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]
Recorded	2010
Genre	Pop rock[2]
Length	4:11
Label	Epic Phonogenic
Songwriter(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.^[3] 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 on the track "Good Ol' Days" from 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

Eve Hewson appears in the 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.^[4][5] 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.^[6]

Track listing

• CD single^[7]

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

• Digital download^[8]

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^[9]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010–2011) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 12 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[11] 2 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[12] 23 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 30 Canada AC (Billboard)[14] 9 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[15] 28 Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[16] 20 Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 39 European Hot 100 Singles[18] 11 Germany (GfK)[19] 83 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[20] 29 Ireland (IRMA)[3] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 14 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 20 Scotland (OCC)[23] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 37 UK Singles (OCC)[25] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[26] 23 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[27] 5 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[28] 4 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[29] 11

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position Australia (ARIA)[30] 71 UK Singles (OCC)[31] 71 Chart (2011) Position US Billboard Hot 100[32] 66 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[33] 10 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[34] 4 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[35] 50 Chart (2012) Position US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[36] 38

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[37]	2× Platinum	140,000^‡
Italy (FIMI)[38]	Gold	25,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[39]	Platinum	600,000^‡
United States (RIAA)[40]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
2. Kellogg, Kristi (14 February 2017). "The 117 Best Breakup Songs for the Newly Single". Teen Vogue.
3. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – For The First Time". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
4. "Singer Bono | Eve Hewson | The Strips | Latest Music Video | Sean Penn – Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
5. "Bono's daughter stars in Script video – RTÉ Ten". Rte.ie. 2 September 2010. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
6. Grein, Paul (29 June 2011). "Week Ending June 26, 2011. Songs: A Twist At The Voice | Chart Watch – Archives – Yahoo! Music". New.music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
7. "For the First Time". Amazon UK.
8. "ITunes - Music - for the First Time - Single by the Script". iTunes. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
9. Science & Faith (Liner Notes). The Script. RCA, Sony Music. 2010.
10. "The Script – For The First Time". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "The Script – For The First Time" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
12. "The Script – For The First Time" (in French). Ultratip.
13. "The Script Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
14. "The Script Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
15. "The Script Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
16. "The Script Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
17. "The Script – For The First Time". Tracklisten.
18. "Billboard". Billboard.
19. "Script,The – For The First Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
20. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
21. "The Script – For The First Time" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
22. "The Script – For The First Time". Top 40 Singles.
23. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
24. "The Script – For The First Time". Swiss Singles Chart.
25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
26. "The Script Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
27. "The Script Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
28. "The Script Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
29. "The Script Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
30. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
31. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
32. "Best of 2011: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
33. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
34. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
35. "Pop Songs - Year End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
36. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
37. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
38. "Italian single certifications – The Script – For the First Time" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 16 December 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "For the First Time" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
39. "British single certifications – Script – For the First Time". British Phonographic Industry.
40. "American single certifications – The Script – For the First Time". Recording Industry Association of America.