Boston's 1976 debut single "More Than a Feeling", written entirely by band member Tom Scholz, became the group's first No.1 hit and remains one of their best-known songs. Its enduring popularity is notable given that Scholz was still working a day job at Polaroid when he wrote it, having spent years struggling to break into the music industry.

Scholz has explained that the song was not based on a real event but a "fantasy" one, though the character "Marianne" was inspired by a real cousin he had a childhood crush on. He said he spent six years submitting demos to record labels and faced constant rejection, and by 29, married and with little money, had nearly given up before Epic Records signed the track that became "More Than a Feeling"; he continued working at Polaroid even after this success, only stopping once Boston landed their first headline tour after supporting Black Sabbath.