The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)

"The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" is a song by German Eurodance project Snap!, released in February 1995 by Ariola and BMG as the second single from their third studio album, Welcome to Tomorrow (1994). Like on their previous single, "Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)", it features vocals by American singer Summer (a.k.a. Paula Brown), who also co-wrote the lyrics. Supported by a partially computer generated music video, the song was a chart success in Europe, peaking at number two in both Belgium and the Netherlands, number three in Austria, and number five in Switzerland.

"The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)"
Single by Snap!
from the album Welcome to Tomorrow
Released	20 February 1995 (1995-02-20)
Genre	Eurodance trance[1]
Length	5:09
Label	Ariola BMG
Songwriter(s)	John "Virgo" Garrett III Paula Brown Benito Benites
Producer(s)	Snap!
Snap! singles chronology
"Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)" (1994) "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" (1995) "The World in My Hands" (1995)
Music video
"The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" on YouTube

Release

"The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" was released in February 1995. In the 2020 book Move Your Body (2 The 90's), writer Juha Soininen noted that the new Snap! songs "were [now] harder, but at the same time [with] lighter sound. They were more clearly Eurodance than the previous efforts, but the darker aspect of Snap! sound was absent and replaced with a happier vibe."^[2]

Chart performance

"The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" was successful on the charts in Europe, peaking at number two in Belgium (in both Flanders and Wallonia) and the Netherlands. It was a top-10 hit also in Austria (3), Germany (7) and Switzerland (5), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number seven after seven weeks on the chart.^[3] Additionally, the single was a top-20 hit in Finland (12), Scotland (11) and the UK, where it peaked at number 15 in its third week on the UK Singles Chart, on 9 April 1995.^[4] It also topped the European Dance Radio Chart,^[5] while on the UK Dance Chart, the song reached number 29.^[6] In both Ireland and Iceland, it was a top-30 hit, peaking at numbers 24 and 25, respectively.

Critical reception

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton remarked that "Snap have undergone something of a metamorphosis since the hard-edged days of Turbo B and have reinvented themselves as mellow trance-pop specialists." He added that here, "new vocalist Summer [is] dreaming her way through a pleasant enough song to give the group their 10th Top 20 hit since 1990."^[1] British magazine Music Week wrote, "Again featuring vocalist Summer, Snap's latest dance tune is a catchy little number somewhat marred by the fact that 'Eternity' seems to be the only lyric in the whole song."^[7] Music Week editor Alan Jones felt the new single "is a more direct but less likable track, with pounding rhythms supporting Summer's vocals, which are not nearly as distinctive or powerful as those of some of Snap's previous singers."^[8] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "Summer moaned (and sometimes not un-Donna Summer-like) frantic swirling throbber".^[9] Pete Stanton from Smash Hits gave it one out of five, writing that "it sounds like Snap have gone and nicked one of them [2 Unlimited remixes]. This has quiet bits in it filled with singer, Summer, chirruping Eternity about 12 times. Then a pumping beat comes in and we're away... Only we're not. 'Cos this is just repetitive dance drivel which'll have you pulling your hair out each time you hear it on Radio One (ie, every seven minutes)."^[10]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" was directed by Angel^[11] and is made like a 1940s film noir, shown as a comic story turning from page to page. Singer Summer performs as a femme fatale on the street in New York, outside a cinema, wearing a red dress and black gloves. The lyrics are shown in talk bubbles throughout the story. The opening and ending of the video shows the singer on the cover of cinema posters outside the cinema. It was later published on Snap!'s official YouTube channel in 2011, and had generated more than 4,6 million views as of February 2025.^[12]

Track listings

• CD single

1. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" (7-inch edit) – 3:54
2. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" (Noto edit) – 4:04

• CD maxi

1. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" (7-inch edit) – 3:54
2. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" (GDC mix) – 6:28
3. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" (Notonom mix) – 6:52

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13] 2 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[3] 7 Europe (European Dance Radio)[5] 1 Finland (IFPI)[14] 12 Germany (GfK)[15] 7 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] 25 Ireland (IRMA) 24 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 2 Scotland (OCC)[18] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 5 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 15 UK Dance (OCC)[6] 29 UK on a Pop Tip Club Chart (Music Week)[21] 23

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[22] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[23] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[24] 16 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[25] 56 Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 34 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 20 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 27 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 25

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Germany	20 February 1995	7-inch vinyl CD	Ariola BMG	[15]
United Kingdom	20 March 1995	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Arista	[30]

References

1. Masterton, James (26 March 1995). "Week Ending April 1st 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
2. Soininen, Juha (26 August 2020). Move Your Body (2 The 90's): Unlimited Eurodance. BoD - Books on Demand. p. 25. ISBN 9789528026303. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
3. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 17. 29 April 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
4. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 09 April 1995 - 15 April 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
5. "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 10. 11 March 1995. p. 22. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
6. "UK Dance Singles Chart Top 40 26 March 1995 - 01 April 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
7. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 February 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
8. Jones, Alan (18 February 1995). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 26. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
9. Hamilton, James (11 March 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 15. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
10. Stanton, Pete (1 March 1995). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
11. "Snap the first, the last, eternity". YouTube. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
12. "SNAP! - The First the Last Eternity". YouTube. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
13. "Snap! feat. Summer - The First The Last Eternity". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
14. Week 7, 1995.
15. "Snap! – The First The Last Eternity" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 29.04.1995-05.05.1995" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
17. "Snap! feat. Summer - The First The Last Eternity" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
18. "Scottish Singles Chart 16 April 1995 - 22 April 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
19. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)", Schweizer Hitparade Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 5 August 2015)
20. "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)", UK Singles Chart, Official Charts Company (Retrieved 5 August 2015)
21. "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). 25 March 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
22. "JAHRESHITPARADE 1995" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
23. "Jaaroverzichten 1995". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
24. "Ultratop rapports annuels 1995". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
25. "1995 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 51/52. 23 December 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
26. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
27. "Jaarlijsten 1995" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
28. "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1995". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
29. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1995". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
30. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 18 March 1995. p. 35.