performing on Dutch TV in 1966
Cat Stevens made a
demo recording of "The First Cut Is the Deepest" in 1965, while hoping to become a songwriter. He wrote the song to promote his songs to other artists, but did not record his own performance until early October 1967 with guitarist
Big Jim Sullivan, and it did not appear until his second album,
New Masters, was released on 15 December 1967. The year he wrote the song, he sold it for () to
P. P. Arnold, who recorded it a year later for her album
The First Lady of Immediate, becoming a huge hit for her in early 1967. Over decades, it also became an international hit for
Keith Hampshire,
Rod Stewart, and
Sheryl Crow. The song has won Stevens songwriting awards, including two consecutive
ASCAP songwriting awards for Songwriter of the Year in 2005 and 2006. Stevens's version was not released as a single until 1972 when it was released as an
Australia-only single in promotion of Stevens' 1970 compilation album
The World of Cat Stevens.
Personnel •
Cat Stevens – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano •
Big Jim Sullivan – electric guitar •
Herbie Flowers – bass guitar • Chris Hunt – drums
Certifications ==P. P. Arnold version==