The First Cut Is the Deepest
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" | |
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Song by Cat Stevens from the album New Masters | |
Published | 1967 |
Released | December 1967 |
Recorded | October 1967 |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 3:03 |
Label | Deram Records/Decca Records |
Writer | Cat Stevens |
Producer | Mike Hurst |
New Masters track listing | |
Side 1
Side 2
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"The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold in May 1967. Stevens' own version originally appeared on his album New Masters in December 1967.
The song has been widely covered and has become a hit single for four different artists: P. P. Arnold (1967), Keith Hampshire (1973), Rod Stewart (1977) and Sheryl Crow (2003).
Cat Stevens version
Stevens made a demo recording of "The First Cut Is the Deepest" in 1965, but originally hoped to become a songwriter.[1] He wrote the song earlier to promote his songs to other artists, but did not record it as his own performance until early October 1967 with guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, and it did not appear until his second album, New Masters, was released in December 1967. He sold the song for ยฃ30 to P.P. Arnold, and it became a huge hit for her,[2] as well as an international hit for Keith Hampshire, Rod Stewart, and Sheryl Crow. The song has won Stevens songwriting awards, including two consecutive ASCAP songwriting awards for "Songwriter of the Year" in 2005 and 2006.[3]
P. P. Arnold version
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" | ||||
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Single by P. P. Arnold | ||||
B-side | "Speak to Me" | |||
Released | May 1967 | |||
Label | Immediate Records | |||
Writer(s) | Cat Stevens | |||
P. P. Arnold singles chronology | ||||
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American expatriate singer P. P. Arnold had the first hit with the song, reaching number 18 on the UK Singles Chart[4] with her version in May 1967, well ahead of the song appearing on Stevens' album. The Arnold hit featured an up-tempo, soulful vocal set against harpsichord, horns, and strings. British psych group The Koobas also covered the song at this time, but Arnold's version overshadowed theirs.
Noted 1960s British filmmaker Peter Whitehead made a primordial music video clip for the song, featuring a non-singing Arnold cavorting on a British beach alongside The Small Faces. Stevens never released his original recording as a single, because he felt Arnold's version was definitive.
This version of the song features prominently in the film Seven Psychopaths.
Reggae versions
Norma Fraser became known through her hit Jamaican recording of "The First Cut Is The Deepest", completed in 1967 for producer Sir Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd. Marcia Griffiths achieved a Jamaican hit with her version in 1973, a version that also found success in the UK. A much covered song in the reggae genre other versions include those by: The Sixth Revelation, Barbara Jones, Joy White, Dawn Penn, Hortense Ellis, I-Roy who provides an unusual rapping version over K.C. White cover, Myrna Hague who adds jazz inflections and Judy Mowatt who renames the song "First Cut" and features it on her album "Mellow Mood".
Keith Hampshire version
Keith Hampshire had the first chart-topping hit of the song when his recording of it became a number one hit in Canada in 1973, reaching the top of the RPM 100 national singles chart on 12 May of that year.[5] This recording also charted in the US, albeit outside the top 40.
Rod Stewart version
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" | ||||
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Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
from the album A Night on the Town | ||||
B-side |
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" "The Balltrap" (US) | |||
Released | 1977 | |||
Format | 7-inch | |||
Recorded | 1976 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:21 (single version) | |||
Label | Riva/Warner Bros. | |||
Writer(s) | Cat Stevens | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Dowd | |||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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Stewart recorded the song at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, United States, and it appeared on his 1976 album A Night on the Town. It was released as a double A-side single with "I Don't Want to Talk About It". It was a huge success, and spent four weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in May 1977,[6] number 11 in April in Canada, and also reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. In a departure from the original, Stewart excludes the concluding "But when it comes to being loved, she's first" from the refrain. In 1993, he recorded a live version during a session of MTV Unplugged. This was included on the album Unplugged...and Seated.
Bad Manners version
Bad Manners released their version on the 1992 release of their album Fat Sound.
Sheryl Crow version
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" | |||||||
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Single by Sheryl Crow | |||||||
from the album The Very Best of Sheryl Crow | |||||||
Released | 20 October 2003 | ||||||
Recorded | 2003, Henson Studios, Hollywood, CA | ||||||
Genre | Pop, pop rock, country | ||||||
Length | 3:44 | ||||||
Label | A&M | ||||||
Writer(s) | Cat Stevens | ||||||
Producer(s) | John Shanks | ||||||
Sheryl Crow singles chronology | |||||||
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Sheryl Crow's version was the first of two singles released to promote her 2003 The Very Best of Sheryl Crow compilation album. It became one of Crow's biggest radio hits, remaining 36 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, and was also Crow's first Top 40 solo country hit, following the success of her hit duet with Kid Rock, "Picture". The song topped the airplay charts in the US and became a platinum seller, also reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and went to number one on the AC chart for two nonconsecutive weeks. It was also featured during an episode of HBO's The Sopranos and The CW's One Tree Hill, in which she also guest starred. It was used for the closing of the final episode of Showtime on ABS-CBN as the talent show format on 28 January 2012 and in the 2005 film Must Love Dogs.
Music video
The Sheryl Crow music video for "The First Cut Is the Deepest", directed by Wayne Isham. Filmed in southern Utah, the video features Crow in a rocky desert singing with her guitar, riding horses and interacting in a cowboy environment. Crow's single was nominated for a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards,[7] losing to "Sunrise" by Norah Jones.
Chart performance
Chart (2003โ04) | Peak position |
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Australian ARIA Charts | 50[8] |
Austrian Singles Chart | 31 |
Irish Singles Chart | 13 |
New Zealand RIANZ Charts | 19 |
Poland (ZPAV)[9] | 42 |
UK Singles Chart | 37 |
US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 14 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] | 1 |
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] | 35 |
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[14] | 10 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 | 28 |
Preceded by "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence |
Canadian RPM 100 number-one single (Keith Hampshire version) 12 May 1973 |
Succeeded by "The Cisko Kid" by War (band) |
Preceded by "Free" by Deniece Williams |
UK number one single (Rod Stewart version) 21 May 1977 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers |
Preceded by "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single (Sheryl Crow version) 10 April 2004 (first run) 1 May 2004 (second run) |
Succeeded by "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban "100 Years" by Five for Fighting |
References
- โ Islam, Yusuf (2008). "Biography 1964". Official Website for Yusuf Islam. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- โ Marrin, Minette (26 September 2004). "Profile: Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens: Not so much a zealot more a lost musician". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- โ ASCAP awards 2005 and 2006 Songwriter of the Year, Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
- โ Ruhlmann, William. "Cat Stevens Biography on Yahoo! Music". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- โ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- โ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 339โ40. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- โ Archived 10 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- โ Steffen Hung. "Sheryl Crow - The First Cut Is The Deepest". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- โ "Lista Przebojรณw Trรณjki - Polskie Radio Online". Lp3.polskieradio.pl. 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- โ "Sheryl Crow โ Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Sheryl Crow.
- โ "Sheryl Crow โ Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Sheryl Crow.
- โ "Sheryl Crow โ Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Sheryl Crow.
- โ "Sheryl Crow โ Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Sheryl Crow.
- โ "Sheryl Crow โ Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Sheryl Crow.
External links
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