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{{about|the Foreigner song}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Feels Like the First Time
| cover = Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time b-w Woman, Oh Woman (March 25, 1977).jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]]
| album = [[Foreigner (Foreigner album)|Foreigner]]
| B-side = Woman Oh Woman
| released = {{Start date|1977|03}}
| recorded = 1976
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *[[Rock music|Rock]]
*[[hard rock]]
| length = {{Plainlist|
*3:15 (single)
*3:49 (album)
}}
| label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| writer = [[Mick Jones (Foreigner guitarist)|Mick Jones]]
| producer = *Gary Lyons
*John Sinclair
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = [[Cold as Ice (Foreigner song)|Cold as Ice]]
| next_year = 1977
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|CK6jKL2qWxo|"Feels Like the First Time"}}}}
}}

"'''Feels Like the First Time'''" is the debut single by British-American rock band [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]]. It was written by [[Mick Jones (Foreigner guitarist)|Mick Jones]] and released in 1977 from the band's [[Foreigner (Foreigner album)|eponymous debut album]]. It reached No. 4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref name=billboard/>

==Background==
Jones wrote "Feels Like the First Time" while putting together the band that would become Foreigner.<ref name=ucr/> According to Jones, "I started writing by myself. Before I knew it, I had two or three songs, and I wondered what to do with them. One of those songs was 'Feels Like the First Time.'"<ref name=ucr>{{cite web|title=Revisiting Foreigner's Debut Album|author=Giles, Jeff|date=March 8, 2017|access-date=June 11, 2020|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/foreigner-debut-album/}}</ref>

Jones also said: {{blockquote|"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. ... 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/mick-jones-of-foreigner|title=Mick Jones of Foreigner : Songwriter Interviews|last=Wiser|first=Carl|date=October 23, 2009|website=Songfacts|accessdate=February 26, 2021}}</ref>}}

"Feels Like the First Time" was one of four songs (along with "Take Me to Your Leader," "At War with the World" and "Woman, Oh Woman") that [[Lou Gramm]] sang at his audition to become the lead singer of Foreigner.<ref name=real>{{cite web|title=The real story behind Foreigner's first album|author=Dome, Malcolm|accessdate=June 17, 2022|publisher=Louder Sound|work=Classic Rock|date=March 13, 2014|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/foreigner-first-time-around}}</ref> These same four songs were used on the [[demo (music)|demo]] Foreigner used to get their recording contract.<ref name=real/>

==Reception==
''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' called "Feels Like the First Time" "tasteful, high energy rock" with "a direct, happy, love lyric."<ref name=bb>{{cite news|title=Top Single Picks|page=68|date=March 19, 1977|newspaper=Billboard Magazine|access-date=June 11, 2020|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-03-19.pdf}}</ref> ''Billboard'' called the guitars "booming" and Gramm's lead vocal "intense but controlled."<ref name=bb/> ''[[Cash Box]]'' said that "the heavy rock feeling is there at bottom, but glittering backing vocals and keyboard work add the patina necessary to soothe top 40" and also commented on the "spine-tingling guitar chords" that open the song.<ref name=cb>{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=March 19, 1977|page=16|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=December 26, 2021|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-03-19.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that Foreigner "has elegantly captured the magic of power pop with their first effort."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=March 19, 1977|accessdate=February 16, 2023|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/RW-1977-03-19.pdf}}</ref>

''[[New York Times]]'' critic [[John Rockwell]] called the song a "none-too-imaginative" example of a "straightforward rock song" that combines "latter-day British rock with a hint of [[synthesizer]] [[progressive rock|progressiveness]]."<ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=June 21, 2022|newspaper=Charlotte Observer|author=Rockwell, John|date=June 17, 1977|page=10D|title=Top 10 Singles Are All Eclectic|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104153570/the-charlotte-observer/}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' critic [[Dave Marsh]] said the song "combines [[Roxy Music]]-like [[synthesizer]] with the eternal thump" and said that Jones' songwriting on this song and its follow-up single "[[Cold as Ice (Foreigner song)|Cold as Ice]]" "places him among the better English hard-rock writers."<ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=June 20, 2022|author=Marsh, Dave|newspaper=The Charlotte News|title=Reviewing Records|date=May 28, 1977|page=4C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104098538/the-charlotte-news/}}</ref> Henry McNulty's contemporary review of ''Foreigner'' in the ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' said that "Feels Like the First Time" was a good choice for the album's first single due to "Jones' guitar blasting out [[heavy metal music|metal-tinged]] [[chord (music)|chord]]s at the outset and plenty of clever little [[hook (music)|hook]]s."<ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=June 20, 2022|newspaper=Hartford Courant|author=McNulty, Henry|date=April 3, 1977|title=Fine Foreigner Arrives|page=24F|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104104050/hartford-courant/}}</ref>

