The First Night
{{Short description|1998 single by Monica}}
{{About|the song|other uses of "First Night"|First Night (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = The First Night
| cover = The First Night.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Monica
| album = The Boy Is Mine
| B-side = 'Cross the Room
| released = {{start date|1998|7|28}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 3:55
| label = Arista
| writer =
| producer = Jermaine Dupri
| prev_title = The Boy Is Mine
| prev_year = 1998
| next_title = Angel of Mine
| next_year = 1999
}}
"The First Night" is a song by American singer Monica for her second studio album, The Boy Is Mine (1998). It was written by Tamara Savage and Jermaine Dupri, featuring production and additional vocals from the latter. Built around a sample of Diana Ross's 1976 recording "Love Hangover", penned by Marilyn McLeod and Pam Sawyer, who share co-writing credits, the song is about the protagonist's battle with sexual temptations on the night of her first date, despite her conflicting emotions and strong sexual desires.
Following the major commercial chart success of previous single "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with fellow R&B singer Brandy, "The First Night" song was released on July 28, 1998, as the album's second single by Arista Records. Upon its commercial release, it emerged as Monica's second consecutive chart topper, topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the component Hot R&B Singles chart, becoming her first Hot 100 number one (and third R&B number one) as a solo artist. A remix version with producer Dupri, and rapper Da Brat appeared as a bonus track on Monica's 1998 CD single, "Angel of Mine".
Background and development
"The First Night" was written by Tamara Savage and record producer Jermaine Dupri, and production was handled by the latter.{{cite AV media notes |title=The Boy Is Mine |others=Monica |year=1998 |publisher=Arista Records}} In the mid-1990s, Savage, a USC alumna and musical performer, signed a development deal with EMI while she was still in college.{{cite web|first=Alain|last=Vendargon|url=http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/savage.html|title=Tamara Savage Co-Writes Top Hits For Monica, Whitney Houston And Shanice|publisher=Songwriteruniverse.com|accessdate=May 3, 2015|archive-date=April 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428121912/http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/savage.html|url-status=dead}} In 1997, her mentor, Big Jon Platt, then Senior Vice President of Creative at EMI Music Publishing, started setting up collaborations between her and EMI writers such as Soulshock & Karlin and Jermaine Dupri. EMI flew Savage to Atlanta to co-write a song with Dupri for the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut soundtrack, which was expected to be recorded by singer Janet Jackson, but when Savage began working with Dupri, they decided to focus first on writing a song for Monica, which resulted in "The First Night".
The song samples the dark, bassy piano chords intro section from American singer Diana Ross's "Love Hangover" (1976). Due to its sampling, "Love Hangover" writers Marilyn McLeod and Pam Sawyer are credited as co-writers. Recording of "The First Night" took place at the Krosswire Studios in Atlanta, and mixing was overseen by Phil Tan and Dupri at the Silent Sound Studios. Dupri performs several ad-libs on "The First Night" but is not placed as a featured artist on the track. Monica commented about the song in a 1998 interview with MTV News: "'The First Night' is not an experience of mine, but it's a record that Jermaine Dupri produced, and of whom I've known a long time...It is basically about a guy making an approach towards a woman on the first date."{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1432256/monica-on-the-different-voices-behind-first-night/|title=Monica On The Different Voices Behind "First Night" |website=MTV News|date=June 8, 1998|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010082834/https://www.mtv.com/news/41n0jc/monica-on-the-different-voices-behind-first-night|accessdate=May 20, 2020}}
Critical reception
In his review of the song, Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "sleek soul shuffler" and praised Monica for not rushing "to swap her youth for adult props". Overall, he thought the song was "smarter than your average pop hit" and called it a winner that would dominate radio playlists.{{cite magazine|last=Flick|first=Larry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9wkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Monica+the+first+night+reviews&pg=PA21|date=July 18, 1998|title=Reviews & Previews:POP|magazine=Billboard|volume=110|number=29|page=21|accessdate=August 29, 2023}} Tony Farsides from Music Week felt that the song "is quite downbeat but builds momentum of its own through Dupri's cameo raps and Monica's own impressive vocals."{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1998/Music-Week-1998-08-15.pdf|date=August 15, 1998|title=Hot Vinyls|magazine=Music Week|accessdate=August 29, 2023}} In 2020 the song was ranked at number 108 on Cleveland.com's Every No. 1 song of the 1990s ranked from worst to best list.{{cite news|first= Troy L. |last= Smith |title= Every No. 1 song of the 1990s ranked from worst to best |website= Cleveland.com |date= 21 October 2020 |access-date= 29 January 2023|url= https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2020/10/every-no-1-song-of-the-1990s-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html}} Writer Troy L. Smith said, "Listening to it now, Monica’s “The First Night” may not feel like a song that topped the charts for a total of five weeks. But back in 1998, its hip-hop soul vibe fit right in with the times."
