First

Album: Hold My Home (2014)
Charted: 105
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Asked about the song's meaning by Radio.com, Cold War Kids frontman Nathan Willet replied: "I think it's got something in common with probably a large number of Cold War Kids songs, kind of overcoming some doubt. There's a story there where there's like somebody just kind of burning out and needs to get their life back together."

    "There are some very clear things in there; it's just the idea of like waking up in somebody's front lawn with the sprinklers turning on and not knowing where you are."
  • This was released as the second single off Hold My Home but it nearly didn't make it onto the album. Willet explained: "It was literally just the last, last, last song for the record where we were thinking it was just maybe a B-side or something, and we thought, 'Okay, we'll finish this one.' And the minute that we were sending these songs in to the label and management and said, 'Okay, these are all done,' and people freaked out the minute they heard that song. And we were shocked. And they were like, 'This is gonna be a great single,' and we were like, 'Wow, okay. So we'll put it on the record, we won't just let it be a B-side.'"
  • The song lived up to its title, by becoming Cold War Kids' first ever #1 when it topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. It spent seven weeks at the summit.
  • According to data from Broadcast Data Systems, "First" was the most-played song of the 2010s on Alternative radio. It determined the song's 214,342 spins was the most of any song on the format over the decade.

Comments: 3

  • A Recovering Alcoholic, Seeking Meaning from MinnesotaThis song changed my life.
  • Moosehead from Scstrong song. still love it
  • Alden Williams from New Jersey Excellent song by some underrated dudes. The kind of vocals that sort of just ooz emotion even when you’re not exactly sure what to feel. I guess I’ve always seen it as an edgy look into the long and confusing rebuilding of your own humanity a lot of people hit after being hurt. And the reflection that comes with it. Whether by a relationship or childhood or something else, the hurt always comes first. The song luckily has hope we can always still choose after the fact who we want to be.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."