My First Night with You

"My First Night with You"
Single by Mýa
from the album Mýa
Released	February 16, 1999
Studio	Silent Sounds Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	Pop[1] R&B[1]
Length	5:38 (album version)
Label	Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Babyface Diane Warren
Producer(s)	Daryl Simmons Ric Wake
Mýa singles chronology
"Somebody Like Me" (1999) "My First Night with You" (1999) "The Best of Me" (2000)
Music video
"My First Night with You" on YouTube

"My First Night with You" is a song written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by Canadian singer Deborah Cox for her self-titled debut studio album (1995). In 1998, American singer Mýa covered the song for her self-titled debut studio album, serving as the album's third and final single. The album version was produced by Daryl Simmons, allowing Mýa to put her own spin on the record, while the Ric Wake pop-produced version was marketed at pop and adult contemporary radio. The lyrics of the ballad speak of a non-sexual experience with a man.^[2]

The song received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, some of whom were divided over Mýa's vocal performance. "My First Night with You" peaked at number 28 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The song's accompanying music video was directed by G. Thomas Ferguson and University Music CEO Haqq Islam and features appearances by actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and rapper Saafir who portray Mýa's father and boyfriend, respectively.

Composition

"My First Night with You" was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Diane Warren.^[3] The song was originally produced by Edmonds and recorded by Canadian singer Deborah Cox for her self-titled debut studio album, released by Arista Records in 1995.^[4] In 1998, American singer Mýa covered it for her self-titled debut,^[5] with producer Daryl Simmons replacing Edmonds.^[3]

The song is in the key of ab major, while its tempo is set at a moderate slow beat at 80 beats per minute in common time. Harrison's vocal range span from an Eb₃ to Eb₅.^[6] The lyrics of "My First Night with You" are composed in the traditional verse-chorus form. Mýa opens the song with the first verse, followed by the chorus leading her into the second verse. The song continues to the bridge, chorus, then fades out until its run time.^[6]

Critical reception

In its 1999 review, Billboard magazine gave the song a positive review, writing, "It's hard to go wrong at pop radio these days with either Diane Warren or Babyface on your side, and here the two ably join forces for a gentle love ballad about that unforgettable first night together [...] Mya's voice is not the most robust around and this song perhaps makes that clearer than before but "My First Night With You" totally works that Backstreet Boys-ballad vibe that's so hot right now. For that reason and in light of the song's universal lyric about the first touch of love, it's quite likely that the song could continue this budding artist's hot streak, even crossing her over to AC."^[1] Ayana D. Bird from Vibe called "My First Night with You" a "beautifully arranged Babyface-penned tune [that] is perfect by her sweet (but never fragile) soprano, reminiscent of Faith's."^[7] In a retrospective review of parent album Mýa, her colleague Preezy Brown described the song as "an impassioned ballad."^[5]

Accolades

Chart performance

"My First Night with You" was released as the third single from Mýa in 1999. In the United States, it debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated week of March 20, 1999.^[9] It ascended from 90 to 66 in its second week in the issue dated week of March 27, 1999.^[10] The song reached its peak at number twenty-eight in the issue dated week of April 17, 1999 ascending 46–28.^[11] It spent a total of 14 consecutive weeks on the chart and Mýa's second single with a short life span on the Hot 100 behind "Fallen" (2003) with 12 consecutive weeks. It performed equally on the Hot R&B Singles chart. The song made its debut at number eighty-nine in the week of March 13, 1999.^[12] It rose from 85 to 35 in its second week on the chart, in the week of March 20, 1999.^[13] It spent 19 consecutive weeks on the chart. "My First Night with You" reached its peak at number twenty-eight in the week of April 17, 1999. It became Mýa's third consecutive Top 40 (solo), fifth overall hit on both charts.

Music video

A music video for "My First Night with You" was directed by G. Thomas Ferguson and University Music CEO Haqq Islam and produced by Geronimo Film Productions.^[14] It was filmed in March 1999 and includes appearances by actors Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Kathleen Bradley, who portray Mýa's parents, as well as rapper Saafir.^[15] In the video, Mýa tries to convince her father that her date is a good guy before they head out for a big night on the town. The whirlwind evening concludes with Mýa and her beau falling asleep on a beach.^[15]

Track listings

Notes

• ^{^[A]} denotes remix producer

Credits and personnel

Credits lifted from the liner notes of Mýa.^[3]

Recording

• Recorded at Silent Sound Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Mixed at Brandon's Way Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)

Personnel

Charts

Release history

References