<P> American expatriate singer P.P. Arnold had the first hit with the song, reaching number 18 on the UK Singles Chart with her version in May 1967, well ahead of the song appearing on Stevens' album . The Arnold hit featured an up - tempo, soulful vocal set against harpsichord, horns, and strings . </P> <P> Keith Hampshire had the first chart - topping hit of the song when his recording of it became a number one hit in Canada in 1973, reaching the top of the RPM 100 national singles chart on 12 May of that year . It also topped the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart . This recording also charted in the US, albeit outside the top 40 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> "The First Cut Is the Deepest" </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Single by Rod Stewart </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> from the album A Night on the Town </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> B - side </Th> <Td> "I Don't Want to Talk About It" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Released </Th> <Td> February 1977 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Format </Th> <Td> 7 - inch single </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Recorded </Th> <Td> 1976 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Genre </Th> <Td> Rock </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Length </Th> <Td> 3: 21 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Label </Th> <Td> Riva </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Songwriter (s) </Th> <Td> Cat Stevens </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Producer (s) </Th> <Td> Tom Dowd </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Rod Stewart singles chronology </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1976) </Td> <Td> "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1977) </Td> <Td> "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (1977) </Td> </Tr> </Table> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1976) </Td> <Td> "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1977) </Td> <Td> "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (1977) </Td> </Tr> </Table> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> "The First Cut Is the Deepest" </Th> </Tr>

Who sang the first cut is the deepest in seven psychopaths