THE FIRST TIME
The Under Appreciated Rock Band of the Month for December 2015 is Amanda Jones, a punk/pop quartet from Los Angeles that is best known for their song “The First Time”. As far as I know, it was not actually released as a single; but the song was included on the two-CD retrospective album, Straight Outta Burbank, that was released on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Bomp! Records.
Amanda Jones’ sole album Amanda Jones came out on Bomp! Records in 1996, with the five songs being a delight from end to end. The opening cut is “The First Time”, about a girl bringing a boy home to her place. With lyrics like “It’s my first time / Please be kind / It’s my first time / Don’t hurt me” interspersed with “oh . . . oh oh oh . . . ”, the song focuses more on the angst rather than the sexiness of the coming-of-age event; unlike the way that, say, Rod Stewart did in his hit song “Tonight’s the Night”. And in a nice twist, it turns out that the boy admits with tears in his eyes that it is also his “first time”.
(December 2015)
