Amanda

Scholz recorded the demo in 1980, including the guitar solo that stayed in the finished song, and reworked the song through 1981. He recalled playing the short lead part after the second chorus in a hurry and deciding it was exactly right, which meant he had to match every other part to it. The sleeve notes call it the first song written for Third Stage. Scholz plays the 12-string guitars. He has said the name Amanda was chosen because it flowed well, and that it was not a real woman.

Released in 1986 as the lead single, the first officially released Boston single since 1978 and their first for MCA, it entered the Hot 100 on 27 September and topped the chart for two consecutive weeks in November. It also spent three weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. It had no promotional video. Paul Elliott of Classic Rock wrote that there was surely no sweeter victory for Scholz than when it went to number one.