Today we continue our exploration of songs related to trains and the railways. So far we have barely made it into the 1960’s and so beginning there, we move on to explore the 1970’s.
“Rock Island Line” is an American folk song. Ostensibly about the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it appeared as a folk song as early as 1929. The first recorded performance of “Rock Island Line” was by inmates of the Arkansas Cummins State Farm prison in 1934. In July 1954 Lonnie Donegan recorded this fast-tempo version of “Rock Island Line”, with Chris Barber’s Jazz Band. It was the first debut record to be certified gold in the UK, where it helped trigger the skiffle craze. The single reached the top ten in the US, peaking at number eight. This record is quoted by various later famous musicians as a catalyst for their musical development. Donegan embellished Lead Belly’s earlier lyrics with an account of how the locomotive engineer fooled a toll-collector by misrepresenting his load of pig-iron as livestock, which was not chargeable, but this is based on his misunderstanding of the railroad phrase “in the hole” (meaning in the siding); the original meaning was merely that the engineer avoided a wait in the siding because trains carrying livestock were given priority.
“Ticket to Ride” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon-McCartney. Issued as a single in April 1965, it became the Beatles’ seventh consecutive number 1 hit in the United Kingdom and their third consecutive number 1 hit in the United States, and similarly topped national charts in Canada, Australia and Ireland. The song was included on their 1965 album Help! Recorded at EMI Studios in London in February that year, the track marked a progression in the Beatles’ work through the incorporation of drone and harder-sounding instrumentation relative to their previous releases. Among music critics, Ian MacDonald describes the song as “psychologically deeper than anything the Beatles had recorded before” and “extraordinary for its time”.
“Last Train to Clarksville” is a song by the Monkees. It was released as the band’s debut single in August 1966 and was later included on the group’s self titled album, which was released in October 1966. The song, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, was recorded at RCA Victor. The song topped the Billboard in November 1966. Lead vocals were performed by the Monkees’ drummer, Micky Dolenz. “Last Train to Clarksville” was featured in seven episodes of the band’s TV series, the most for any Monkees song.
“Peace Train” is a 1971 song by Cat Stevens, taken from his album Teaser and the Firecat. The song climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard chart in November 1971, becoming Stevens’ first US Top 10 hit. The song also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart. It is also featured on The Very Best of Cat Stevens compilation album. He re-recorded the song for War Child in 2003. In a 1970s concert he introduced the song with the revelation that he wrote the song whilst on a train, and was thinking about Alfred Hitchcock, no doubt reflecting the fact that many of Alfred Hitchcock’s film plots were set on trains.
“Locomotive Breath” is a song by Jethro Tull from their 1971 album, Aqualung. Written as a comment on population growth, “Locomotive Breath” was meant to replicate the chugging rhythm of a train. In addition to its release on Aqualung, “Locomotive Breath” saw two different single releases and has been a live favorite. It is one of Jethro Tull’s best-known songs.
“Love Train” is a hit single by The O’Jays, written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Released in 1972, it reached #1 on both the R&B Singles and the Billboard, in February and March 1973 respectively,] #9 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. It was The O’Jays’ first and only #1 record on the US pop chart. This song has been considered one of the first songs of Disco.
“Long Train Runnin’” (or “Long Train Running“) is a song recorded by The Dobbie Brothers and written by band member Tom Johnston. It was included on the band’s 1973 album The Captain and Me and was released as a single, becoming a hit and peaking at No. 8 on the US Billboard. It was covered by British girl group Bananarama in 1991. In 1993 the Doobie Brothers version was remixed and charted again in several countries, including reaching No. 7 in the UK.
“Midnight Train to Georgia” is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records. Written by Jim Weatherly, and included on the Pips’ 1973 LP Imagination, “Midnight Train to Georgia” won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance and has become Knight’s signature song.