Chart performance
"The First Night" became Monica's sixth top-10 entry and second consecutive number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching the top of the charts in the week of October 3, 1998. It replaced "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith which had held the top spot from September 5 to September 26, and followed Monica's first chart topper "The Boy Is Mine" (1998), her duet with Brandy.{{cite magazine|first=Fred|last=Bromson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FwoEAAAAMBAJ|title=Monica Doubles|magazine=Billboard|date=October 3, 1998|accessdate=May 22, 2020}} "The First Night" was replaced by Barenaked Ladies's "One Week" after two weeks at number one, only to reclaim the top of the chart for another three weeks in October 1998.{{cite magazine|first=Theda|last=Sandiford-Waller|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQoEAAAAMBAJ|title=Singles Spotlight|magazine=Billboard|date=October 24, 1998|accessdate=May 22, 2020}} On Billboard{{'}}s component charts, it spent six weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart and became Monica's first entry on the Dance Club Play chart, also reaching the top spot.
Internationally, "The First Night" was less successful though it still ranks among Monica's highest and latest-charting singles to date. It reached top 10 of the singles charts in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Flemish region of Belgium, while entering the top 20 in New Zealand, and the top 30 in Australia, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Scotland, as well as on a composite European Hot 100 Singles chart. In the United Kingdom, the song became her second chart topper on the UK R&B Singles. In Canada, it also peaked at number 15 on RPM{{'}}s Urban Top 30 chart.
With sales in excess of 1.0 million copies and a 20 week-stay in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, "The First Night" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Billboard ranked it 18th on its Hot 100 year-end listing and 19th on its Hot R&B Singles year-end chart. In 1999, it finished 26 on Billboard{{'}}s Hot 100 decade-end chart. In 2018, the magazine ranked it 361th on its 60th Anniversary all-time chart.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=May 22, 2020}}
Music video
Image:Bradbury building Los Angeles c2005 01383u crop.jpg in downtown Los Angeles.]]
Monica reteamed with "The Boy Is Mine" director Joseph Kahn to produce a music video for "The First Night."{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/the-best-90s-r-and-b-videos/monica-the-first-night|title=The Best R&B Videos of the '90s|website=complex.com|date=November 9, 2017|accessdate=May 22, 2020}} Filming took place in the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles, California, a five-story office building that is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, and their ornate ironwork.
In the video, Monica is seen dancing in a tight, white top and long khaki pants with a crowd of dancers. Throughout the video, there are cuts of her standing up in a white dress and sitting down on a long couch, holding golden opera glasses. Other cuts show groups of men and women as well as Monica and her love interest sitting on a couch. The instrumental break features breakdancing then cuts back to the dance with the crowd. The video ends with Monica rejecting her lover's kiss.
In 2017, Complex magazine included the video on its The Best R&B Videos of the '90s listing and wrote: "Monica isn't going to have sex with you right away, and her method of letting you will be elaborate. Hence, this video...The dance moves were cute, the concept was simple, and it all came together perfectly in front of the camera."
Track listings
{{Track listing
| headline = US and European CD single, US cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=Arista Records|id=07822-13522-2}}{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Arista Records, BMG|id=74321 60459 2}}{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=US cassette single sleeve|publisher=Arista Records|id=07822-13522-4}}
| title1 = The First Night
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = 'Cross the Room
| length2 = 3:51
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = US maxi-CD and 12-inch single{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=US maxi-CD single liner notes|publisher=Arista Records|id=07822-13523-2}}{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=US 12-inch single sleeve|publisher=Arista Records|id=07822-13523-1}}
| title1 = The First Night
| note1 = album version
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = The First Night
| note2 = instrumental
| length2 = 3:55
| title3 = The First Night
| note3 = video version
| length3 = 3:55
| title4 = 'Cross the Room
| note4 = album version
| length4 = 3:51
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = UK CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Arista Records, BMG|id=74321 61933 2}}
| title1 = The First Night
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = Before You Walk Out of My Life
| length2 = 4:53
| title3 = Like This and Like That
| length3 = 4:41
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = UK 12-inch single{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=UK 12-inch single sleeve|publisher=Arista Records, BMG|id=74321 61933 1}}
| title1 = The First Night
| note1 = radio version
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = The First Night
| note2 = Jermaine Dupri remix featuring R.O.C.
