{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = The First Word in Memory | type = studio | artist = Janie Fricke | cover = Janie Fricke--The First Word in Memory.jpg | released = {{start date|1984|08}} | recorded = {{start date|1984|05}} | studio = The Bennett House | genre = Country-pop<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |title=''The First Word in Memory'': Janie Fricke: Songs, reviews, credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/first-word-in-memory-mw0000866894 |website=AllMusic |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref> | label = Columbia | producer = Bob Montgomery | prev_title = Love Lies | prev_year = 1983 | next_title = Somebody Else's Fire | next_year = 1985 | misc = {{Singles | name = The First Word in Memory | type = studio | single1 = Your Heart's Not in It | single1date = August 1984 | single2 = The First Word in Memory Is Me | single2date = December 1984 }} }} '''''The First Word in Memory''''' is a studio album by American country music artist Janie Fricke. It was released in August 1984 via Columbia Records and was a collection of ten tracks. The disc was the ninth studio project of Fricke's career and her third highest-charting album on the American country LP's chart. Spawned from the album were two singles: "Your Heart's Not in It" and the title track. Both songs would become major country hits in the United States and Canada.
==Background and content== When Janie Fricke began focusing on ballads in the early 1980s, her singles led to a breakthrough in country music. She began a string of top ten and number one country songs like "Down to My Last Broken Heart", "Tell Me a Lie" and "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deming |first1=Mark |title=Janie Fricke Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/janie-fricke-mn0000210512/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref> She would further adapt by implementing up-tempo country pop into her music with the releases ''It Ain't Easy'' (1982) and ''Love Lies'' (1983). For ''The First Word in Memory'', Fricke would continue this same trend.<ref name="All Music Guide to Country">{{cite book |last1=Erlewine |first1=Michael |title=All Music Guide to Country |date=1997 |publisher=Miller Freeman Publications |isbn=9780879304751 |page=163}}</ref><ref name="1980s">{{cite book |last1=Harrison |first1=Thomas |title=Music of the 1980s |date=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9780313366000 |page=110}}</ref> Her 1984 project was recorded at The Bennett House and was produced by Bob Montgomery. It was Fricke's third album with Montgomery.<ref name="Liner Notes 1">{{cite journal |last1=Fricke |first1=Janie |title=''The First Word in Memory'' (LP Liner Notes and Album Information) |journal=Columbia Records |date=August 1984 |id=FC-39338}}</ref> ''The First Word in Memory'' contained a total of ten tracks.<ref name="Allmusic"/> It included a song written by Dave Loggins called "Without Each Other". The track was a duet with singer Benny Wilson. The project also contained a song composed by Pam Tillis called "One Way Ticket", along with "In Between Heartaches" was composed by Deborah Allen.<ref name="Liner Notes 1"/>
==Release, reception and singles== {{Music ratings | rev1 = ''Allmusic'' | rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}} }} ''The First Word in Memory'' was originally released in August 1984 on Columbia Records. It was the ninth studio collection released in her music career. The album was originally offered as both a vinyl LP and a cassette.<ref name="Liner Notes 1"/><ref name="Liner Notes 2">{{cite journal |last1=Fricke |first1=Janie |title=''The First Word in Memory'' (Cassette Liner Notes and Album Information) |journal=Columbia Records |date=August 1984 |id=FCT-39338}}</ref> In later years, the album was re-released to digital markets which included Apple Music.<ref name="Apple">{{cite web |title=''The First Word in Memory'' by Janie Fricke |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/first-word-in-memory/1163452957 |website=Apple Music |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref> In its original release, ''The First Word in Memory'' made America's ''Billboard'' country albums survey. In total, the disc spent 32 weeks on the chart before reaching the number 17 position. It was Fricke's third highest-charting album on ''Billboard'' in her career.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Janie Fricke chart history (Country Albums) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/janie-fricke/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref> The album would later receive a three-star rating from AllMusic.<ref name="Allmusic"/>
Two singles were spawned from ''The First Word in Memory''. Its first single issued was "Your Heart's Not in It", which was distributed by Columbia Records in August 1984.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fricke |first1=Janie |title="Your Heart's Not in It"/"Take It from the Top" (7" vinyl single) |journal=Columbia Records |date=August 1984 |id=38-04578}}</ref> The single spent 23 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart and spent one week at the number one spot in December 1984.<ref name="Country Songs">{{cite magazine |title=Janie Fricke chart history (Country Songs) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/janie-fricke/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref> The album's title track was released by Columbia in December 1984 as the final single.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fricke |first1=Janie |title="The First Word in Memory Is Me"/"One Way Ticket" (7" vinyl single) |journal=Columbia Records |date=December 1984 |id=38-04731}}</ref> The song reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' country list in 1985, peaking at the number seven spot in the spring.<ref name="Country Songs"/> In Canada, "Your Heart's Not in It" reached number one the ''RPM'' country songs chart and the title track climbed to number five.<ref name="RPM Country Singles">{{cite magazine|title=Search results for "Janie Fricke" under Country Singles|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=qu73jvk5erc3h34qrupr5cjee6&q1=Janie+Fricke&q2=Country+Singles&interval=20|magazine=RPM|accessdate=26 November 2012}}</ref>
