First Band on the Moon

First Band on the Moon
Studio album by the Cardigans
Released	6 September 1996 (1996-09-06)
Recorded	September 1995 – June 1996
Studio	Tambourine Studios (Malmö, Sweden) [1]
Genre	Pop rock [2] power pop [2] indie pop [3] electropop [4]
Length	39:01
Label	Stockholm Mercury
Producer	Tore Johansson
The Cardigans chronology
Life (1995) First Band on the Moon (1996) The Other Side of the Moon (1997)
Singles from First Band on the Moon
"Lovefool" Released: 10 August 1996 [5] "Been It" Released: 25 November 1996 [6] "Your New Cuckoo" Released: 9 December 1996 [7]

First Band on the Moon is the third studio album by the Cardigans. It features the international single "Lovefool". It was first released on 6 September 1996.

The album marked a major breakthrough for the band, both in Sweden and internationally. It is their best-selling album in the United States, with approximately 664,000 copies sold there as of September 2010. ^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ [10]
The Guardian	[11]
Los Angeles Times	[12]
NME	8/10 [13]
Pitchfork	8.1/10 [14]
Q	[3]
Rolling Stone	[15]
Spin	7/10 [16]
The Village Voice	B+ [17]

AllMusic critic John Bush viewed First Band on the Moon as a return to the "mood and feel" of the Cardigans' 1994 debut album Emmerdale , with a new lyrical focus on "unfaithful lovers" and, in the case of "Lovefool", "unrequited affection". He noted that while its stylistic shift from its 1995 predecessor Life may confuse listeners, the album is buoyed by Nina Persson's vocals and Peter Svensson's arrangements, "the Cardigans' core strengths". ^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Your New Cuckoo"	Nina Persson, Peter Svensson	3:57
2.	"Been It"	Persson, Svensson	4:06
3.	"Heartbreaker"	Persson, Svensson	3:42
4.	"Happy Meal II"	Lynette Koyana, Persson, Magnus Sveningsson, Svensson	2:37
5.	"Never Recover"	Sveningsson, Svensson	3:21
6.	"Step on Me"	Sveningsson, Svensson	3:48
7.	"Lovefool"	Persson, Svensson	3:21
8.	"Losers"	Persson, Svensson	3:06
9.	"Iron Man" (Black Sabbath cover from Paranoid )	Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward	4:20
10.	"Great Divide"	Sveningsson, Svensson	3:17
11.	"Choke"	Sveningsson, Svensson	3:26
Total length:			39:01

"Happy Meal II" is a re-recording of "Happy Meal", a song that was originally a bonus track on the US edition of Life , with some minor lyric changes.

Black Sabbath connections

At least two songs on the album directly reference Black Sabbath material. In addition to the cover "Iron Man", "Heartbreaker" begins and ends with a quotation of the primary material from the song "Black Sabbath", the first track on Black Sabbath's debut album. ^[18]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of First Band On The Moon. ^[19]

The Cardigans Lars-Olof Johansson – keyboards, piano Bengt Lagerberg – drums, percussion Nina Persson – lead vocals Magnus Sveningsson – bass, vocals Peter Svensson – guitar, vocals "Your New Cuckoo" Åva Håkansson – violin Inga Zeppezauer – violin Mattias Svensson – violin Maria Holm – violin David Wilczewski – flute Lynette Koyana – background vocals

"Heartbreaker" Petter Lindgård – trumpet Patrik Bartosch – clavinet Ulf Thuresson – background vocals "Never Recover" David Wilczewski – flute "Losers" Annette Helmers – cello "Great Divide" Ronnie Weber – violin Gabriele Freese – violin Anna Berström – violin Ivan Bakran – cello, double bass "Choke" Jens Lindgård – trombone Sven Andersson – saxophone

Singles

• "Lovefool" (9 September 1996, #21 UK)
• "Been It" (25 November 1996, #56 UK)
• "Lovefool" (re-release 24 February 1997, #2 UK)
• "Your New Cuckoo" (25 August 1997, #35 UK)

Release dates refer to UK single releases. In Europe and Japan, "Your New Cuckoo" was released much earlier than in the UK, where the release was delayed due to the continued success of "Lovefool" and also to commission new remixes for the single release.

