The First Night

"The First Night" is a song recorded 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.

This article is about the song. For other uses of "First Night", see First Night (disambiguation).
"The First Night"
Single by Monica
from the album The Boy Is Mine
B-side"Cross the Room"
ReleasedJuly 7, 1998 (1998-07-07)
Genre
Length3:55
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jermaine Dupri
Monica singles chronology
"The Boy Is Mine"
(1998)		 "The First Night"
(1998)		 "Angel of Mine"
(1999)

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 7, 1998 as the album's second single by Arista Records. Upon its commercial release, it emerged as one of Monica's biggest successes in years, topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the component Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, becoming her first chart solo topper. 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.[1] In the mid-1990s, Savage, a USC alumna and musical performer, signed a development deal with EMI while she was still in college.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2] But when Savage began working with Dupri, they decided to focus first on writing a song for Monica, which resulted in "The First Night".[2]

The song samples the dark, bassy piano chords intro section from American singer Diana Ross's "Love Hangover" (1976),[3] Due to its sampling, additional writers such as Marilyn McLeod and Pam Sawyer are credited as songwriters.[3] Recording of "The First Night" took place at the Krosswire Studios in Atlanta,[3] and mixing was overseen by Phil Tan and Durpi at the Silent Sound Studios.[3] Dupri performs several ad-libs on "The First Night" but is not placed as a featured artist on the track.[3] 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."[4]

Chart performance

"The First Night" became Monica's sixth top ten 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.[5] 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.[5] "The First Night" was replaced by Barenaked Ladies's "One Week" after two weeks at number one, only to reclaim the top of the charts for another three weeks in October 1998.[6] On Billboard's component charts, it spent six weeks at number-one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and became Monica's first entry on the Dance Club Songs chart, also reaching the top spot.[7]

Internationally, "The First Night" was less successful though it still ranks among Monica's highest and latest-charting singles to date. It reached top ten 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.[8] In the United Kingdom, the song became her second chart topper on the UK R&B Singles.[9] In Canada, it also peaked at number 15 on RPM's Dance/Urban chart.[10]

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).[11] Billboard ranked it 18th on its Hot 100 year-end listing and 19th on its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks year-end chart.[12][13] In 1999, it finished 26 on Billboard's Hot 100 decade-end chart.[14] In 2018, the magazine ranked it 361th on its 60th Anniversary all-time chart.[15]

Music video
The music video for "The First Night" was filmed in the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles.[16]

Monica reteamed with "The Boy Is Mine" director Joseph Kahn to produce a music video for "The First Night."[16] 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.[16]

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.[16]

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."[16]

Track listings
US CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The First Night" (Radio Edit)3:55
2."Cross the Room"3:51
UK CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The First Night" (Radio Edit)3:55
2."Before You Walk Out of My Life"4:53
3."Like This and Like That"4:41
Remix CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The First Night" (Radio Edit)3:55
2."The First Night" (Booker T. Vocal Mix)6:18
3."The First Night" (Booker T. Dub)5:32
4."The First Night" (Jermaine Dupri Remix, featuring R.O.C.)4:09

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Boy Is Mine.[3]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[39] Platinum 1,000,000[11]

See also

References
  1. The Boy Is Mine (Media notes). Monica. Arista Records. 1998.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Vendargon, Alain. "Tamara Savage Co-Writes Top Hits For Monica, Whitney Houston And Shanice". Songwriteruniverse.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  3. The Boy Is Mine (Media notes). Monica. Arista Records. 1998.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. "Monica On The Different Voices Behind "First Night"". mtv.com. June 8, 1998. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. Bromson, Fred (October 3, 1998). "Monica Doubles". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  6. Sandiford-Waller, Theda (October 24, 1998). "Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. "Monica Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  8. "Euro Chart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. October 24, 1998. p. 14. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  9. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  10. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7071." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  11. "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  12. "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  13. "1998 Year End Chart: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  14. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 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. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  15. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  16. "The Best R&B Videos of the '90s". complex.com. November 9, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  17. "Australian-charts.com – Monica – The First Night". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Monica – The First Night" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Monica – The First Night" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  20. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7039." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Monica – The First Night" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Monica – The First Night". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  23. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (1.10–8.10. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). October 2, 1998. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  24. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The First Night". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  26. "Dutchcharts.nl – Monica – The First Night" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  27. "Charts.nz – Monica – The First Night". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  28. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  29. "Monica: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  30. "Monica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  31. "Monica Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  32. "Monica Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  33. "Monica Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  34. "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63 no. 12. December 14, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  35. "Jaarlijsten 1998" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  36. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  37. "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs Of 1998" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 6 no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 45. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  38. "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs Of 1998" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 6 no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 46. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  39. "American single certifications – Monica – The First Night". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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