The song was originally recorded during the Crises sessions between November 1982 and April 1983 at Oldfield's studio in Denham, Buckinghamshire.
On "Foreign Affair", Oldfield plays a Fairlight CMI and Roland strings.
Maggie Reilly provides vocals, and the co-producer Simon Phillips plays Tama Drums and a shaker.
In 2009 the Belgian group Sylver covered "Foreign Affair" on their fifth album, Sacrifice.
The song reached number three on the Belgian Singles Chart.