March 1977: Foreigner Debut with FOREIGNER
It was the mid-1970s when British guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones scored the enviable gig of playing in the Leslie West Band, created from the ashes of Spooky Tooth. When the band fell apart a couple of years later, Jones found himself in New York City, banging out new songs while he plotted what to do next. Among that first batch of tunes: "Feels Like the First Time."
Methodically putting together a new band to realize the new music in his head, the outfit coalesced when Jones connected with singer Lou Gramm, who fronted Black Sheep, famous for being the first band signed to Chrysalis Records. Jones came up with the idea for the name Foreigner, since the group was made up of both Englishmen and Americans, making them "foreigners" on either side of the pond.
It was March 8, 1977, when Foreigner landed on record store shores across the country. The album was launched by lead single, "Feels Like the First Time," which cruised up the charts to peak at #4 on the Hot 100 for the week of June 18, 1977. The #1 song in America that week: Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."
The second Foreigner single, "Cold as Ice," was another chart hit, peaking at #6 on the Hot 100 October 22, 1977. The top tune in the country that week: Debby Boone with "You Light Up My Life." The record's third and final single, "Long, Long Way From Home," was a big FM radio favorite, peaking at #20 on the singles chart in February of 1978.
Foreigner stormed America with a vengeance throughout 1977, rocking the album charts to peak at #4 over the week of October 22, 1977. The record that ruled the roost over the same week: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