"Been It" and "Your New Cuckoo" were both slightly shortened for single release; the former also had the word "whore" obscured by a guitar lick to make it more palatable for radio play.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1996–97) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) [20] 52 Canadian Albums ( RPM ) [21] 41 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [22] 16 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] 83 Japanese Albums (Oricon) [24] 4 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [25] 12 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [26] 2 UK Albums (OCC) [27] 18 US Billboard 200 [28] 35 US Top Heatseekers (Billboard) [29] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position US Billboard 200 [30] 137

Single charts

United States

• Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: "Lovefool"; #1
• Billboard Adult Top 40: "Lovefool"; #2
• Billboard Modern Rock Tracks: "Lovefool"; #9
• Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: "Lovefool"; #1
• Billboard Adult Contemporary: "Lovefool"; #23
• Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play: "Lovefool"; #5
• Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxisingle Sales: "Lovefool; #24
• Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: "Lovefool"; #18
• Billboard Top 40 Adult Recurrents: "Lovefool" #1

UK

• UK Radio Airplay: "Lovefool"; #1
• UK Top 100 Singles: "Lovefool"; #21, "Been It"; #56, "Lovefool" (Re-issue); #2, "Your New Cuckoo"; #35

Australia

• ARIA Top 100 Singles 1997 Year-End Chart: "Lovefool"; #52 ^[31]

Sweden

• Swedish Top 100 Singles 1996 Year-end Chart: "Lovefool"; #60

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [32]	Platinum	100,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [33]	2× Platinum	400,000^
Sweden (GLF) [34]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [35]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [36]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Sillitoe, Sue (March 1999). "Tore Johansson: Recording The Cardigans 'My Favourite Game'". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
2. Freedom du Lac, Josh (1 January 1998). "The Cardigans". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 77.
3. Aizlewood, John (October 1996). "The Cardigans: First Band On The Moon". Q . No. 121. p. 158. Archived from the original on 11 September 1999. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
4. Morton, Rob (2005). "The Cardigans – First Band on the Moon". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 791.
5. "ラブフール | カーディガンズ" [Lovefool | Cardigans] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
6. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 23 November 1996. p. 29.
7. "ユア・ニュー・ククー | カーディガンズ" [Your New Cuckoo | Cardigans] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
8. "Week Ending Sept. 26, 2010: Moving Forward, Falling Back – Chart Watch". Yahoo! Music. 29 September 2010. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
9. Bush, John. "First Band on the Moon – The Cardigans". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
10. Romero, Michele (20 September 1996). "First Band on the Moon". Entertainment Weekly . No. 345. p. 82. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
11. Wollaston, Sam (27 September 1996). "Shiny happy people laughing". The Guardian .
12. Scribner, Sara (12 January 1997). "The Cardigans, 'First Band on the Moon,' Mercury". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
13. Sutherland, Mark (28 September 1996). "The Knit Girl". NME . p. 57. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
14. Wisdom, James P. "Cardigans: First Band on the Moon". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
15. Cohen, Jason (14 November 1996). "The Cardigans: First Band On The Moon". Rolling Stone . No. 747. pp. 112–114. Archived from the original on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
16. Christgau, Robert (December 1996). "The Cardigans: First Band on the Moon". Spin . Vol. 12, no. 9. pp. 144–145. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
17. Christgau, Robert (8 October 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
18. "Week 309: "Heartbreaker" by the Cardigans". 11 April 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
19. The Cardigans (2019). First Band On The Moon (liner notes). Stockholm Records.
20. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
21. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 64, No. 25: Feb 24, 1997". RPM . RPM Library and Archives. 24 February 1997. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
22. "The Cardigans: First Band On The Moon" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cardigans – First Band On The Moon" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
24. "Hits Of The World – First Band On The Moon – Japan". Billboard . Vol. 108, no. 37. 14 September 1996. p. 62. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 7 June 2017.
25. "Charts.nz – The Cardigans – First Band On The Moon". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
26. "Swedishcharts.com – The Cardigans – First Band On The Moon". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
27. "Cardigans | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
28. "The Cardigans Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
29. "Billboard's Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard . Vol. 109, no. 2. 11 January 1997. p. 17. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 7 June 2017.
30. "Billboard 200 Year End 1997". Billboard . Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
31. "ARIA End Of Year Singles 1997 | Top 100 Singles Chart". ARIA Charts . Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
32. "Canadian album certifications – The Cardigans – First Band On The Moon". Music Canada . Retrieved 7 June 2017.
33. "Japanese album certifications – カーディガンズ – ファースト・バンド・オン・ザ・ムーン" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.Select 1997年4月 on the drop-down menu
34. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
35. "British album certifications – The Cardigans – First Band On The Moon". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 June 2017.
36. "American album certifications – The Cardigans – First Band On The Moon". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 7 June 2017.

External links

• First Band on the Moon microsite
• First Band On The Moon at Discogs (list of releases)
• First Band On The Moon at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• The Cardigans' discography on Rolling Stone website
• IFPI Sweden
• Polyhex UK chart information