Whisky Train - Procol Harum (1970)
This song is written by guitarist Robin Trower and lyricist Keith Reid. It’s led by the guitars. Lead singer and pianist Gary Brooker’s piano supports Robin’s guitars well. The piano notes going back and forth on a loop are so simple yet so effective. Gary sings aggressively. The lyrics are referring to alcoholism. B.J. Wilson gives great rock drumming. Near the end of the song, we get Robin’s powerful guitar solo. Whisky Train has amazing energy. I love its hard rock sound.
Long Twin Silver Line - Bob Seger (1980)
This rock song is about a train with the lyrics talking about where the train is going. Bob recorded it with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. He sings vigorously. Barry Beckett plays amazing rock and roll piano. Pete Carr has an aggressive guitar solo which Barry supports well. I like how Bob mentions American places in his song which are the cities Chicago, LA, Denver & Salt Lake City and the states Kansas, Nevada & California. This is a fun Bob Seger rocker from the peak of his career.
Keep This Train a-Rollin’ - The Doobie Brothers (1980)
A fun piece of soul influenced soft rock written and sung by Michael McDonald. It opens with organ, then it’s solely Bobby LaKind’s congas which is soon joined by Michael’s piano. Michael's vocals and piano playing are great and energetic. Horns have a good presence including a nice saxophone solo. I love how this song has multiple keyboard parts which include acoustic piano, electric piano, synth, organ and clavinet. Michael seems to be singing about life using a train as a metaphor.
Trains - Al Stewart (1993)
This is an epic eight minute song. Al sings about trains tying it into history and geography. He starts off referring to his experiences growing up in post World War 2 England, discusses 20th century European history and towards the end of the song talks of trains in 1990s America based on his experiences. We get an acoustic guitar solo.There is a great relaxing piano throughout the song. The accordion has a good presence. Al gives us with this song his creative ability to write a melodic ballad dealing with historical topics.
This Train Won’t Stop - Traffic (1994)
This is a melodic mid-tempo rock song from English rock band Traffic’s final album. The final version of Traffic was Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, who both wrote this song. Steve plays multiple instruments including piano, organ and guitar. The song is led well by the piano. Steve sings powerfully in his soulful voice and gives a creative guitar solo. It’s good to hear what seems to be a reference to Steve’s solo hit “Higher Love”. Jim provides a good beat with his drums. Steve is singing about life. In the chorus, he sings “this train won’t stop” repeatedly and ends it with “till we reach the end of the line”. The train seems to refer to our lives. I love this kind of piano driven rock.
This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore - Elton John (2001)
Here’s a powerful ballad by Elton John. The instruments are piano, bass, drums and an orchestra arranged by Paul Buckmaster. Elton is using the train metaphor to reflect and look back on his career. Matt Chamberlain drums intensely in a modern way. We get the feel of ballads pre-dating Elton’s music with this song. There is a powerful moment where one of the choruses goes to just Elton & his piano which is soon joined by the other instruments. I like how the backing vocalists sing “don’t stop”.
From a Train - Michael Stanley (2003)
This is a piano ballad somewhat similar to the previous song. The song seems to be about a man who watched a lady he was in love with go away on a train. The train setting is used to explore their relationship issues. Michael’s long-time keyboardist Bob Pelander’s piano gives a relaxing atmosphere. There is a subtle acoustic guitar and synth strings which comes in and out of the song. Michael sings warmly in an intimate way. I like the reference to “Spanish Nights” which must be referring to Michael’s previous song “Spanish Nights” from the Michael Stanley Band. Halfway through the song, gentle drums come in which add a new dimension to the song.
The Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore - Benny Mardones (2006)
I think that this song was influenced or is a response to Elton’s song on this list. Both songs are piano ballads looking back to the past of their careers. Benny sings “I used to be the man” and Elton sings “I used to be the main express”. Benny sings powerfully. This song is led by a mix of electric and acoustic pianos. We hear some other keyboards. Benny sings about his lover he’s no longer with who he misses. I wonder if “the train don’t stop here anymore” is his way of expressing his sadness that they’re no longer together. In the last quarter of the song, there is a train sound which is nice to hear.
Train To Nowhere - Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler & Don White (2014)
This song was written by J.J. Cale is from Eric Clapton & Friends’ tribute album to J.J. Cale. Mark sings the first two verses, Don sings the third and they sing the fourth one together. Eric sings the choruses. It’s creative how this song uses the voices of three very different singers. Both Eric and Mark play good guitar parts. The song is underpinned well by piano. J.J. seems to be writing about life with the train to nowhere metaphor. This song is a relaxing mid-tempo americana themed rock song.
Sound of a Train - Marc Lee Shannon (2018)
I get similar musical vibes from the previous song. Marc was the guitarist to Michael Stanley featured above. Marc and Michael wrote this song together with Michael’s version released first in 2015. The song opens with drums, Marc sings with guitar coming in and out of the song. Piano follows in a similar fashion to the guitar and it soon has a full band sound. Marc sings with passion. Marc is singing about his lover that he misses. The chorus mentions both the sound of a train and the sound of her voice. This song has a good mix of piano, acoustic and electric guitars.
That was my selection of train songs. There are some common lyrical themes among them. I like how these songs are musically diverse ranging from slow ballads to hard rock.