My First Kiss
Encyclopedia
"My First Kiss" is a song recorded by American electronic duo 3OH!3
. The song was written by Lukasz Gottwald, Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte and Benny Blanco
, and was produced by Dr. Luke, and Blanco for their third studio album, Streets of Gold
. Kesha also contributed to the songs writing, although she was not credited, her contribution lead to her being featured on the song. The song was released as the lead single
from Streets of Gold on May 4, 2010. The song's inspiration is about going through your first kiss and exploring further parts of the relationship.
Critical reception of the song has been mixed. Though the song is 3OH!3's song, Kesha's feature on the track was praised by multiple critics for her strong delivery while 3OH!3's performance was met with mixed reviews, some calling them irritating. The song achieved commercial success by reaching the top ten in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States while charting within the top forty it multiple other countries. The song performed greatest in the United States reaching a peak of seven and has gone on to sell over 500,000 copies.
The music video for "My First Kiss" follows a similar theme that is relative to the song's title, "My First Kiss". The dominant scenes of the video feature people kissing in front of multicolored backings with 3OH!3 logo present in much of the scenes. The song has been performed on Regis and Kelly.
"My First Kiss" is an upbeat dominant electropop song that incorporates elements of power pop
. The song features elements of "electro bleeps" and a brief snippets of "beatbox sounds". Present throughout the song, are sounds of kissing noises in between verses. According to sheet music published at Musicnotes, the song is written in common time
with a moderate beat rate of 134 beats per minute
. The song is written in the key
of F Major
and the vocal range in the song spans from the note of E4 to the note of B5. According to Sara D Anderson of AOL Radio
, Kesha plays the role of a boy's first crush "who decides to not let him go past first base: 'She don't wanna give it up / Baby I can get it up / If I had it my way / Hey! I'll make you say.'"
met the song with a negative review. Copsey commended Kesha's work throughout the song calling her "cheeky (and a tad tipsy)". 3OH!3 however, were called "simply irritating". Copsey commented that the song was simply "another shouty electro-hop nugget that's as rowdy and intimidating the school bully after a can of Red Bull" Fraser McAlpine from BBC
was also negative in his review of the song. Like Copsey, McAlpine complimented Kesha's verses in the song noting it was his favorite part of the song, "The best bit is the playground rhyme, and Kesha's slurry delivery beats that of the '3 by MILES. It's probably cos she's flirting and they're shouting." He went on to criticize the song for being too similar to Don't Trust Me
commenting, "There's not a lot in it between this and 'Don't Trust Me', musically or thematically speaking." McAlpine went on the five the song two out of five stars. Also, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #100 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, calling the song an "overly slick power-pop ode to sucking... face."
Bill Lamb of About.com
met the song with a positive review giving the single four out of a possible five stars. Lamb wrote "[though] part of me wants to find this terribly annoying" that hardly matters as "3OH!3 and Kesha
are probably the most gifted artists of the moment performing irresistibly catchy music". His conclusion of the song was, "like it or not, the 3OH!3 boys are back, and it looks like they plan to stay awhile."
on the issue date entitled May 22, 2010 at number nine where the single reached its peak. The song has gone on to sell over 500,000 copies and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). In the same week, "My First Kiss" entered the Canadian Hot 100
at number seven where it also reached its peak. In October 2010 the single was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA) for sales of 80,000 units.
Internationally, "My First Kiss" entered the Australian charts at number twenty-five. After steadily ascending the charts for seven weeks, the single reached a peak of thirteen where it stayed for two weeks. The song was listed on the chart for a total of seventeen weeks and has since received platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for sales of 70,000 units.
In the United Kingdom, the single entered and peaked at number seven on its first week on the chart.
by director, Isaac Ravishankara. The songs music video is relative to the songs theme, kissing. Foreman explained, "[And] the video is a play on kissing in general, and lips, and getting close up to a bunch of lips, and people coming out of mouths and just, like, really cool transitions." The video follows a similar theme that is relative to the songs title, "My First Kiss". It features a lot of people (geriatrics, punks, teachers, sailors, soldiers, lesbians, nerds and hirsute rockers) smooching, kissing, and making out. The video is made up of different scenes all using multi-colored backdrops as the videos dominant backing. The main scenes present are of "3OH!3 bouncing around and throw[ing] punches at the camera" while singing their versus and occasional close-ups of different pairs of lips that are mouthing different lyrics of the song. Kesha is also present throughout the video, mainly on her verses where she is seen in close ups of her lips and dancing around the screen on the chorus.
