For the First Time (The Script song)

"For the First Time"
Single by The Script
from the album Science & Faith
Released	20 August 2010[1]
Format	CD single, digital download
Recorded	2010
Genre	Pop rock
Length	4:11
Label	Epic, Phonogenic
Writer(s)	Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan
Producer(s)	Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan, Andrew Frampton
The Script singles chronology
"Before the Worst" (2009) "For the First Time" (2010) "Nothing" (2010)

"For the First Time" is a song by Irish pop rock band The Script. Written by band members Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan, the song was released on 20 August 2010 as the lead single from the band's second studio album Science & Faith. It debuted at number one on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming The Script's first number-one single.^[2] The Wanted covered this song live on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge and used that version in their EP Lose My Mind

Background

Danny O'Donoghue told the story behind the song in an interview with Merrick, Dools & Ricki-Lee on Sydney radio station Nova 96.9. Said O'Donoghue: "The song 'For the First Time' was about a time when we got back after touring around the world. We wanted to press palms with the people who had really gotten us there, and we got home and realised there's a stark reality out there, the recession, people are losing their jobs and their valuable things, and we thought, it almost pales in comparison to your news. We started the song, and it ended up being a bit bleak and we felt we really needed a great message in these, to turn it around... so we needed a message of hope, as people are being stripped of all these things they're realizing what's really important. It's all about going back to basics: drinking cheap wine, eating your dinner off the floor. That's when you meet each other for the first time, when you have nothing."

The song was sampled by the band for the track Good Ol' Days off their third studio album 3 (2012). The song was also sampled by rapper Machine Gun Kelly, or MGK, for his track "Her Song" off of the "EST 4 Life" (2012) mixtape.

Music video

The music video features band members of The Script within a studio and clips of a couple who have emigrated from Ireland to New York City. The characters in the music video are played by Eve Hewson, daughter of U2's Bono, and Luke Treadaway.^[3][4] The video was inspired by O. Henry's short story The Gift of the Magi.

Chart performance

"For the First Time" debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number one on 10 September 2010, knocking Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" from the top spot. This marks the band's first number-one single and third top-ten hit in Ireland. On its second week on the chart, the single remained at the top spot. The single debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart before moving up to number four the following week. In Australia, "For the First Time" debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. It reached number four on the US Billboard Adult Top 40 chart and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is their third song that has hit both of these charts. The song was certified Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA, meaning the song has been downloaded 500,000 times. As of June 2011, the song was sold 1,000,000 times in the United States.^[5]

Track listing

• CD single^[6]

1. "For The First Time" – 4:11
2. "Breakeven" (Live At Shepherd's Bush Empire) – 4:30

• Digital download^[7]

1. "For The First Time" – 4:11
2. "For The First Time" (Music Video) – 4:41

Personnel

• Songwriting and production – Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan
• Additional production, additional keyboards and guitars – Andrew Frampton
• Drums, guitars, keyboards and vocals – The Script
• Bass – Ben Sargeant

Source:^[8]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2010–11) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 12 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[10] 2 Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[11] 23 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 30 Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 39 European Hot 100 Singles[14] 11 Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 83 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[16] 29 Ireland (IRMA)[2] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 14 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 20 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[19] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 37 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[22] 23 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[23] 5 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[24] 4 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[25] 11

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[26] Platinum 70,000^^ United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,489,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 400,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position Australian Singles Chart[29] 71 Chart (2011) Position US Billboard Hot 100[30] 66

See also

• List of number-one singles of 2010 (Ireland)

References

1. "For the First Time – Single by The Script – Download For the First Time – Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
2. "Chart Track: Week 36, 2010". Irish Singles Chart.
3. "Singer Bono | Eve Hewson | The Strips | Latest Music Video | Sean Penn – Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. 2010-09-03. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
4. "Bono's daughter stars in Script video – RTÉ Ten". Rte.ie. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
5. Grein, Paul (2011-06-29). "Week Ending June 26, 2011. Songs: A Twist At The Voice | Chart Watch – Archives – Yahoo! Music". New.music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
6. http://www.amazon.co.uk/For-First-Time-Script/dp/B003YE3XPS/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1333954525&sr=1-3
7. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/for-the-first-time-single/id389112012
8. Science & Faith (Liner Notes). The Script. RCA, Sony Music. 2010.
9. "Australian-charts.com – The Script – For The First Time". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
10. "Ultratop.be – The Script – For The First Time" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
11. "Ultratop.be – The Script – For The First Time" (in French). Ultratip.
12. "The Script – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for The Script.
13. "Danishcharts.com – The Script – For The First Time". Tracklisten.
14. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/european-hot-100?tag=relcharts
15. "Musicline.de – Script,The Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
16. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Script – For The First Time" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
18. "Charts.org.nz – The Script – For The First Time". Top 40 Singles.
19. "Archive Chart: 2010-09-18". Scottish Singles Top 40.
20. "Swisscharts.com – The Script – For The First Time". Swiss Singles Chart.
21. "Archive Chart: 2010-09-18" UK Singles Chart.
22. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Script. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
23. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for The Script. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
24. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for The Script. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
25. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for The Script.
26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
27. "American single certifications – The Script – For the First Time". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
28. "British single certifications – The Script – For the First Time". British Phonographic Industry. Enter For the First Time in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
29. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
30. "Best of 2011: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-09.