First (song)

"First"
Single by Lindsay Lohan
from the album Speak
B-side Symptoms of You
Released May 8, 2005[1]
Format CD single, maxi single
Recorded 2004
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:29
Label Casablanca
Writer(s) Kara DioGuardi, John Shanks
Producer(s) Kara DioGuardi, John Shanks
Lindsay Lohan singles chronology
"Over"
(2004)		 "First"
(2005)		 "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)"
(2005)

"First" is a pop rock song recorded by American singer Lindsay Lohan for her debut album Speak. It was released as the album's third and final single on May 10, 2005 (see 2005 in music). The song was released to help promote Lohan's film, Herbie: Fully Loaded, in which it appears on the soundtrack. The song failed to chart in the United States, but it performed well in other countries such as Taiwan.

The song is about wanting to come first in her boyfriend's life. The song incorporates high pop punk oriented instrumental sounds, but it also conserves her typical teen pop touch. The song was the least successful single from its parent album.

Background

"First" was written and produced by hit-makers Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks, who would later produce her second album A Little More Personal (Raw). The song was recorded in Lohan's trailer on the set of Herbie: Fully Loaded in September 2004. She had been recording and filming the movie back-to-back. Kara DioGuardi and Cory Rooney, who wrote and produced Lohan's first single, provided background vocals for the song.[2]

"Speak", the title track from her album, was originally going to be released as the third single. Angela Robinson, director of Herbie, looked at Lohan's album to see if she could find a track that could be incorporated in the film. She enjoyed listening to "First" and approached Lohan about it being released as the next single. Even though the song is about wanting to be the first person in a boyfriends life, in the context of the film, however, it is taken as wanting to finish first in a car race.

Reception

Critical reception

Stylus Magazine called the song and the second track "promising", while criticizing the other songs on the album.[3] The song was noted for its ending line in the chorus: I wanna come first. Some bloggers have interpreted the meaning of the song as Lohan announcing, in a double entendre to adult listeners, that she wanted to orgasm before her male partners during sex.[4] However, when asked by David Letterman whether this was the case, she smiled slyly and said, "I actually prefer coming at the same time."

Commercial reception

The single was released on June 25, 2005 in North America and on August 8 in Europe. The song failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It was, however, successful in many other countries. The song charted in the top 10 in Taiwan and Indonesia. The song charted at #31 in Australia, just missing out by one spot on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

It also charted at #41 on the Swiss Singles Top 100 in Switzerland and at #74 in the Media Control Charts.

Promotion

Lohan performed the song at KIIS-FM 102.7 Wango Tango event in 2005. She also performed the title song from the album, Speak.[5]

Music video

The music video began shooting in May 2005, after Lohan had recently bleached her auburn hair blonde. The music video was directed by Jake Nava, who directed her previous singles "Rumors" and "Over". The video takes place in a garage-like arena in the middle of a race. Lohan and her band sing the song from a stage right next to the track, while clips from Herbie: Fully Loaded play. Lohan also sings and dances beside Herbie, the anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle.

Track listings

CD single
  1. "First" – 3:29
  2. "Symptoms of You" – 2:56
Maxi single
  1. "First" – 3:29
  2. "Symptoms of You" – 2:56
  3. "Rumors" (The Sharp Boys Club Gossip Vocal Remix) – 7:23
  4. "First" (Instrumental) – 3:28
Japanese single[2]
  1. "First" – 3:29
  2. "First" (Instrumental) – 3:28

Chart performance

Chart[6] Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 31
Swiss Singles Top 100 41
German Singles Chart 74
Ukraine (FDR Pop)[7] 2

Footnotes

  1. ↑ http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=05/08/2005&Format=1
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "eCover.to - Lindsay Lohan - First". Cover-paradise.to. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  3. ↑ Merwin, Charles (7 December 2004). "Lindsay Lohan: Speak". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  4. ↑ Cheng, Vincent (February 2005). "Speak". Teen Ink. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  5. ↑ MacIntosh, Dan (May 2005). "KIIS-FM'S Wango Tango featuring Gwen Stefani, Ludacris, Lindsay Lohan, The Backstreet Boys and More". Pop Matters. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "Lindsay Lohan - First - Music Charts". Acharts.us. 2005-03-13. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  7. ↑ "Ukrainian Chart". FDR. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2010-07-13.

External links