Finally, I think we have arrived at our destination, and so we come to last batch of songs about trains. This time we will leave the 1970’s behind and move into more recent times.
“Downbound Train” is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album Born in the USA. The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning “like a Keith Richards’ riff” that ultimately moves to “one of those great country busted-heart lines, ‘Now I work down at the car wash/where all it ever does is rain.'”
“Downtown Train” is a song by Tom Waits released on his album Rain Dogs in 1985. Rod Stewart recorded a cover version that became a number-three hit on the Billboard chart after being released as a single in late 1989, and was also a number-one single on the album rock and contemporary charts. The song went to number one in Canada and made the top ten in the UK in 1990. Stewart received a Grammy nomination for the song in the category Best Male Vocal Performance. Stewart’s cover featured the slide guitar playing of Jeff Beck.
“Runaway Train” is a power ballad by American rock band Soul Asylum. Its music video is notable for featuring images of missing people, most of them young children and teenagers. Lead singer Dave Pirner has stated that the lyrics originally described his experience of depression. “Runaway Train” was released in June 1993 as the fourth single from the band’s 1992 album, Grave Dancers Union, and became a success around the world. It reached number five on the US Billboard and climbed to the top position on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, earning a gold sales certification from the RIAA.
“John Henry Lives” is a track from The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae the second studio album by Laura Veirs, self-released in 2001. It was subsequently re-released under the Bella Union label in February 2005. “John Henry Lives” marries Danny Barnes’ scars of national steel with a Casio-derived beat. It picks up on the the theme of the much older folk song ‘John Henry’.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” is a song by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the first track on their 2008 album Black Ice to receive radio airplay. The band released a 7-inch vinyl single that featured the song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” on Side A, and “War Machine” on Side B. The 7-inch single came in a sleeve with its own unique artwork. The 7-inch vinyl was also made available in the United States through some independent record shops. It was used in many television advertisements and was No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard, staying there for over three weeks.
