Reach out and touch someone

I'm getting tired of people "reaching out" to me.  Where did this expression originate?  I know it's a harmless phrase, and often used by kind and sensitive people, but it is too dramatic.  What are you reaching out for?  Do I need help?  Do you need help?  Are you engaging in an arduous or unusually magnanimous act for which I should be truly grateful?  Because it just seemed like a business-related email to me.

The picture raises an interesting question:  what is the worst boy band ever?  Answer:  all of them.