My First Night with You
"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. 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. 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. In 1998, American singer Mýa covered it for her self-titled debut, with producer Daryl Simmons replacing Edmonds. The song is in the key of ab major, while it's 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. 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. 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." 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." In a retrospective review of parent album Mýa, her colleague Preezy Brown described the song as "an impassioned ballad." Accolades Chart performance "My First Night with You" was released as the third single