[[AllMusic]] critic Denise Sullivan described "Feels Like the First Time" as "one of those typically generic, much reviled by critics, '70s [[corporate rock]] hits" which nonetheless had "insta-appeal."<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|title=Feels Like the First Time|author=Sullivan, Denise|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/feels-like-the-first-time-mt0011916675|access-date=June 11, 2020|publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> Sullivan attributed its popularity in part to its ability to bridge between [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and [[Middle of the road (music)|MOR]] rock, with "hard-hitting" [[snare drum]], "layered instruments and fist-pumping guitar riffs."<ref name=allmusic/> She describes lead singer Gramm as turning in a "blueprint metal screamer vocal performance."<ref name=allmusic/> ''Livingston County Daily Press and Argus'' critic Scott Pohl said the song "expressed how anyone feels with a new lover."<ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=June 18, 2022|newspaper=Livingston County Daily Press and Argus|author=Pohl, Scott|title='Foreigner' LP won't make female friends|date=November 28, 1979|page=5B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104008361/livingston-county-daily-press-and-argus/}}</ref>

''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Matt Wardlaw ranked "Feels Like the First Time" as Foreigner's 7th greatest song, stating that it represented a new beginning for Jones "as he had gotten married, moved to America and started what would become a very successful rock 'n' roll band."<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Foreigner Songs|author=Wardlaw, Matt|date=May 2, 2015|access-date=June 11, 2020|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-10-foreigner-songs/}}</ref> ''Classic Rock History'' critic Brian Kachejian ranked "Feels Like the First Time" as Foreigner's all-time top song.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Foreigner Songs|author=Kachejian, Brian|url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-foreigner-songs/|access-date=June 10, 2020|publisher=Classic Rock History}}</ref> ''Billboard'' reviewer Gary Graff rated "Feels Like the First Time" to be Foreigner's 3rd greatest song, calling it "a perfect introduction and statement of purpose, brimming with optimism and intent."<ref name=graff>{{cite web|title=Foreigner's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks|author=Graff, Gary|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=June 17, 2022|date=October 11, 2017|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/foreigner-songs-best-hits-list-7997542/}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
In 2010, "Feels Like the First Time" was re-recorded to be included in the rhythm game ''[[Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=McElroy |first=Griffin |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/17/full-guitar-hero-warriors-of-rock-track-list-revealed/ |title=Full Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock track list revealed |publisher=Joystiq |date=August 17, 2010 |access-date=August 24, 2013}}</ref>

The song appears at the end of the 2012 film ''[[Magic Mike]]'' and was also used during the Riff Medley by the Treblemakers in the movie ''[[Pitch Perfect]]''. It was also featured in the 2013 film ''[[Anchorman 2]]'', the 2017 film ''[[I, Tonya]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Songs and music featured in I, Tonya Soundtrack |url=https://www.tunefind.com/movie/i-tonya-2017 |website=tunefind.com |access-date=June 7, 2020}}</ref> and the end credits of the 2021 film ''[[Eternals (film)|Eternals]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eternals Soundtrack List: Every Song From the Movie |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/marvel-eternals-soundtrack-songs-bts/|website=denofgeek.com |access-date=November 6, 2021}}</ref> A heavily-edited version appears in the 2020 [[Netflix]] movie ''[[Spenser Confidential]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spenser Confidential Soundtrack Music - Complete Song List |url=https://www.tunefind.com/movie/spenser-confidential-2020|website=tunefind.com |access-date=June 22, 2020}}</ref>

==Chart performance==
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1977)
!align="left"|Peak<br />position
|-
|align="left"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report|KMR]])<ref>[http://www.austchartbook.com.au/ David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970-1992"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305064644/http://www.austchartbook.com.au/ |date=March 5, 2016 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|41
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|7|chartid=5247a|access-date=January 2, 2025}}
|-
|align="left"|UK<ref>{{cite web|title=Foreigner singles|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28540/foreigner/|publisher=The Official Chart Company|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|39
|-
|align="left"|U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref name=billboard>{{cite web|title=Foreigner Hot 100|publisher=Billboard|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/foreigner/chart-history|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref><ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|U.S. [[Cashbox (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100
|align="center"|5
|}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1977)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|Canada<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5502a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5502a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5502a |title=Top 200 Singles of '77 |work=RPM Weekly |date=December 31, 1977 |via=Bac-lac.gc.ca}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|79
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1977.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977 |website=Musicoutfitters.com}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|31
|-
|U.S. ''Cash Box''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1977YESP.html |title=Top 100 Year End Charts: 1977 |work=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]] |access-date=July 16, 2015 |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213214301/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1977YESP.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|}

==Personnel==
*[[Lou Gramm]] – lead vocals
*[[Mick Jones (Foreigner guitarist)|Mick Jones]] – lead guitar, backing vocals
*[[Ian McDonald (musician)|Ian McDonald]] – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*[[Al Greenwood]] – keyboards, Hammond organ, synthesizer
*[[Ed Gagliardi]] – bass guitar, backing vocals
*[[Dennis Elliott]] – drums

==References==
<references/>

{{Foreigner}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1976 songs]]
[[Category:1977 debut singles]]
[[Category:Foreigner (band) songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Mick Jones (Foreigner)]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records singles]]

Feels Like the First Time - Revision history

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