"First Time" is a song by American
alternative band
Lifehouse and it is the first single released from their fourth studio album,
''Who We Are'' (2007). The song was written by lead singer
Jason Wade alongside
Jude Cole
Jude Anthony Cole (born June 18, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, manager, and record producer. After signing to Reprise Records, Cole's solo career began with his eponymous debut studio album in 1987, which was followed up 4 subsequen ...
, who produced the song. Wade felt it was urgent to write the track and said that he had to think deep to write it. Musically, "First Time" is a
power pop song that contains
alternative rock with a theme about the early stages of romance. The track was first released as a digital download on May 7, 2007, by
Geffen Records. It was then solicited to
mainstream radio on May 15, 2007.
The song received positive reviews from critics who compared it to Lifehouse's "
Hanging by a Moment". It charted at number 26 and number 47 respectively in the United States and Canada, and later charted in New Zealand at number 31. The song's music video premiered on
AOLmusic.com and
The N on June 29, 2007. It features clips of real couples falling in love for the first time. Lifehouse has performed the song live on late-night national television shows.
Background and release
The song was written by Lifehouse lead singer Jason Wade and American record producer Jude Cole, who also produced the song.
When asked about writing "First Time", Wade said, "It just felt urgent, like a first kiss, a first love. Like the first time you realize there's more to that relationship than you thought. I had to dig a little for that one, but I find myself at a place where I can write stuff that’s a little deeper than your average love song in terms of emotion."
In September 2006, Lifehouse started writing songs in the studio for ''Who We Are'', and recorded most of the songs the day they were written at Coles' Ironworks Studios in
Los Angeles.
Wade explained the process of recording the songs, and said, "There was something amazing in just diving right into capturing the moment without even creating a demo first." He further noted how he appreciated recording songs with many takes to capture the initial thought of a song.
The track was released via digital download on May 7, 2007, by Geffen Records.
It was then solicited to mainstream radio on May 15, 2007.
Composition
"First Time" is a
power pop song that contains
alternative rock and
pop punk influences.
It was described as a "radio-friendly number with hooks aplenty" by Alex Lai of
Contactmusic.com.
John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout described the song as "an upbeat love song", and further described it as "sort of a '
Hanging by a Moment' meets '
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
' with more of a distinct romantic angle like '
You and Me.'"
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' described the song as a "melodic ember-turner, balancing polished instrumentation and a crystal-clear hook against lead Jason Wade's sandy vocals."
Sputnikmusic described the song as "a very quick paced song with a catchy rhythm that can compete with 'Hanging by a Moment' but just can't quite beat it."
Steve Morley of
UMC.org described the song as a "propulsive pop-rocker" that he said "move
beyond typical love song clichés."
The song is set in
common time with a tempo of 126
beats per minute.
It is composed in the key of
E major
E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...
, and Wade's vocal range spans from the low-note of E
4 to the high-note of B
5.
The song has a basic
chord progression of A
2–B
sus–C
m7–B/D–E
5.
The theme of "First Time" is about the early stages of romance and specifically takes a look back at the butterflies and excitement of the initial rush of romance.
The lyrics "Looking at you / Holding my breath / For once in my life / I'm scared to death / I'm taking a chance / Letting you inside" refer to how mature love requires vulnerability, sacrifice and effort, which is a responsibility that distinguishes serious commitment from youthful romantic discovery.
Chart performance
"First Time" debuted at number 83 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
It moved around the chart for several months and eventually peaked at number 26.
The song debuted at number 39 on the ''Billboard''
Pop Songs chart.
It peaked at number 16 after being on the chart for 20 consecutive weeks.
On the ''Billboard''
Radio Songs chart, the song debuted at number 71.
It eventually peaked at number 36 on the chart.
On the ''Billboard''
Adult Contemporary chart, it debuted at number 29 and eventually peaked at number 17 after being on the chart for 20 non-consecutive weeks.
The song also charted on ''Billboards
Digital Songs
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...
chart and peaked at number 23.
"First Time" also charted internationally. It debuted on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
at number 79.
It stayed on the chart for 16 consecutive weeks until peaking at number 47 on the chart.
It debuted on the
New Zealand Singles Chart at number 31 for the week of July 30, 2007. That later became its peak after it spent seven consecutive weeks on the chart.
Music video
The music video premiered on
AOLmusic.com and
The N on June 29, 2007.
It was also released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
that same day.
The music video, directed by Sean Mullins, was shot in
Los Angeles and features real couples falling in love for the first time.
It begins with a shot of the band in a white room wearing all white clothes and playing all white instruments. As the energy of the song gets stronger, the white room and the band's clothing changes from white to a ruby red. According to
Monsters and Critics, the vibrant colors in the music video show how passion explodes inside of people when they are in love for the first time. One couple gets tattoos for the first time, while another guy is seen teaching his girlfriend how to skateboard. After that, another couple is seen falling in love on a beach and a real life husband and wife embrace after the husband returns from the military.
Promotion
The band performed the song in the 81st
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2007. Then in January 2008, Lifehouse performed the song as part of a
set list on the
PBS show
''Soundstage''.
The band then made an appearance at the
2008 NFL Pro Bowl
The 2008 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40a ...
halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of div ...
on February 10, 2008, and performed "Hanging by a Moment" and "First Time".
Lifehouse has performed "First Time" on
''Live Sets'',
''
Last Call with Carson Daly'',
''
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'',
''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'',
and ''
Live with Regis and Kelly''.
The song was also used in a commercial to promote the 2008
Dodge Ram.
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from
Allmusic.
*
Vocals – Jason Wade
*
Background vocals – Bryce Soderburg, Jude Cole
*
Songwriting – Jason Wade, Jude Cole
*
Guitar – Jason Wade, Jude Cole
*
Production – Jason Wade, Jude Cole, John Fields
*
Mixing –
Thom Panunzio,
Jack Joseph Puig
Jack Joseph Puig is an American audio engineer, A&R executive, and record producer. He has worked with Tonic, Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Roger Hodgson, Taxiride, Green Day, Counting Crows, No Doubt, Klaxo ...
, Florian Ammon, Keith Armstrong, Dean Nelson, Jeff Rothschild
*
Engineering – Florian Ammon, Scott Faircloff, Ross Hogarth, Will Sandalls
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
"First Time" Music Videoon
YouTube
{{Authority control
2007 singles
2007 songs
Geffen Records singles
Lifehouse (band) songs
Songs written by Jason Wade
Songs written by Jude Cole