Described as "classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals", the band have been summarised as possessing a sound akin to the genres of alternative rock and "British traditional rock". Stereophonics' debut album, Word Gets Around, was released in August 1997 and charted at number six in the UK, aided by the singles "Local Boy in the Photograph", "More Life in a Tramps Vest" and "A Thousand Trees". The band reached mainstream success with the release of Performance and Cocktails (and its promotional singles "The Bartender and the Thief", "Just Looking" and "Pick a Part That's New") in 1999 and have achieved a total of ten top-ten singles as well as one number one: "Dakota" (2005). Having sold around 10 million copies worldwide by 2016, Stereophonics are one of the most successful Welsh rock acts. Upon their release of Pull the Pin, they achieved five consecutive UK number one albums.
The band have also been praised for their live performances, which have landed them headlining slots at many of the UK and Ireland's most high-profile music festivals, including Reading and Leeds in 2000, Glastonbury in 2002, V Festival in 2002, the Isle of Wight in 2004 and 2009, Oxegen in 2010, Tramlines Festival and TRNSMT in 2018, and Latitude in 2019. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonics
Studio albums
Word Gets Around (1997)
Performance and Cocktails (1999)
Just Enough Education to Perform (2001)
You Gotta Go There to Come Back (2003)
Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005)
Pull the Pin (2007)
Keep Calm and Carry On (2009)
Graffiti on the Train (2013)
Keep the Village Alive (2015)
Scream Above the Sounds (2017)
Kind (2019)
Oochya! (2022)
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face with Jools Holland Orchestra
Stereophonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever I saw your face
I thought the sun
Rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars
Were the gifts you gave
To the dark
And the endless skies
First time
Ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth
Move in my hands
Like the trembling heart
Of a captive bird
That was there
At my command, my love
And the first time
Ever I lay with you
I felt your heart
So close to mine
And I knew our joy
Would fill the earth
And last
Till the end of time,
The first time
Ever I saw your face,
Your face
Your face,
Your face
The lyrics of Stereophonics' song "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" portray the intense and overwhelming emotions that come with falling in love. The repetition of the phrase "first time ever" highlights the novelty and uniqueness of the experience. The singer describes how the appearance of the loved one, with the imagery of the sun rising in their eyes and the stars and moon as gifts, immediately captured their attention and imagination. This person became a source of light and wonder in their life.
As the song progresses, the singer narrates the physical aspect of their love, describing the sensation of their earth moving while kissing, an overwhelming feeling of control while laying with their partner, and the sense of intimacy and connection they shared. The phrase "I knew our joy would fill the earth and last till the end of time" speaks to their optimism and belief in the strength and duration of their love.
Overall, the lyrics express the powerful emotions experienced in those initial moments of falling in love and the lasting impact that person can have on one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
First time
The very first time
Ever I saw your face
That I saw your face
I thought the sun
I perceived the brightness
Rose in your eyes
As if the sun was rising in your eyes
And the moon and the stars
As if the moon and stars
Were the gifts you gave
Were bestowed by you
To the dark
To the night
And the endless skies
The boundless skies
First time
The very first time
Ever I kissed your mouth
That I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth
I sensed the ground
Move in my hands
Trembling in my grasp
Like the trembling heart
Resembling the quivering heart
Of a captive bird
Of a bird captive to its own passion
That was there
Present with me
At my command, my love
Completely under my control, my love
And the first time
The very first time
Ever I lay with you
That I slept beside you
I felt your heart
I sensed your heartbeat
So close to mine
In such close proximity to mine
And I knew our joy
And realized our happiness
Would fill the earth
Would spread all over the world
And last
And endure
Till the end of time,
Foreseeably forever
The first time
The very first time
Ever I saw your face,
That I saw your face
Your face
That very face
Your face,
The face in question
Your face
The one and same face
Writer(s): Dilip Kumar, Others
Contributed by Claire T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.