Along with his work in Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker recorded one studio album, entitled Back to Then, on Hidden Beach Recordings in 2002. In 2008, he signed to Capitol Nashville and charted his first solo single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", the first single from his first country album Learn to Live. Rucker has been a member of Hootie & the Blowfish since their original formation in 1989. He met fellow band members, Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber, while attending the University of South Carolina.
In 2001, he made his solo R&B debut album The Return of Mongo Slade for Atlantic Records. Because of contractual changes, it was never released by the label. Hidden Beach Recordings, an independent label, acquired the masters from Atlantic, releasing the album as Back to Then in July 2002. Rucker also portrayed a singing cowboy in a television commercial for the fast food chain Burger King, promoting their TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich in 2005; in the commercial, he sang a parody of "Big Rock Candy Mountain".
In early 2008, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as the beginning of a career in country music. His first country single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (which he co-wrote with Clay Mills) debuted at #51 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs charts for the week of May 3, 2008, and it served as the lead-off single to an upcoming album for Capitol, Learn to Live.
For this album, Rucker worked with Frank Rogers, a record producer who has also produced for Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins. Rucker also made his Grand Ole Opry debut in July 2008. The single reached number one in September,[24] making Rucker the first solo, African-American artist to chart a number one country hit since Pride's "Night Games" in 1983.
Rucker sings to a crowd during an Operation Pacific Greetings tour concert. Learn to Live was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 6, 2009 and received a platinum certification on August 7, 2009. The album's second single, "It Won't Be Like This for Long", spent three weeks at the top of the country chart in mid-2009. Its follow-up, "Alright", became Rucker's third straight number one hit, making him the first singer to have his first three country singles reach number one since Wynonna in 1992. The album's fourth single, "History in the Making" was released in September and peaked at number three. The singles also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 35, 36, 30, and 61.
Rucker's entry into the country world was met with some intrigue, largely because of his history as a rock musician and because he is African-American. Billboard magazine said that "there's a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family, rather than calculating interloper." Rucker made visits to various country stations around the US, explaining that he was aware that he was the "new kid on the block." Mike Culotta, the program director of the Tampa, Florida radio station WQYK-FM expected that Rucker would be "somebody who would have entitlement," but instead said that "Darius engaged everybody." When Rucker found that "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" went to number one, he cried. On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Association New Artist of the Year award (formerly known as the Horizon Award), making him the first African American to do so since the award was introduced in 1981. Only one other African American has won at the CMAs: Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971 and 1972.
Rucker released his second country album, titled Charleston, SC 1966, on October 12, 2010. The title is inspired by Radney Foster's solo debut album, Del Rio, TX 1959. Its first single was "Come Back Song," which Rucker wrote with Chris Stapleton and Casey Beathard. It was his fourth country number one as well as a number 37 hit on the Hot 100. The album's second single was "This", which was released to radio in November 2010 and also reached number one in the country chart. Rucker wrote it with Rogers and Kara DioGuardi. "I Got Nothin'" was the album's third single, peaking at number 18. Also included on the album is a duet with Brad Paisley titled "I Don't Care". Charleston, SC 1966 received a gold certification.
On December 14, 2011, CBSnews.com reported that Rucker was working on a third country album with recording set to begin January 2012 followed by the release of the album early in the year. The album's lead-off single, "True Believers", made its chart debut in September. On October 12, 2012, Rucker told Broadway's Electric Barnyard that his album would also be titled True Believers. "True Believers" peaked at number 18. Its second single is a cover of Bob Dylan's "Wagon Wheel" (previously made famous by Old Crow Medicine Show), featuring backing vocals from Lady Antebellum. "Wagon Wheel" reached number one on the Country Airplay chart in May 2013. True Believers was released on May 21, 2013. The album's third single, "Radio", was released to country radio on July 22, 2013. The album's fourth single, "Miss You", was released to country radio on February 3, 2014.
On October 2, 2012, Darius Rucker was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. Halfway through his set at the Opry that night he answered questions from the audience which included a question from Brad Paisley. Paisley said: "I have two questions. One, are you still the worst poker player in the world? And two, would you like to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry?" Rucker accepted, and it became official on October 16.
Rucker was a featured performer at the C2C: Country to Country festival in London on March 17, 2013. On News Years Day, January 1, 2013 he sang the National Anthem at the Outback Bowl in Tampa Florida. On May 11, 2013, Rucker was the speaker at the commencement ceremony for the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Before his speech, he received an honorary Doctorate of Music degree. Rucker also sang the national anthem at the NBA finals on June 16, 2013.
On December 6, 2013, it was announced that Rucker's version of Wagon Wheel had earned him a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. At the awards ceremony on January 26, 2014, Rucker won, becoming only the third African American recording act (the first being Charley Pride, the second being The Pointer Sisters) to win a vocal performance Grammy Award in a country music category.
