P. P. Arnold Version
| ""The First Cut Is the Deepest"" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by P. P. Arnold | ||||
| B-side | "Speak to Me" | |||
| Released | May 1967 | |||
| Label | Immediate Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Cat Stevens | |||
| P. P. Arnold singles chronology | ||||
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American expatriate singer P. P. Arnold had the first hit with the song, reaching number 18 on the UK Singles Chart with her version in May 1967, well ahead of the song appearing on Stevens' album. The Arnold hit featured an up-tempo, soulful vocal set against harpsichord, horns, and strings. British psych group The Koobas also covered the song at this time, but Arnold's version overshadowed theirs.
Noted 1960s British filmmaker Peter Lorrimer Whitehead made a primordial music video clip for the song, featuring a non-singing Arnold cavorting on a British beach alongside The Small Faces. Stevens never released his original recording as a single, because he felt Arnold's version was definitive.
This version of the song features prominently in the film Seven Psychopaths.
Read more about this topic: The First Cut Is The Deepest
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