Ronan Parke’s “No Love (Like First Love)” Song Review

Hello, I’m MusiCommentator, and last week I got an email from a media company!  I didn’t know my blog was big enough to be getting emails from the big boys of the industry, but I better not let it all get to my head.  I actually don’t know if it’s good etiquette to be mentioning them like this because, obviously, I haven’t been in a situation like this, so I guess I’ll find out.  Anyways, the company sent me a request to give an honest review on a new single, “No Love (Like First Love)“, by one of the artists they endorse, Ronan Parke, and anyone that has followed my blog for a while knows that I am always willing to listen to new music, so I’m very happy to listen to this new song.

For a little background, Ronan Parke is an artist that started off as a little boy auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent, and his performance of “Feeling Good” wowed the judges.  He became a bit of a viral star, and from there released an album that landed the 22nd spot on the charts.  He did many shows, even performing at the New Year’s Gala Celebration, but ended up taking a 4-year break to focus on his education.  “No Love (Like First Love)” is the first single he has released, marking his hiatus to be over, so let’s see if Ronan turns out to be a good artist.

“all my shoebox
memories
calling
me back
to lazy summer night
we both knew that the time was right”

Right away, the first thing I noticed when he started singing is how good his voice was.  It is easy to tell that he was once on a show like Britain’s Got Talent because he definitely has the vocal chops for it.  Throughout the whole song, he finds a way to elegantly glide over the beat in such a way that only a professional singer could.  I’ll say that his voice is definitely one of the best parts of this song.

But, the lyrics also stand their own pretty well.  This song is about Ronan reminiscing on the first person he romantically loved, and I like a lot of the lyrics.  He takes the listener in his shoes and displays his recollections in a cutesy way.  Like the lines above say, he is bringing himself back to a specific moment, and the song revolves around this.

“i still feel
that warm breeze
blowing against my skin
then you touched my face
whispering
we don’t need to be afraid”

After bringing himself back to those memories, we are able to see him basking in the raw emotions they bring, which is a great transition to the pre-chorus:

“there’s no love
like first love
something inside taking over your mind
makes you lose control
of your heart and your mind
there’s no love
like first love(first love)”

It really is never specified what this “something” is in the song that is apparently taking over the respective lover’s mind, but I can only assume it’s a kind of love or passion.  It does bother me a little how formulaic and vague this part is, as the specificity of the other lines really makes the lyrics endearing, but the “no love like first love” refrain is still a fun sing-a-long moment.

“old love letters and photographs tell me everything
you know it could’ve been yesterday
we were standing in the pouring rain
i was foolin’ around
you were laughing at me
not a single care in the world
do you remember those days
think about ’em all in the same way”

The second verse parallels the first verse very well, taking on the same framework.  It starts by taking the listener back, then expressing the emotions he feels about the scenario at hand.  It works just as well as the first verse.

“there’s a fire that never dies
burning all the time
no matter what you do
you’re never gonna lose
that first love
that first love”

After some more refrain, this bridge comes along, and it feels much the same as the chorus.  I guess it acts more as a thesis to the song than the verses, saying that even if he and his lover have parted ways, they both still have some desire for one another, giving more meaning to the song’s title.  Still, I like the verses better, as again, this feels somewhat vague, and the emotion he puts behind his voice feels out of place with lyrics that are almost emotionless.

Overall, though, this is not a bad song.  The best part is his vocals, because like I stated before, he has a phenomenal voice.  I would be really interested to hear what else Ronan has to offer in the future and see what he can do with his voice, as I would love to hear something like an all-out power ballad from him.  The lyrics in the verses were pretty good, but the ones in the pre-chorus and bridge are a little flat; for a club hit, I guess they’re serviceable.  The instrumentation is probably what I like least about this song.  The powerful violins throughout work well, especially in the beginning, but the production as a whole is formulaic.  I would really like to hear Ronan singing over something more grounded and down-to-earth, but that’s just a personal preference.  Still, this song surprised me with it’s quality, and I would give it a good 3.5 out of 5.  Do you agree?

Thank you for reading my “No Love (Like First Love)” review . If you liked this review, make sure to follow my website, Twitter, and Instagram, like this post, and be sure to check in to read my future reviews. Also, if you have a song or album you would like to see reviewed, tell me in the comments. Until then, keep listening to good music! I know I will.