After a period of drug addiction, Iggy Pop joined his friend David Bowie on his 1976 Isolar Tour and afterwards, moved to Europe with him in hopes of getting sober. After moving into the Château d'Hérouville in Hérouville, France, Bowie decided to produce Pop's first solo album. Recorded from June to August 1976, "The Idiot" was Pop's first release since the breakup of his former band the Stooges in 1974. The majority of the music was composed by Bowie, while Pop wrote most of the lyrics, often in response to the music being composed. Due to Bowie's major influence on its making, "The Idiot" marked a departure from the proto-punk sound of the Stooges, in favor of a style more akin to art rock. After the completion of "The Idiot", Bowie recorded his own album, "Low", in a style reminiscent of "The Idiot". Bowie's label, RCA Records, released "Low" in January 1977 and due to its unexpected commercial success, Bowie persuaded RCA to release "The Idiot" in March. The album became Pop's biggest commercial success up to that point, reaching the top 40 in both the US and the UK charts.