumor. It wasn't until Amphlett self-examined that she insisted on a biopsy, which discovered the tumor.
The Australian Cancer Council NSW debuted a new 2.5 minute spot over the weekend that features ten Australian female vocalists singing Amphlett's hit as encouragement for viewers to routinely check themselves for lumps. The montage features Olivia Newton-John (a breast cancer survivor), and Australian Recording Industry Association female artist of the year winners Sarah Blasko and Megan Washington.
"'I Tough Myself' celebrates female sexuality like no other," the Cancer Council said in a statement. "Like Chrissy, it is bold, brave, and brassy. It rocked our world. And when Chrissy developed breast cancer, it was a song she wanted to become an anthem for spreading awareness about the importance of touching ourselves for early detection of the disease."
We hear you, and we hope censors won't be ones to disagree.