In 2007, The Veronicas went "ooh, ooh" and we went "ah, ah". For the first time Untouched, the second single off their second album Hook Me Up, was a pop revelation.

The Brisbane duo's first album The Secret Life Of... was a mighty pop record, establishing them as one of Australia's premiere pop acts but Hook Me Up was riskier. They shed the pop/rock sound for a relentless electronic sound that held absolutely nothing back. While the first single Hook Me Up was cool and steady, Untouched was a runaway train.

Beginning with celestial strings and a cascading verse, it spirals into a triumphant chorus. "I feel so untouched right now, need you so much right now," they sing with intensity. It's exactly what pop music should be when all the dials are turned to 11. Nothing is too far or too on the nose. 

Despite being an outlier in the mainstream as radio was blasting R&B and guitar-heavy pop, Untouched performed well. It was their first US Top 20 hit and it peaked at #2 in Australia. The previous single Hook Me Up, however, had reached the top spot. In many ways, Untouched put The Veronicas on the international map. It set them up in the US and established their position as hyped popstars in the UK. 

Untouched never lost its magic touch but somewhere along the line, the song became less of a megahit and more of an underrated pop jam. For Veronicas fans it was a trademark track but for casual pop fans and Australian music fans who had never truly appreciated the song, it fell into a void. 

Hiatuses, comebacks, and a few more #1 records later, something began to rumble. Call it nostalgia or call it a cry for justice, Untouched came back into the public psyche almost 10 years after its release. The memes began to flow as everything from the strings to the rap-like verse was hailed as legendary. 

how to tell if a song is good or not:

Is it untouched by the veronicas?

yes ✅ - its a good song

no ❌ - its not a good song

— ????? ??????? (@4BILLY4) October 20, 2017

every few months I remember that untouched by the veronicas is the best song of all time

— NICKY CIERI (@nickyonfilm) April 2, 2019

In 2018, nearly 15,000 people expressed interest in attending an event where all of Australia would sing Untouched at once. Then they got the chance. The Veronicas, a pop act who had often been shunned by triple j, were now booking festivals alongside station favourites like Matt Corby and Methyl Ethel. A year later, they were sharing festival stages with Allday and Mallrat as crowds religiously screamed every word of the song. 

Australia has a deep love for nostalgia. Every few years or so, clips from Australian Idol or Popstars make the rounds. We suddenly develop a passionate love for songs like Shannon Noll's What About Me or Tina Arena's Sorrento Moon. Viral moments like these come and go but there's been something distinctly different about Untouched's story.

The excitement surrounding the song has lasted. This year, they release two albums Godzilla and Human, the latter still to be released, and Untouched is still burning bright. It has over 100 million streams on Spotify and still has the internet ablaze. Just this year a petition was launched to make Untouched the National Anthem of Australia. And honestly, why not? Untouched, once untouched by triple j, has also picked up multiple plays on the station this year. 

And there could be more to come from the song yet. Last year, former Disney duo Aly & AJ released an explicit version of their old hit Potential Breakup Song after it went viral on TikTok. The Veronicas have teased that they could do the same thing with Untouched... Unfucked?

It seems almost 15 years after its initial release, people still just can't resist Untouched.