Perfume Genius is the alias of singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas. Born in Des … Read Full Bio ↴Perfume Genius is the alias of singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Mike moved to Seattle when he was 6. Growing up, Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school, and he received death threats that were ignored by the school administration. He dropped out of high school during his senior year. Two years after dropping out, he was attacked by several young men in his neighborhood. He moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and worked as a doorman for a club in the East Village. In 2005, Hadreas returned home to Seattle and began recording music. In 2008, Hadreas set up a MySpace page under the name Perfume Genius, beginning his music career. The moniker comes from the genius perfume-maker in Tom Tykwer’s 2006 movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

Mike has released six studio albums - 2010's Learning, 2012's Put Your Back N 2 It, 2014's Too Bright, 2017's No Shape, 2020's Set My Heart On Fire Immediately and his most recent, 2022's Ugly Season, all of which have received praise from music critics.

Just A Touch
Perfume Genius Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Touch me deep
Before you leave
Just enough
To find me

The promise in your eye
To hold our secret so tight
Take my song and hide

Take my song in hiding
Hum the melody

Touch me deep
Before you leave
Every move in time

The sun on your side
I keep every line
I'll trace them now
On mine

Take my song in hiding
Hum the melody

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Perfume Genius & Danny L Harle's song Just a Touch give the impression of a fleeting and intense moment of connection between two people who know that their time together is limited. The singer asks for a deep touch before their partner leaves, perhaps as a way of sealing the memory of their physical presence into their mind. They ask for "just enough" to find them again in their thoughts and emotions.

The promise that the singer's partner will hold their secret tight is a reference to intimacy and the trust that comes with it. The singer is willing to share their most vulnerable parts with their partner and they need them to keep it safe. They also ask for their partner to take their song and hide it, which could symbolize something personal or private that the singer is willing to entrust to their partner.

The lyrics are poetic and evocative, creating a sense of longing and desire for a deeper connection. The reference to tracing every line on their own suggests that the memory of the person and the experience will be tattooed onto the singer's mind and heart for a long time.

Line by Line Meaning

Touch me deep
Reach within my soul with your affection

Before you leave
Before we go our separate ways

Just enough
Sufficient contact to connect us one last time

To find me
To rekindle the emotions and love we once shared

The promise in your eye
Your gaze assures me that our secret will be kept

To hold our secret so tight
To keep our shared knowledge concealed from others

Take my song and hide
Take my feelings and keep them private

Take my song in hiding
Keep my emotions discreet

Hum the melody
Think of me fondly and keep our love alive through music

Every move in time
Every action we take is in sync with one another

The sun on your side
You exude warmth and positivity