"First Man" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released by Epic Records and Syco on June 18, 2020, as the seventh and final single from the album.[1] It was written by Cabello alongside Amy Wadge and Jordan Reynolds, with the latter producing it with Finneas. An official music video for "First Man" was released the previous day, in celebration of Father's Day. It features clips from Cabello's childhood with many of the footage containing videos of her and her father.
| "First Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Camila Cabello | ||||
| from the album Romance | ||||
| Released | June 18, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | November 2018 | |||
| Studio | Jordan's House (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:49 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Camila Cabello singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "First Man" on YouTube | ||||
"First Man" peaked at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100, following Cabello's live performance of the song at the 62nd Grammy Awards. Musically, "First Man" is a pop rock piano ballad. Lyrically, the song is about Cabello's relationship with her father while she is in a romantic relationship with a "good guy".
Background and composition
edit"First Man" was confirmed with the album's track list on November 29, 2019.[2]
It was written by Camila Cabello, Jordan Reynolds and Amy Wadge. It runs for three minutes and forty-nine seconds.[3] "First Man" is a pop-rock piano ballad. Cabello wrote the song about her relationship with her father while she is in a romantic relationship with a "good guy."[4][5][6] In terms of music notation, "First Man" was composed using 4
4 common time in the key of G Major, with a tempo of 100 beats per minute.[7] Cabello's vocal range spans from the low note D3 to the high note of D5, giving the song two octaves of range.[7] The tempo has a passionate feel.[7]
Music video
editThe official music video for the song was released on Cabello's YouTube channel on June 21, 2020, in celebration of Father's Day.[citation needed]
The video features clips from Cabello's childhood with many of the footage containing videos of her and her father. Cabello watches the footage on a television while singing to her dad. In the description Cabello dedicated the video to her father.[8][9]
Live performances
editOn November 2, 2019, Camila performed the song on New Music Daily Presents: Camila Cabello, a special live show from New Music Daily of Apple Music in the heart of Los Angeles celebrating the release of her album Romance.[10] Cabello performed "First Man" at the 62nd Grammy Awards ceremony that took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.[11]
Commercial performance
editJust one day after the Grammy awards ceremony, sales of "First Man" had already increased by over 68,000%, and that rose to over 81,000% a day later. In those two days, the track sold over 11,000 copies. The cut was also the fourth-most-streamed song the day after the Grammys. The track racked up 1.4 million streams in the 24 hours following an increase of 890%.[12] In the US, "First Man" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cabello's 16th career entry. In New Zealand the song peaked at number 34 on the Hot Singles chart.[13]
Track listings
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "First Man" | 3:48 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "First Man" (Live) | 3:56 |
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from the liner notes of Romance.[15]
Publishing
- Published by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI) o/b/o Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) LTD/Maidmetal Limited (PRS)/Milamoon Songs (BMI) / WC Music Corp. o/b/o itself. Buckeye25 (ASCAP) and Jreynmusic (ASCAP) / WC Music Corp. (ASCAP) o/b/o itself. Cookie Jar Music LLP (ASCAP) and Warner Chappell Music Ltd.
Recording
- Recorded by Jordan Reynolds at Jordan's House, Nashville, Tennessee
- Mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Mastered at the Mastering Palace, New York City, New York
Personnel
- Camila Cabello – lead vocals, songwriting
- Jordan Reynolds – production, songwriting
- Finneas – production
- Amy Wadge – songwriting
- John Hanes – engineering
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Dave Kutch – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[16] | 15 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[13] | 34 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[17] | 94 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[18] | 6 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | December 6, 2019 | Original | |||
| December 20, 2019 | Live | ||||
| United States | June 18, 2020 | Original | [19] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Sources concerning the single release of "First Man":
- Romack, Coco (June 22, 2020). "Camila Cabello Was the Cutest Googly-Eyed Baby, Her Emotional 'First Man' Video Shows". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- Carr, Debbie (June 22, 2020). "Camila Cabello shares emotional 'First Man' video". NME. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- Zipper, Marni (June 22, 2020). "Camila Cabello Revisits Childhood Memories With Emotional 'First Man' Video". Radio.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "December 6. Welcome to the world of #Romance ❤️". Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c Camila Cabello (December 6, 2019). "First Man by Camilla Cabello on Apple Music". Epic Records. US: Apple Music. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "CAMILA CABELLO, ROMANCE ALBUM REVIEW 💿". TheMusicHype. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Camila Cabello's new album Romance: First listen preview". UK Official Singles. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Camila Cabello – 'Romance' review: earth-shattering pop tunes and tentative ballads". NME. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Camila Cabello "First Man" Sheet Music in G Major". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ Iasimone, Ashley (June 21, 2020). "Camila Cabello Dedicates 'First Man' Video to Her Dad on Father's Day: 'Te Amo Mucho Papa'". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ Carr, Debbie (June 21, 2020). "Camila Cabello shares emotional 'First Man' video". NME. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "New Music Daily Presents: Camila Cabello (First Man)". Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Camila Cabello - First Man (LIVE at the 62nd GRAMMYs)". YouTube. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Camila Cabello's 'First Man' Jumped 81,000% In Sales After The Grammys—Should It Be Her Next Single?". Forbes. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 4, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Camila Cabello (December 20, 2019). "First Man (Live) by Camila Cabello on Apple Music". Epic Records. US: Apple Music. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Romance (liner notes). Camila Cabello. US: Epic Records / Syco Music. 2019. p. 17, 20. 19439727082.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Canadian Digital Song Sales (week 08/02/2020)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Top 40/M Cool New Music". All Access Music Group. Retrieved 10 March 2022. Type Camila Cabello in the Search field.