You have likely been singing Sheryl Crow‘s “The First Cut Is the Deepest” for more than two decades now, as the song became a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart, the Adult Top 40 chart and the Triple A chart back in 2003.
Who Wrote “The First Cut Is the Deepest”?
But did you know that Crow’s version was not the original version?
In fact, Cat Stevens wrote “The First Cut Is the Deepest” in the ’60s, and there have been six recorded versions of the song over the decades.
Who Has Recorded ‘The First Cut Is the Deepest’?
Although Crow’s version was by far the biggest charting version of the now more than 60-year-old song, P. P. Arnold previously recorded it for her album The First Lady of Immediate in April 1967.
Cat Stevens himself didn’t record the song until December of 1967.
He had originally written it for another artist when he was only 17 years old and sold the song for around $40 dollars at the time, according to Medium.
After that, Keith Hampshire recorded the song in 1973 and got it to No. 1 on the Canadian charts, but only No. 70 in the United States.
Rod Stewart then took the song to No. 1 in the U.K., also peaking at No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1976.
Papa Dee made it into a 1995 reggae version that peaked at No. 5 in Sweden, No. 9 in Denmark and Norway, No. 20 in Austria and No. 38 in Iceland.
Crow had the most commercial success with “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” which is why we only really hear her version on the radio anymore.
Crow took the song to No. 1 on three different U.S. charts and made it a staple on playlists.
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Crow’s version was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, as well.
Check out all six different versions of the song above. Each version is truly different than the other.
Which one is your favorite?
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
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