James Montgomery from MTV News
reviewed the video for "My First Kiss" positively. Montgomery commented on how simple the songs video was but noted that wasn't a negative, he commented, "like pretty much everything 3OH!3 do, there's an undeniable charm to both the song and the video. Perhaps it's the power-tool chorus, or the "ooh-ooh-ooh" vocal harmonies. Maybe it's Kesha's sexy sass. Or maybe I just like watching a whole bunch of people lock lips. The whole thing is a lot of fun. It gets in your head. And hey, it's the summer — school's out, and gleefully stupid is in."
Source
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
. The song was written by Lukasz Gottwald, Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte and Benny Blanco
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Levin , better known as Benny Blanco, is an American songwriter and producer from Reston, Virginia. He first came to the attention of Internet blogosphere producing a collaborative EP with Spank Rock. Working with producer Dr...
, and was produced by Dr. Luke, and Blanco for their third studio album, Streets of Gold
Streets of Gold
Streets of Gold is the third studio album by Colorado electronic duo 3OH!3. This is their second album to be produced by Matt Squire and released on the record label Photo Finish. It was released on June 29, 2010 in the United States and July 19, 2010 in the United Kingdom. The album debuted at...
. Kesha also contributed to the songs writing, although she was not credited, her contribution lead to her being featured on the song. The song was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from Streets of Gold on May 4, 2010. The song's inspiration is about going through your first kiss and exploring further parts of the relationship.
Critical reception of the song has been mixed. Though the song is 3OH!3's song, Kesha's feature on the track was praised by multiple critics for her strong delivery while 3OH!3's performance was met with mixed reviews, some calling them irritating. The song achieved commercial success by reaching the top ten in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States while charting within the top forty it multiple other countries. The song performed greatest in the United States reaching a peak of seven and has gone on to sell over 500,000 copies.
The music video for "My First Kiss" follows a similar theme that is relative to the song's title, "My First Kiss". The dominant scenes of the video feature people kissing in front of multicolored backings with 3OH!3 logo present in much of the scenes. The song has been performed on Regis and Kelly.
Background and composition
"My First Kiss" was written by Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte alongside Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco with vocal editing done by Emily Wright. While being interviewed by MTV, Foreman explained the song inspiration, "The song is about a girl you really like, and the story line of going through your first kiss with a girl to exploring further parts of the relationship." Kesha's is also featured on the song due to writing the songs main verse ("My first kiss went a little like this"). The writing triggered 3OH!3 wanting a girl to sing the verse and ultimately wound up having Kesha do so."My First Kiss" is an upbeat dominant electropop song that incorporates elements of power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
. The song features elements of "electro bleeps" and a brief snippets of "beatbox sounds". Present throughout the song, are sounds of kissing noises in between verses. According to sheet music published at Musicnotes, the song is written in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
with a moderate beat rate of 134 beats per minute
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. The song is written in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of F Major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
and the vocal range in the song spans from the note of E4 to the note of B5. According to Sara D Anderson of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
, Kesha plays the role of a boy's first crush "who decides to not let him go past first base: 'She don't wanna give it up / Baby I can get it up / If I had it my way / Hey! I'll make you say.'"
Critical reception
Robert Copsey of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
met the song with a negative review. Copsey commended Kesha's work throughout the song calling her "cheeky (and a tad tipsy)". 3OH!3 however, were called "simply irritating". Copsey commented that the song was simply "another shouty electro-hop nugget that's as rowdy and intimidating the school bully after a can of Red Bull" Fraser McAlpine from BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
was also negative in his review of the song. Like Copsey, McAlpine complimented Kesha's verses in the song noting it was his favorite part of the song, "The best bit is the playground rhyme, and Kesha's slurry delivery beats that of the '3 by MILES. It's probably cos she's flirting and they're shouting." He went on to criticize the song for being too similar to Don't Trust Me
Don't Trust Me
"Don't Trust Me" is the second single by the band 3OH!3 and the third track from their second album Want....
commenting, "There's not a lot in it between this and 'Don't Trust Me', musically or thematically speaking." McAlpine went on the five the song two out of five stars. Also, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #100 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, calling the song an "overly slick power-pop ode to sucking... face."
Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
met the song with a positive review giving the single four out of a possible five stars. Lamb wrote "[though] part of me wants to find this terribly annoying" that hardly matters as "3OH!3 and Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
are probably the most gifted artists of the moment performing irresistibly catchy music". His conclusion of the song was, "like it or not, the 3OH!3 boys are back, and it looks like they plan to stay awhile."
Commercial reception
In the United States, "My First Kiss" entered the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on the issue date entitled May 22, 2010 at number nine where the single reached its peak. The song has gone on to sell over 500,000 copies and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). In the same week, "My First Kiss" entered the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
at number seven where it also reached its peak. In October 2010 the single was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA) for sales of 80,000 units.
Internationally, "My First Kiss" entered the Australian charts at number twenty-five. After steadily ascending the charts for seven weeks, the single reached a peak of thirteen where it stayed for two weeks. The song was listed on the chart for a total of seventeen weeks and has since received platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for sales of 70,000 units.
In the United Kingdom, the single entered and peaked at number seven on its first week on the chart.
Music video
The music video for "My First Kiss" was filmed in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
by director, Isaac Ravishankara. The songs music video is relative to the songs theme, kissing. Foreman explained, "[And] the video is a play on kissing in general, and lips, and getting close up to a bunch of lips, and people coming out of mouths and just, like, really cool transitions." The video follows a similar theme that is relative to the songs title, "My First Kiss". It features a lot of people (geriatrics, punks, teachers, sailors, soldiers, lesbians, nerds and hirsute rockers) smooching, kissing, and making out. The video is made up of different scenes all using multi-colored backdrops as the videos dominant backing. The main scenes present are of "3OH!3 bouncing around and throw[ing] punches at the camera" while singing their versus and occasional close-ups of different pairs of lips that are mouthing different lyrics of the song. Kesha is also present throughout the video, mainly on her verses where she is seen in close ups of her lips and dancing around the screen on the chorus.
James Montgomery from MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
reviewed the video for "My First Kiss" positively. Montgomery commented on how simple the songs video was but noted that wasn't a negative, he commented, "like pretty much everything 3OH!3 do, there's an undeniable charm to both the song and the video. Perhaps it's the power-tool chorus, or the "ooh-ooh-ooh" vocal harmonies. Maybe it's Kesha's sexy sass. Or maybe I just like watching a whole bunch of people lock lips. The whole thing is a lot of fun. It gets in your head. And hey, it's the summer — school's out, and gleefully stupid is in."
Track listing
- Digital Download
- "My First Kiss" (Feat. Kesha) – 3:12
- My First Kiss (Remix) – EP
- "My First Kiss" (Gucci Mane Remix) (Feat. Kesha) – 3:12
- "My First Kiss" (Chuckie Extended Version) (Feat. Kesha) – 7:34
- "My First Kiss" (Innerpartysystem Remix) (Feat. Kesha) – 5:07
- "My First Kiss" (Feat. Kesha) (Video) – 3:20
- UK My First Kiss – EP
- "My First Kiss" (Feat. Kesha) – 3:12
- "My First Kiss" (Chuckie Remix) (Feat. Kesha) – 3:39
- "My First Kiss" (Chuckie Extended Version) (Feat. Kesha) – 7:34
- "My First Kiss" (Innerpartysystem Remix) (Feat. Kesha) – 5:07
- "My First Kiss" (DJ Skeet Skeet Remix) – 4:42
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting – Dr. Luke, Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte and Benny Blanco
- Production – Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco
- Engineering – Emily Wright, Sam Holland and Benny Blanco
- Instruments and programming – Dr. Luke, Nathaniel Motte and Benny Blanco
- Additional vocals – Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco
- Vocal Editing – Emily Wright
Source
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 76 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
74 |
| UK Singles Chart | 128 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
73 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | May 4, 2010 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Canada | ||
| New Zealand | ||
| Norway | ||
| Ireland | July 1, 2010 | |
| United Kingdom |