A true story of a first date, when we ended up talking about cheese

We’ve all experienced a first date, haven’t we? We all know how scary it can be. It’s terrifying whatever the situation, whether you’re meeting up with someone you’ve met on one of those online dating sites, if it’s a date set up by friends or even if it’s someone you asked out after meeting them in a bar. Is the venue appropriate? There’s nothing worse than going to a restaurant with someone who doesn’t like anything on the menu or going to a bar where you both feel awkward and out of place. 

Then you have to worry about what to wear. Do you go formal? Do you go smart-casual? Are jeans appropriate if you’re a man, or should you wear something a little bit smarter? For girls, does the make up work? Are the clothes flattering and are they sending the right signal? There’s so much to think about on a first date. It seems like you spend more time worrying about the date then you actually do on the date. At The Dating Show, we thought the best way to answer some of these questions was to test out a first date ourselves, so we sent Rod on a first date with someone he’d been chatting with an online dating site for a few weeks in his quest for love. To hear him tell his story in his own words, from the horse’s mouth so to speak, you can hear him here. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSgx8_1T80 

So this is what happened. We’d arranged to meet up in a chic, expensive looking bar in a posh part of North London at 7 o'clock UK time on a rainy Monday after chatting for a while online on one of those online dating sites. I arrived about 10 minutes early. I was wearing nice jeans and a checked shirt. I thought I looked alright really! I texted my date, Em, who’s in her late thirties, ordered a rather expensive small beer, sat in the corner and a few minutes later she arrived. She was a vision in black. She was petite, and had dark hair and olive green eyes. She’s rather quirky, which I’d already worked out by some of her messages and the two phone calls we've already had. She recognized me straight away, smiled and said I look just like my photo – which to be honest, I didn’t really expect. It shows you that it’s always good to upload an honest picture when you’re looking for love online dating sites. 

I told her she looked like her picture on the dating site too. She ordered a glass of white wine and we started chatting face to face, sitting opposite each other over a cosy, candlelit table. We spoke about music, our jobs, hobbies and the conversation flowed very well. We spent an age talking about cheese. We were there for around two hours and I enjoyed myself as I found her rather attractive. I had to leave and catch the train, and she offered to walk me to the tube station, pointing out her home on the way. A kiss on the cheek, and she was gone into the night. I sent her a text from the train, thanking her for the lovely evening and letting her know that I was nearly home. She replied almost straight away, thanking me and wishing me a safe journey. I thought it was best to leave it a bit before I replied, so I left it 24 hours, then texted her again to see how she was. We then arranged to meet up again on Friday. 

Em wanted to go for a walk, so again we met at the same tube station. This time, she was dressed in a blue top and jeans. First of all we decided to have a cup of tea, then after that, we strolled off for a long walk around the park, which was quite stunning with all the autumn colours. Again, we chatted all afternoon. If I’m honest, the conversation was interesting, intelligent and even a little bit flirty. Within no time at all, we were holding hands, which felt nice and real. After the walk, we decided to go for a pizza and a glass of wine. 

Then it was back to the station and a solo journey home. We were there for five hours and we've been texting each other ever since. I feel like I’m attached to my phone as I keep looking at it waiting for the next message to arrive. If you want some more love advice and tips on online dating, you can listen to the full Dating Show podcast here. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAB4R5BJv88

'Unrequited Love' by Lykke Li

Unsurprisingly, given its name, this song is about Unrequited Love. It was part of Lykke Li’s second album, Wounded Rhymes, which was released in 2011. Unrequited Love was only an album track, and was never released as a single. Lykke Li says the album is hypnotic, psychic and primal, which are three adjectives which some up the mood of Unrequited Love perfectly.

In Unrequited Love, Lykke Li sings about how much she’s in love with someone, but the person she loves doesn’t love her back. She sings “Once again, it’s happening”. It seems like it’s a recurring situation for her. The song is inherently sad, and indeed Entertainment Weekly says Lykke Li captures the sadness of unrequited love perfectly, and doomed romance is a theme throughout her album. 

We don’t know if Lykke Li is still single, or if she is truly living a life of unrequited love, but what we can hope for is that the Swedish singer-songwriter finds her perfect partner soon, if she hasn’t already. 

Once again it's happening
 
All this love is unrequited 

Twice the pain, the suffering
 
All my love is unrequited
 
All my love is unrequited 
That must mean I'll live again
 
And get back what I gave my men
 
Get back what I lost to them 
All the shame, this crying game
 
All my love I've been denied
 
All my love is unrequited 
And I know it so well
I could play it again
 
Looking back at myself
 
While the violin plays 
This endure is my tomb
 
Another stitch to my wound
 
Another inch in this dwell
 I know it all too well 
When once again it's happening 
All our love has gone divided
 
All my love is unrequited
 
All my love is unrequited 
All my love is unrequited
 
All my love is unrequited

'The Most Beautiful Girl' by Charlie Rich

Recorded by Charlie Rich, the American country music singer and musician nicknamed The Silver Fox, “The Most Beautiful Girl” topped the U.S country singles charts, as well as the pop singles chart, and earned him two Grammy Awards. Written by Bill Sherrill, an American record producer and arranger, Norris Wilson, an American country music singer, songwriter and producer and Rory Michael Bourke a country music songwriter, the song reached number one in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts – two weeks at number one in the pop chart, three weeks in the country chart and three weeks in the adult contemporary charts as well as number one in Canada on three RPM charts.

The song is a cover of a song called “Hey Mister” which was recorded by co-writer Norris Wilson in 1968 and also uses part of the song “Mama McCluskie”, also by Wilson. “The Most Beautiful Girl” has been covered by a number of artists – British Pop star Engelbert Humperdinck included it on his 1973 album ‘Engelbert: King of Hearts’; Slim Whitman recorded a version in the 70s; Andy Williams released a version in 1974 on his album ‘The Way We Were’ and in 1975 ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad recorded a Swedish-language version called “Vill du lana en man?”

The song also reached number two in both the UK and Irish Singles Chart in 1973 and was in the top ten in Holland, Denmark, Norway, France and Australia during that same year. The most recent version was released in 2001 by the Country Music boy band ‘South 65’ who recorded the song and entitled it ‘”The Most Beautiful Girl (2001 Version) on their 2001 album ‘Dream Large’.

It also makes a very brief airing by Brenda Fricker in the film’ So I Married an Axe Murderer” and in the TV sitcom ‘Seinfeld’.

Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world?
And if you did, was she crying, crying?
Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me
Tell her, "I'm sorry." 
Tell her, "I need my baby." 
Oh.... Won't you tell her that I love her. 
I woke up this morning and realized what I had done 
I stood alone in the cold gray dawn I knew 
I'd lost my morning sun I lost my head and I said some things 
Now come the heartaches that morning brings I know 
I'm wrong and I couldn't see I let my world slip away from me 
So....... Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world? 
And if you did, was she crying, crying? 
Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me 
Tell her, "I'm sorry." Tell her, "I need my baby." 
Oh.... Won't you tell her that I love her. ( break ) 
Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world? 
And if you did, was she crying, crying? 
Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me 
Tell her, "I'm sorry." Tell her, "I need my baby." 
Oh.... Won't you tell her that I love her. 
If you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me 
Tell her, "I'm sorry." Tell her, "I need my baby." 
Oh.... Won't you tell her that I love her