On August 25, 2014, Rucker released a brand new single titled "Homegrown Honey" to country radio and to digital retailers. It serves as the lead single to his fourth country studio album, Southern Style, to be released on March 31, 2015. On September 15, 2014, it was announced that Rucker had completed his first Christmas album and that it would be released on October 27, 2014. Included is a collaboration with Sheryl Crow on "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
For the First Time
Darius Rucker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singin' R.E.M. Under summer stars
Never leaned back on a jet black Chevy
Blowing smoke rings in the dark
You don't want to be a rumor, girl
And I feel just the same
Yeah, I know that you don't know me well
But we can make that change
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Yeah, let yourself go, follow that feeling
Maybe something new is what you're needing
Like a real night, let your hair down, feel alive
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Say you never drank from the bottle of some two dollar wine
Run barefoot through the mud
Never had the right kiss stolen from your lips
While you watched the sun come up
Well, I know your friends are watching and they probably disapprove
But give me just half a chance, girl, I'm daring you
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Yeah, let yourself go, baby, follow that feeling
Maybe something new is what you're needing
Like a real night, let your hair down, feel alive
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Oh
Now the way you're looking says you're living
I hope I ain't reading you wrong
'Cause the way you're starring, I think you're thinking
It's been way too long
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Yeah yeah, let yourself go, come on follow that feeling
Maybe something new is what you're needing
Like a real night, let your hair down, feel alive, alive
When was the last, time oh, you did something for the first time, girl?
Tell me, baby
When was the last time, yeah, you did something for the first time?
Darius Rucker's "For The First Time" is a song that speaks about the importance of stepping outside of one's comfort zone and experiencing life in new and exciting ways. The lyrics are centered around encouraging a young woman to let go of her inhibitions and try new things. The song begins with the imagery of a summer night spent dancing in a car, and goes on to describe other experiences that the woman may not have had before. Rucker sings about drinking cheap wine, running barefoot in the mud, and stealing kisses while watching the sun rise. Throughout the song, the message is clear: life is short, and it's important to seize every opportunity to try something new.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, with Rucker asking the question "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" The repetition of this question drives home the importance of taking risks and stepping out of one's comfort zone. By the end of the song, Rucker has convinced the young woman to try something new, encouraging her to "let your hair down, feel alive, alive".
Overall, "For The First Time" is a song about living life to the fullest and not letting fear hold you back. It's a powerful message that is delivered with energy and enthusiasm, making it a perfect anthem for anyone who wants to try new things.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you never danced to a dashboard singin' R.E.M. under summer stars
You're telling me that you've never had the spontaneous urge to dance to R.E.M. while watching the stars from a car
Never leaned back on a jet black Chevy, blowing smoke rings in the dark
You've never relaxed on a Chevy car and blown smoke rings in the night
You don't want to be a rumor, girl, and I feel just the same
I understand that you don't want to be talked about, and I feel the same way
Yeah, I know that you don't know me well but we can make that change
I understand we are not familiar, but we can change that by taking a chance and trying something new together
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Can you recall the last time you did something new or exciting for the first time?
Yeah, let yourself go, follow that feeling
Take a leap of faith and allow yourself to fully embrace your emotions
Maybe something new is what you're needing
Perhaps what you need is to experience something new and different
Like a real life, let your hair down, feel alive
Like living life to the fullest, without feeling confined or restricted
Say you never drank from the bottle of some two dollar wine, run barefoot through the mud
You're confessing that you've never been daring enough to drink a cheap bottle of wine or run barefoot through the mud
Never had the right kiss stolen from your lips, while you watched the sun come up
You've never experienced the perfect kiss while watching the sunrise
Well, I know your friends are watching and they probably disapprove
I understand that your friends are watching and may not approve of what we're doing
But give me just half a chance, girl, I'm daring you
Just give me a little bit of a chance, and I challenge you to take a risk with me
Now the way you're looking says you're living
The expression on your face shows that you're truly alive
I hope I ain't reading wrong
I hope I'm interpreting your expression correctly
'Cause the way you're shining, I think you're thinking
The way you're glowing makes me think that you're contemplating something
It's been way too long
It's been too long since you've done something for the first time
Come on, baby
Let's do this
When was the last time, yeah, you did something for the first time?
Can you remember the last time you took a risk or tried something new?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Darius C Rucker, Derek George, Travis Hill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesboyd2394
Darius Rucker moving up the charts these days....🤠🤠🤠
@SuperLiftRick
Darius Rucker is the real deal and is a true PEOPLE PERSON for sure. This guy is so damn talented.
@mattaguirre1550
Good music is good music. This is good music.
@mikepiekenbrock
There is nothing Darius can not do. I love how he keeps to his roots and doesn't change! One of my favorite country artists.
@ridgenappier6883
Mike Piekenbrock I Agree
@lees8610
This song deserved more air time than it got!
@alexc8838
Hands down my favorite country singer!! Dude is the real deal...
@amystarstimulusandcrypto4303
Mine too
@jonathanlee2486
Yes...Country!! Not like any of the other shit. Dude has some lungs plus he's an all around good guy.
@jessicaboyle7515
I agree