First Band on the Moon

Infobox Album |
Name = First Band on the Moon
Type = Album
Artist = The Cardigans


Released = August 12 1996
Recorded = 1995-1996
Genre = Rock, pop
Length = 39:01
Label = Stockholm
Producer = Tore Johansson
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0v6atraqkl7x~T1 link]
*Pitchfork (8.1/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/16020-first-band-on-the-moon link]
*Review-Christgau|B+|album=3522
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/161419/thecardigans?pageid=rs.Artistcage&pageregion=triple1 2/2/1998] |
Last album = "Life"
(1995)
This album = "First Band on the Moon"
1996
Next album = "Gran Turismo"
(1998)Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = Second Japanese Edition cover

"First Band on the Moon" is the third studio album by The Cardigans. It features the international hit-single "Lovefool".It was first released on August 12 1996 and later internationally on September 9 1996. The album's name is a parody of Neil Armstrong, who was obviously referred as the "First man on the moon". The song "Happy Meal II" can be viewed as either a partial rewrite or a sequel to "Happy Meal," which appears in similar lyric and structure on their last album, "Life".

Track listing

# "Your New Cuckoo" (Nina Persson, Peter Svensson) – 3:57
# "Been It" (Persson, Svensson) – 4:06
# "Heartbreaker" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:42
# "Happy Meal II" (Lynette Koyana, Persson, Magnus Sveningsson, Svensson) – 2:37
# "Never Recover "(Sveningsson, Svensson) – 3:21
# "Step on Me" (Sveningsson, Svensson) – 3:48
# "Lovefool" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:21
# "Losers" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:06
# "Iron Man" (Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward) – 4:20
#* originally recorded by Black Sabbath on the Paranoid album.
# "Great Divide" (Sveningsson, Svensson) – 3:17
# "Choke" (Sveningsson, Svensson) – 3:26
#;Japanese Edition
#

"Country Hell" (Svensson) - 2:48
#;Second Japanese Edition
#

"Blah Blah Blah" (Svensson) - 3:00
#;French Edition
#

"Sick & Tired" (Svensson, Sveningsson)¹

¹Originally released on the band's first album "Emmerdale".

ingles

Lovefool (first release 14 September 1996, #21 UK)
Been It (30 November 1996, #56 UK)
Lovefool (re-release 24 February 1997, #2 UK)
Your New Cuckoo (31 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.

Charts, awards and certifications

Album

*Billboard Heatseekers: #3
*Billboard Top 200 Albums: #35
*UK Top 200 Albums: #18 with 41 weeks in the Top 200
*Swedish Top 100 Albums: #2
*Swedish Top 100 Albums 1996 Year-end Chart: #60
*Grammis Awards 1996: Best Pop/Rock Group of the Year and Swedish Government's Music Export Award.
*Certified Gold in Sweden and the UK
*Certified Platinum in the U.S. and Japan
*Certified 2.5 million albums sold worldwide

ingles

(US)
*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 75 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(Sweden)
*Swedish Top 100 Singles 1996 Year-end Chart: "Lovefool"; #60

External links

* [http://static.cardigans.com/microsites/first.band.on.the.moon First Band on the Moon microsite]
* [http://cardigans.marvelhill.vze.com/disco/ The Cardigans' Complete Discography @ Marvelhill]
* The Cardigans' [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thecardigans/discography discography] on "Rolling Stone" website
* [http://www.ifpi.se/ IFPI Sweden]
* [http://www.polyhex.com/music/chartruns/chartruns.php Polyhex UK chart information]