[7] The album also includes the folk rock song "Boat on the River," which was a hit in Europe,[8][9] though it failed to chart in the United States.

Shaw, however, expressed concern that releasing two ballads in a row would alienate the band's hard rock fan base.

[13] 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.

[8] Shaw's other contributions included the pop-rocker "Never Say Never," the Shaw/DeYoung album-opener "Lights," the more progressively-flavored song "Love in the Midnight" and "Borrowed Time," a DeYoung/Shaw collaboration.

James Young only had one song on the album, the hard rocker "Eddie," which was aimed at left-wing politician Edward Kennedy, unsuccessfully pleading with him not to make a run for the U.S. presidency.

While commercially successful, Cornerstone brought to light the first fragmenting of the group's collective artistic vision (DeYoung wanted to move the band more into pop while Shaw and Young both favored a rock approach).