"Why Can't I Touch You?" Ronnie Dyson (1970)

The biggest hit from an Off-Broadway musical, ever.

Peak: #8 on the Hot 100
Streams: 298,000

It’s obvious why Ronnie Dyson got a chance to be a pop star. He was only 18 when he starred in Hair on Broadway, but even then, he sang like a seasoned pro. Listen to him belt the opening lines of “Aquarius.” That’s an astonishing sound! It’s so textured you could wrap yourself in it and take the best nap of your life.

It matters, too, that Dyson got his break in Hair. It was such a phenomenon in the late 60s that four different artists had a top 5 hit with one of its songs. The astonishing kid from that show was gonna get a shot.

Naturally, Dyson’s first single was also a song from a musical. Why not keep him in his wheelhouse, right? But here’s where things get wild: His one and only hit wasn’t from Hair. It was a song called “(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You?”, a midtempo number from the Off-Broadway musical Salvation.