Cornerstone is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Styx, released in 1979. Styx's third straight multi-platinum selling album, Cornerstone was Styx's first album to earn a Grammy nomination, which was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Like the four previous Styx albums, the band produced the album themselves. Styx recorded the album at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Cornerstone is best known for including the group's only #1 Billboard Hot 100 Single, the power ballad "Babe". The album also includes the folk rock song "Boat on the River", which was a hit in Europe, though it failed to chart in the United States. Cornerstone became Styx's first US Top 5 album, peaking at #2 on the Billboard album chart. Background The album represented a musical transition for Styx, as the band emphasized its pop sound more than the progressive rock influences that dominated their first eight studio albums. Peaking at #2, the album was Styx's highest album chart peak until its successor, 1981's Paradise Theatre, which hit #1. From a songwriting standpoint, Cornerstone is dominated by Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw—each is credited as sole songwriter or co-writer for five tracks on the album (including two collaborations between the pair). Consistent with most of Styx's catalog from 1975 to 1983, DeYoung's contributions to Cornerstone found the most success on the charts. The first single to be released was also to become Styx's only US #1 single: "Babe", which DeYoung wrote as a birthday present for his wife Suzanne. The track was first performed and recorded as a demo with just him and the Panozzo brothers, but A&M executives heard the track and insisted it go on the album. Shaw overdubbed a guitar solo in the song's middle section. "First Time", another power ballad also written by DeYoung, was intended to be Cornerstone's second single. Shaw, however, expressed concern that releasing two ballads in a row would alienate the band's hard rock fan base. He felt strongly enough that he threatened to leave the band over the proposed release. The upbeat song "Why Me" (once again written by DeYoung) was chosen instead, reaching #26 on the charts. The division was strong enough that DeYoung was briefly fired from the band, although he was invited back before word reached the press or public. "First Time" did get released as a single in the Philippines. Shaw's