"The First Time" is a song written and performed by British recording artist

Matt Fishel Matt Fishel is a British singer, songwriter, music producer and record label owner. He plays guitar, piano, bass and keyboards. He grew up in Nottingham in the East Midlands in the late 1990s, going on to study Music and Performing Arts at Paul ...

. The song was released as a single on 7 November 2011"iTunes-Music-Matt Fishel-The First Time-Single"
Retrieved on 25 November 2013. and appears on Fishel's 2013 debut album '' Not Thinking Straight''."iTunes-Music-Matt Fishel-Not-Thinking-Straight"
Retrieved on 25 November 2013.

Release and lyrics

"The First Time" was released on 7 November 2011 as Matt Fishel's second single, taken from his debut album '' Not Thinking Straight''. The single was released worldwide on Fishel's own record label Young Lust Records as a three-track digital download. Fishel is openly gayFeature
"Matt Fishel is Not Thinking Straight"
''RightOut TV'',

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. and the lyrics of "The First Time" deal with sexual awakenings and his first experience with another boy."The First Time Official Lyrics"
10 November 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. In an interview with Jon Roth of Out magazine, Fishel said of the song: "The first time I kissed another boy was an amazing, life-changing moment for me. I can remember the day it happened really vividly and I

anted Anted is the name of the coins issued by Antedios Antedios or Anted
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to write a song about all those feelings of warmth and nostalgia that come from that first special moment."Roth, Jon
"Matt Fishel's First Time"
''

Out Magazine ''Out'' is an American LGBTQ news, fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any LGBTQ monthly publication in the United States. It presents itself in an editorial manner similar to ''Details'', ''Esquire'', ...

'', USA, 16 December 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013.

Matt Pop remixes

The single release of "The First Time" includes two club remixes by

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

remixer/producer Matt Pop. The 'Matt Pop '80s Club Mix' and 'Matt Pop '80s Radio Edit' of "The First Time" are both musical reworkings of the song, incorporating Matt Pop's signature 1980s

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

throwback

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

sound."Various Artists: We Love Matt Pop: 3 Disc Set Including the Limited Edition 12" Mixes"

Almighty Records Almighty Records is an English electronic dance music record label established in 1989. Almighty Records specialises in pop song remixes, dance-pop, and hi-NRG. The label's record producers, Almighty Associates, have remixed such performers as ...

. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. The 'Matt Pop '80s Club Mix' of the song also appears as the first track on Almighty Records' 2013 3-disc

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''We Love Matt Pop'', released in May 2013 on both CD and digital download.

Music video and artwork

An official music video for "The First Time" was released on Fishel's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel on 30 October 2011.. 30 October 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. The video was shot in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Vives, Mélanie
"Vidéo: La romance gay de deux ados dans le dernier clip de Matt Fishel"
''

Têtu ( French for "stubborn") is the main LGBTQIA magazine published in France. It was subtitled in French ( en, the magazine of gays and lesbians) until 2007, and reaffirmed itself as a men's magazine since then. As of December, 2012, its certifie ...

'',

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, 20 November 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. and is directed by Argentinian movie director

Alexis Dos Santos Alexis Dos Santos (born 1974) is an Argentine film director and producer, screenwriter and editor. He has also shot a number of short and directed music videos. He is considered part of the New Queer Cinema movement. Dos Santos studied in Buenos A ...

(''

Glue Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...

'', '' Unmade Beds'', ''Random Strangers''). The video was filmed on location in Argentina and tells the story of the first kiss between two teenage boys. The boys are played by Argentinian actors Juan Gabriel Miño and Ronan Nuñez. Fishel does not appear in the video in person, but his image is displayed on one of the boys' T-shirts. The artwork for the single release is an image taken from the music video, in which the two male characters are lying side by side on a beach. Fishel's image can be seen on the T-shirt of one of the boys.

Critical reception

Reviews for "The First Time" and its accompanying video were positive. British actor and celebrity Tweeter

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

described "The First Time" as "gloriously gay, sweetly romantic, wonderfully touching music and video".Fry, Stephen
"Stephen Fry Twitter"
''

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

'', 11 November 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013."Stephen Fry-approved gay love songs"
''

Star Observer The ''Star Observer'' is a free monthly magazine and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in Australia. Since 20 June 2019 the ''Star Observer'' is owned by media company Out Publicatio ...

'',

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, 02 December 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. Instinct Magazine called it "one of the most adorable music videos we've seen in a long time" and

's Jon Roth referred to the song as "an empowering soundtrack" and "A music video that will make you want to be a teenager all over again".Roth, Jon
"Matt Fishel's First Time"
''

'', USA, 10 November 2011. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. The ''

Sydney Star Observer The ''Star Observer'' is a free monthly magazine and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in Australia. Since 20 June 2019 the ''Star Observer'' is owned by media company Out Publicatio ...

'' called the video "stunning".

Awards and nominations

The music video for "The First Time" was nominated for the Best Video (Pro) and Best Pop / Rock / Adult Contemporary Video awards at the 2012 RightOut TV Music & Video Awards."RightOutTV Music & Video Awards Winners"
''RightOut TV Awards'', Canada, 21 April 2013. Retrieved on 25 November 2013.

Festivals

In June 2012, the music video for "The First Time" was screened at the 26th Festival Mix Milano LGBT Festival"Ventiseiesimo Festival Mix Milano"
Retrieved on 25 November 2013. in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

as part of the 'Can't Stop The Music' programme."26 Festival Mix Milano - 'Can't Stop The Music'"
Retrieved on 25 November 2013.

Studio personnel

According to the album sleeve notes, "The First Time" was written and arranged by

, produced and engineered by Fishel and

Mark Crew Mark Crew (born 21 February 1985) is a songwriter, record producer, and mix engineer based in London, known for his work with Bastille, Rag'n'Bone Man, and the Wombats. Production and songwriting Crew produced the albums '' Bad Blood'' (UK #1 ...

at both Superfishel Studios and Unit 24,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

UK and mixed by Mark Crew. Fishel performs all lead and background vocals, piano, guitar, synths and programming on the song, with additional guitars and bass by Jonas Jalhay and additional programming by Mark Crew.

Track listing

* Digital download #"The First Time" – 3:15 #"The First Time (Matt Pop '80s Radio Edit)" – 3:49 #"The First Time (Matt Pop '80s Club Mix)" – 6:17

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:First Time (Matt Fishel Song), The 2011 singles 2011 songs LGBT-related songs Matt Fishel songs Songs written by Matt Fishel