==Track listings== ===Original versions=== {{track listing | headline = Side one (LP and cassette versions)<ref name="Liner Notes 1"/><ref name="Liner Notes 2"/> | title1 = Talkin' Tough | writer1 = {{hlist|Wood Newton|Michael Noble|Marcus Vickers}} | length1 = 3:32 | title2 = The First Word in Memory Is Me | writer2 = {{hlist|Pat Bunch|Mary Ann Kennedy|Pam Rose}} | length2 = 3:31 | title3 = One Way Ticket | writer3 = {{hlist|Jeff Buckingham|Pam Tillis}} | length3 = 2:54 | title4 = First Time Out of the Rain | writer4 = {{hlist|Kerry Chater|Beckie Foster}} | length4 = 2:58 | title5 = A Love Like Ours | writer5 = Donny Lowery | length5 = 2:31 }} {{track listing | headline = Side two (LP and cassette versions)<ref name="Liner Notes 1"/><ref name="Liner Notes 2"/> | title1 = Your Heart's Not in It | writer1 = {{hlist|Michael Garvin|Bucky Jones|Tom Shapiro}} | length1 = 2:48 | title2 = In Between Heartaches | writer2 = {{hlist|Deborah Allen|Rafe Van Hoy}} | length2 = 2:42 | title3 = Another Man Like That | writer3 = {{hlist|Pal Rakes|Alan Ray|Jeff Raymond}} | length3 = 2:51 | title4 = Without Each Other | note4 = with Benny Wilson | writer4 = Dave Loggins | length4 = 3:04 | title5 = Take It from the Top | writer5 = David Stephenson | length5 = 3:17 }}
===Digital version=== {{track listing | headline = Music download and streaming versions<ref name="Apple"/> | title1 = Talkin' Tough | writer1 = {{hlist|Newton|Noble|Vickers}} | length1 = 3:33 | title2 = The First Word in Memory Is Me | writer2 = {{hlist|Bunch|Kennedy|Rose}} | length2 = 3:34 | title3 = One Way Ticket | writer3 = {{hlist|Buckingham|Tillis}} | length3 = 2:56 | title4 = First Time Out of the Rain | writer4 = {{hlist|Chater|Foster}} | length4 = 3:02 | title5 = A Love Like Ours | writer5 = Lowery | length5 = 2:33 | title6 = Your Heart's Not in It | writer6 = {{hlist|Garvin|Jones|Shapiro}} | length6 = 2:51 | title7 = In Between Heartaches | writer7 = {{hlist|Allen|Van Hoy}} | length7 = 2:44 | title8 = Another Man Like That | writer8 = {{hlist|Rakes|Ray|Raymond}} | length8 = 2:53 | title9 = Without Each Other | note9 = with Benny Wilson | writer9 = Loggins | length9 = 2:56 | title10 = Take It from the Top | writer10 = Stephenson | length10 = 3:20 }}
==Personnel== All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''The First Word in Memory''.<ref name="Liner Notes 1"/>
{{col-begin}} {{col-2}} '''Musical personnel''' * Janie Fricke – lead and backing vocals *Larry Byrom - acoustic and electric guitar * Kenny Mims – electric guitar * The Nashville String Machine – strings * Ron Oates – keyboards * Judy Rodman – backing vocals * Michael Spriggs – mandolin * James Stroud – drums * William C. Warren – backing vocals * Tony Wiggins – backing vocals * Benny Wilson – backing vocals * Bob Wray – bass {{col-2}} '''Technical personnel''' * Don Cobb – second engineer * Gene Eichelberger – first engineer * Carl Gorodetzky – concertmaster * Dan Ham – photography * Bill Johnson – art direction * Bob Montgomery – producer * Ron Oates – arrangement * Danny Purcell – mastering * Dan Sellers – photography {{col-end}}
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Weekly chart performance for ''The First Word in Memory'' ! scope="col"| Chart (1984) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|BillboardCountry|17|artist=Janie Fricke|rowheader=true}} |- |}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- !scope="col"| Region !scope="col"| Date !scope="col"| Format !scope="col"| Label !scope="col"| Ref. |- ! scope="row"| Japan | rowspan="4"| August 1984 | rowspan="2"| Vinyl | {{hlist|CBS Records International|Sony Music Entertainment}} | <ref name="Liner Notes 3">{{cite journal |last1=Fricke |first1=Janie |title=''The First Word in Memory'' (LP Liner Notes and Album Information) |journal=CBS Records International/Sony Music Entertainment |date=August 1984 |id=28AP-2969}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| North America | rowspan="2"| Columbia Records | <ref name="Liner Notes 1"/> |- | Cassette | <ref name="Liner Notes 2"/> |- ! scope="row"| United Kingdom | Vinyl | CBS Records International | <ref name="Liner Notes 4">{{cite journal |last1=Fricke |first1=Janie |title=''The First Word in Memory'' (LP Liner Notes and Album Information) |journal=CBS Records International |date=August 1984 |id=CBS-26105}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| North America | 2016 | {{hlist|Music download|streaming}} | Columbia Records | <ref>{{cite web |title=Press Release: Sony Legacy Releases Four Janie Fricke Albums Digitally For The First Time Ever |url=https://www.thecountrynote.com/in-the-news/sony-legacy-releases-four-janie-fricke-albums-digitally-for-the-first-time-ever/ |website=The Country Note |date=16 October 2016 |access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref><ref name="Apple"/> |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Janie Fricke}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Word in Memory}} Category:1984 albums Category:Albums produced by Bob Montgomery (songwriter) Category:Columbia Records albums Category:Janie Fricke albums