Feels like the First Time

This was Foreigner's debut release and their first hit in both the US and UK, despite originally flopping on its initial British release. Mick Jones, who is the British founder of Foreigner (named for the bi-nationality of the band - the other members were American), wrote the song himself. He told us: "'Feels Like The First Time' was written about a bit of a change in my life. I was coming out of a previous marriage with somebody I'd met in France. I'd gone back to England and then finally made the journey to America while I was in the band Spooky Tooth. And to me it was this challenge of really going for a new start in my life. And that just came naturally out of the blue. People probably thought, Well, this is a song that he's written specifically for this album. In hindsight I guess that's a natural feeling, but to me it was signifying a new start. I'd met somebody, I got re-married and moved with her to America, and that was the song that described that experience."

This featured the vocals of Lou Gramm, who was added to the band by Mick Jones after about 50 auditions of singers. Jones told Billboard magazine that he first came across Gramm's voice while he was writing this song: "When I heard his voice on an album that I'd been given of his band, Black Sheep, I was actually in the midst of writing 'Feels Like the First Time.' I'd had a few demos from people who'd sent stuff in, and I was listening to them. The moment I heard Lou's voice, it clicked."

Mick Jones music career started in France, where he spent six years learning to write, produce and perform songs. In his early 20s he returned to England with the goal of eventually becoming a successful musician in America. Spending time in the band Spooky Tooth with Gary Wright of "Dream Weaver" fame, he made it to the States as an A&R scout before joining the Leslie West Band and forming Foreigner. Said Jones: "'Feels Like The First Time' was the first song I wrote for the new chapter. And that lead subsequently to putting a band together. There I was, finally the primary writer, and that song set the ball rolling for me. When that first album came out, it was just a question of, Well, we've set a huge precedent, where do I go from here? So I had to work pretty hard at those songs and try to hone my craft again. There was definitely a lot of pressure in those early years, and there still is. It's a challenge to write songs that are accepted by a large audience and to retain integrity about what you do. I've been fortunate that a lot of those songs have stood the test of time, they still get a lot of radio play, there's still a lot of popularity attached to them. And to me that means a lot, that I have a worldwide audience, and pretty much anywhere we go in the world, they're aware of the body of work that I've been able to achieve." (Check out our interview with Mick Jones.)