The First Cut Is the Deepest

"First Cut Is the Deepest"
Single by P.P. Arnold
from the album The First Lady of Immediate
Released21 April 1967
Genre
Length3:07
LabelImmediate
Songwriter(s)Cat Stevens
Producer(s)Mike Hurst
P.P. Arnold singles chronology
"The Time Has Come"
(1967)
"First Cut Is the Deepest"
(1967)
"(If You Think You're) Groovy"
(1967)
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
1972 Australian promotional single
Single by Cat Stevens
from the album New Masters
B-side"Where Are You"
Released18 May 1972
Recorded5 October 1967
StudioDecca, West Hampstead, London
GenreRock
Length3:03
LabelDeram, Decca
Songwriter(s)Cat Stevens
Producer(s)Mike Hurst
Cat Stevens singles chronology
"Morning Has Broken"
(1972)
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
(1972)
"Sitting"
(1972)

"The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold in April 1967. Stevens's own version originally appeared on his album New Masters in December 1967.

The song has been widely recorded and has become a hit single for six different artists: Arnold, Stevens, Keith Hampshire (1973), Rod Stewart (1977), Papa Dee (1995), and Sheryl Crow (2003).

Background

The lyrics describe a person wondering if and how it is possible to love again after their first love was lost. "The first cut" of the title refers to one's first love disappointment.

Cat Stevens version

Cat Stevens performing on Dutch TV in 1966

Stevens made a demo recording of "The First Cut Is the Deepest" in 1965, while hoping to become a songwriter. He wrote the song to promote his songs to other artists, but did not record 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 £30 to P. P. Arnold, and it became a huge hit for her. Over decades, it also became 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. Stevens's version was not released as a single until 1972 when it was released as an Australia-only single in promotion of Stevens's 1970 compilation album The World of Cat Stevens.

Personnel

P. P. Arnold version

American expatriate singer P. P. Arnold had the first hit with the song, reaching No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart with her version in May 1967, well ahead of it appearing on Stevens' album. The Arnold hit featured an up-tempo, soulful vocal set against harpsichord, horns, and strings. It also appeared in the 2012 feature film Seven Psychopaths.

Record World said that "this gal shouts it out and then caresses it on a big beat rocker."

Keith Hampshire version

"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
Single by Keith Hampshire
from the album The First Cut
B-side"Sitting in the Park" (US)
"Waking Up Alone" (UK)
"You Can't Hear the Song I Sing" (Japan)
ReleasedApril 1973
GenrePop
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Cat Stevens
Producer(s)
  • Bill Misener
  • Gerry Lacoursiere
Keith Hampshire singles chronology
"Daytime Night-time"
(1972)
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
(1973)
"Big Time Operator"
(1973)

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. It also topped the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and charted in the United States, albeit outside the top 40.

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 1973 (1973-04) Vinyl A&M
Canada May 1973 (1973-05)
United Kingdom 18 May 1973 (1973-05-18)
Japan June 1973 (1973-06)

Rod Stewart version

"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album A Night on the Town
A-side"I Don't Want to Talk About It"
ReleasedFebruary 1977
StudioMuscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama, United States
Length3:21 (single), 4:38 (album)
LabelRiva
Songwriter(s)Cat Stevens
Producer(s)Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"I Don't Want to Talk About It"
(1976)
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
(1977)
"You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)"
(1977)
Music video
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" on YouTube

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. Originally released in as a single in the US and in some European territories, it was released as a double A-side single with "I Don't Want to Talk About It" in the UK in April. It was a huge success, and spent four weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1977, No. 11 in April in Canada, and also reached No. 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.

Record World called it a "love ballad, this time penned by Cat Stevens back in the sixties. Watch for another rapid chart ascent."

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s)
United States February 1977 (1977-02) Vinyl Warner Bros.
United Kingdom 15 April 1977 (1977-04-15)

Papa Dee version

"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
Single by Papa Dee
from the album The Journey
Released1995
GenreReggae
Length3:48
LabelWarner
Songwriter(s)Cat Stevens
Producer(s)
Papa Dee singles chronology
"Jungle Sound Clash"
(1994)
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
(1995)
"The Journey"
(1996)
Music video
"The First Cut Is the Deepest on YouTube

Swedish musician Papa Dee released a reggae cover of "The First Cut Is the Deepest" in 1995. It was released as the first single from his fourth album, The Journey (1996), and remains his most commercially successful track. Scoring chart success in Europe, it peaked at No. 5 in Sweden, No. 9 in Denmark and Norway, No. 20 in Austria, and No. 38 in Iceland.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Dee-lightfully our Swedish Papa tackles the old Cat Stevens hit in a pop dance-infused reggae style with a snappy ragga interlude. Radio, club and dub edits are available too."

Track listings

12-inch single, Europe (1995)
No.TitleLength
1."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (club remix)6:08
2."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (single edit)3:48
3."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (12-inch dub cut)5:46
4."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (dub version)5:36
CD single, Australia (1995)
No.TitleLength
1."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (single edit)3:48
2."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (club edit)6:08
3."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (dub version)5:36
4."Papa Do It Sweet"4:12
CD maxi, Sweden (1995)
No.TitleLength
1."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (single edit)3:48
2."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (club edit)6:08
3."The First Cut Is the Deepest" (dub version)5:36
4."Papa Do It Sweet"4:12

Charts

Sheryl Crow version

"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
Single by Sheryl Crow
from the album The Very Best of Sheryl Crow
Released22 September 2003 (2003-09-22)
Length3:44
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Cat Stevens
Producer(s)John Shanks
Sheryl Crow singles chronology
"It's So Easy"
(2002)
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"
(2003)
"Light in Your Eyes"
(2004)
Music video
"The First Cut Is the Deepest on YouTube

Sheryl Crow's version of "The First Cut Is the Deepest", inspired by Rod Stewart's version, is the first single released from her 2003 compilation album The Very Best of Sheryl Crow. It became one of Crow's biggest radio hits, peaking at No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming her first solo top-40 country hit following the success of her duet with Kid Rock, "Picture". The song stayed on the Hot 100 for 36 weeks and became a gold seller, also reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Triple-A charts. Internationally, it was a top-20 success in Hungary, Ireland and New Zealand.

Music video

The Sheryl Crow music video for "The First Cut Is the Deepest" was directed by Wayne Isham with art direction by Andrew Elias. Filmed in southern Utah, the video features Sheryl in a rocky desert singing with her guitar, riding horses and interacting in a cowboy environment. Sheryl's single was nominated for a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards, losing to "Sunrise" by Norah Jones.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) Gold 35,000
United States (RIAA) Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 22, 2003 A&M
United Kingdom October 20, 2003 CD
Australia October 27, 2003
United States Country radio
November 17, 2003 Contemporary hit radio

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-02-10 03:34 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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