3 of the Best Debut Singles To Come Out of 70s Rock Music

The 70s gave us what could arguably be considered some of the best rock music of all time. Here are some debut singles that introduced us to what would eventually become some of our favorite bands.

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“More Than A Feeling” by Boston

Few songs are quite as memorable as “More Than A Feeling”. Boston released this song as the lead single from their 1976 album, and it still feels classic. Apparently, Tom Scholz wrote this one about a feeling (of course) that people identify with, and not real experiences.

“The song was not written about an actual event,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “It was written about a fantasy event. But it’s one that almost everybody can identify with, of somebody losing somebody that was important to them, and music taking them back there.”

He continued, addressing who the real “Marianne” in the song was. “There actually was a real Marianne,” Scholz said. “She was my older first cousin, who I had a crush on when I was 10. I ran into her many many years later and she was very annoyed at me for mentioning that she was my older cousin.”

“Just What I Needed” by The Cars

“Just What I Needed” set the precedent for The Cars’ debut album in 1978. Today, it’s still one of the group’s biggest hits. When talking about what his favorite Cars song was, guitarist Elliot Easton actually chose the group’s debut single.

“On some level, I think I’d pick ‘Just What I Needed’ as our best. It’s our song,” he explained to Vulture. “You expect the Beatles to perform ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, and you expect the Cars to play ‘Just What I Needed.’”

“Feels Like The First Time” by Foreigner

Although Foreigner would have legendary success with songs like “I Want to Know What Love Is”, it was this song that got the band off on a good foot. Mick Jones, who also penned “I Want To Know What Love Is” wrote this one.

The guitarist told Songfacts, “‘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.”

He continued, “And to me it was this challenge of really going for a new start in my life… to me it was signifying a new start. I’d met somebody, I got remarried and moved with her to America, and that was the song that described that experience.”

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