K-Chuck Radio: How many cuts make the first one the deepest?

Yusuf / Cat Stevens wrote a ton of classic tracks in the 1960’s and 1970’s, many of which are still staples on classic radio stations. Right off the bat, let’s name a few. “Peace Train.” “Morning Has Broken.” “Moonshadow.” “Wild World.” “Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard.” Yeah, they’re stuck in your head right now. You’re welcome.

However, I want to focus on one Cat Stevens song that has actually brought success to OTHER artists. And I have all the different versions of it here on today’s blog post.

Let’s start in 1965, when Cat Stevens originally wrote the song “The First Cut Is The Deepest.” Of course, when you’re a new singer-songwriter just trying to break into the business, you might have a tendency to sell off a song you’ve written for some quick cash, and Stevens did just that. Which made American-born British soul singer P.P. Arnold the first person to have a hit with this track, as her version rocketed up the U.K. pop charts.

We now fast-forward to 1971, when British-born Canadian pop singer Keith Hampshire turned his big, thick version of “The First Cut is the Deepest” into a #1 Canadian hit.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the 1977 version by Rod Stewart. His version comes complete with musical orchestration from the Muscle Shoals musical troupe, and this song definitely slaps. Because in this version, Rod Stewart doesn’t go for the big, powerful sound; his version is more reserved. Here’s a rare music video of Rod performing the song.

And if you’re looking for a hip-hop version of the song – because, sure, there’s a hip-hop version of the song – let’s go forward to 1999, because Swedish rapper Papa Dee created one.

And if you thought I might have forgotten Sheryl Crow’s country-acoustic version of “The First Cut Is The Deepest” – no, I didn’t. See?

Thanks for tuning in to today’s K-Chuck Radio playlist. See you next time.

Wait, forgot one.

Of course if I’m going to play all these versions of Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is The Deepest,” shouldn’t I dust off his version as well?

We have to go back to 1967 for this. Because after the P. P. Arnold version topped the charts, Cat Stevens’ version finally saw the light of day on one of his albums. Five years later, in 1972, the song was released as a single in Australia, where it was a minor hit. But at least from here, you can trace the song’s complete recorded popular lineage.