| length2 = 4:09
| title3 = The First Night
| note3 = Booker T. vocal remix
| length3 = 6:18
| title4 = The First Night
| note4 = Booker T. dub mix
| length4 = 5:32
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = UK cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Arista Records, BMG|id=74321 61933 4}}
| title1 = The First Night
| note1 = radio version
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = The First Night
| note2 = Booker T. vocal remix
| length2 = 6:18
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Australian CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=The First Night|others=Monica|year=1998|type=Australian CD single liner notes|publisher=Arista Records, BMG|id=74321 60458 2}}
| title1 = The First Night
| note1 = album version
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = The First Night
| note2 = remix featuring Jermaine Dupri
| length2 = 4:08
| title3 = The First Night
| note3 = instrumental
| length3 = 3:52
| title4 = The First Night
| note4 = video version
| length4 = 3:54
}}
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Boy Is Mine.{{cite AV media notes|title=The Boy Is Mine|title-link=The Boy Is Mine (album)|others=Monica|year=1998|type=US CD album liner notes|publisher=Arista Records|id=07822-19011-2}}
{{div col}}
- Monica Arnold – vocals
- Jermaine Dupri – mixing, production, writer
- Brian Frye – recording
- Marilyn McLeod – writer
- Tamara Savage – writer
- Pam Sawyer – writer
- Phil Tan – mixing
{{div col end}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for "The First Night" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1998)
!scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|Australia|30|artist=Monica|song=The First Night |rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011}} |
| {{single chart|Flanders Tip|8|artist= Monica|song=The First Night|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 23, 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Wallonia|31|artist= Monica|song=The First Night|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 23, 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|9|artist=Monica|song=The First Night|chartid=7039|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 1, 2015}} |
| {{single chart|Canadadance|15|artist=Monica|song=The First Night|chartid=7071|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 24, 2019|refname="Canadadance"}} |
| scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/Monica/chart-history/cns/|title=Monica Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 12, 2022}}
| 6 |
| scope="row"| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1998/MM-1998-10-24.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=15|issue=43|page=14|date=October 24, 1998|accessdate=January 7, 2018}}
| 29 |
| {{single chart|France|41|artist=Monica|song=The First Night|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011}} |
| {{single chart|Germany|63|artist=Monica|song=The First Night|songid=18856|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 30, 2018}} |
| scope="row"| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40){{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2974891#page/n9/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (1.10–8.10. 1998)|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=10|date=October 2, 1998|accessdate=October 4, 2019}}
| 29 |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|30|song=The First Night|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 18, 2018}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|24|year=1998|week=45|rowheader=true|accessdate=December 8, 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|22|artist=Monica|song=The First Night|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 28, 2017}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|15|artist=Monica|song=The First Night|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011}} |
| {{single chart|Scotland|29|date=19981017|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011}} |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|6|artist=Monica|artistid=31816|accessdate=May 23, 2011|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|UKrandb|1|date=19981017|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011|refname="UKrandb"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011}} |
| {{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|1|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|1|artist=Monica|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2011|refname="Billboardrandbhiphop"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardpopsongs|24|rowheader=true|artist=Monica}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardrhythmic|2|rowheader=true|artist=Monica}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1999 year-end chart performance for "The First Night" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1999)
!scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=1999 The Year in Music: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks|magazine=Billboard|volume=111|issue=52|page=YE-58|date=December 25, 1999}}
| 100 |
| scope="row"| US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1999|magazine=Airplay Monitor|volume=7|issue=52|page=53|date=December 24, 1999}}
| 96 |
=Decade-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Decade-end chart performance for "The First Night" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1990–1999)
!scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine | author = Geoff Mayfield | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA4 | title = 1999 The Year in Music Totally 1990s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the 1990s & Hot 100 Singles of the 1990s | magazine = Billboard | date = December 25, 1999 | accessdate = October 15, 2010}}
| 26 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "The First Night"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Monica|title=The First Night|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1998|certyear=1998|salesamount=1,500,000|salesref={{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Q0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA75 |title=Best-Selling Records of 1998 |magazine=Billboard|publisher=BPI Communications Inc.|date=January 30, 1999 |accessdate=May 31, 2015 |page=75 |issn=0006-2510|volume=111|number=5}}}}
{{end}}
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for "The First Night" !scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row" rowspan="3"|United States
|July 14, 1998 |Rhythmic contemporary radio |rowspan="3"|Arista |{{cite magazine|title=New Releases|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1256|page=45|date=July 10, 1998}} |
|---|
| July 28, 1998
|{{hlist|12-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}} |
| August 4, 1998
|{{cite magazine|title=New Releases|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1259|page=37|date=July 31, 1998}} |
| scope="row"|United Kingdom
|October 5, 1998 |{{hlist|12-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}} |{{hlist|Arista|BMG}} |{{cite magazine|title=Autumn Release Schedule|magazine=Music Week|page=7|date=October 3, 1998|quote=The album is preceded on October 5 by a third single from the album, the Diana Ross-sampling First Night...}} |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Monica songs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Night, The}}
Category:Arista Records singles
Category:Bertelsmann Music Group singles
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Monica (singer) songs
Category:Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn
Category:Songs written by Jermaine Dupri
Category:Songs written by Pam Sawyer