So my idea about having a permanent children’s train ride at Railroad Park in Birmingham seems to have fizzled for now.
But it did make me think of train songs.
There’s a milion of them it seems and they are running around my brain.
Proposal to RR Park: I’ll be DJ and play my Top 10 choo choo songs (Plus my two honorable mentions if we have time). On vinyl. At the park.
So, dedicated to Railroad Park, sponsored by myvinylcountdown.com, here are my top 10 train songs. Plus two honorable mentions. I am judging these on a complicated formula that involves how much endorphins are created in my brain as I listen to each song.
Now, with the brain monitor hooked up, here we go:
Honorable Mention: Stoney Larue. “Train to Birmingham”
We’ll start you off with an Honorable Mention. New song it may crack the list with a little more time. JA introduced this one to me. Has crying, lying, dying and Birmingham, oh, and a guitar full of blues. Great song. The studio version has a little sad sounding fiddle.
10: Ozzy Osbourne “Crazy Train”
I know i’t old school heavy metal, but I like it, like it, yes I do.
9: Cracker “I See the Light”
Not really thought of as a train song but it is in a punch line sort of way. I just like this song. And if you listen you’ll see why I picked it.
8: Grateful Dead: Casey Jones
Classic, but not at the top of my train list.
7: Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Midnight Special”
CCR didn’t have many, if any, bad songs. This train song was one great one.
6: “People Get Ready (There’s a train a-coming)” Curtis Mayfield/ Impressions
I do love it when Rod Stewart sings this song but I have to give this to the original.
But Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions are hard to beat. Here’s Curtis by himself with guitar, beautiful.
5: Blackfoot. “Train Train”
I saw them live years ago and this was the only song I remember. (Maybe it was the only song they played.) If your kids aren’t head banging after Ozzy, they will be by this one.
4: This Train Is Bound For Glory”- Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe – The Old Crow Medicine Show
Good time video almost pushed this higher. Lots of granola and moonshine for this crunchy group of hippie/ roots rockers on a classic, train bound for glory.
3: Bob Dylan. “Slow Train Coming”
Just a good song. Underrated Dylan. Good live version. Alabama angle:
I had a woman out in Alabama, She’s a backwoods girl but she sure was realistic
She said, boy, without a doubt, you got to kick your mess and straighten out, you could die down here, just be another accident statistic
2: Gladys Knight and the Pips. “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
‘I’d rather live in his world than live without him in mine.’ Enough said.
1 (Tie): Johnny Cash. “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Yes, I copped out and have two as my No. 1. A tie. But I got to those last two and they are such great train songs which by definition must have a train-whistle ache about them. After doing this, I looked back and realized I don’t have ‘Peace Train’ by Cat Stevens or some other popular choices for train songs (e.g. Last Train to Clarksville)
But when it came to final two, I could not choose between them. Cop out, yes. But you tell me what to cut. Nevermind, I know which one it will be.
Anyway, it should not be this Cash song. You could do a whole top 10 train songs by Cash alone. And this song might arguably be called a prison song. However, I say, this has one of the most recognizable openings of any train song ever. “I hear the train a coming, it’s coming around the bend.” The train where people are in fancy dining cars, he laments, reminds him every day of his lost freedom.
1 (Tie)_ Peter Paul and Mary. “500 Miles”
Shuddup. I will defend this No. 1 pick to the ends of the earth or at least 500 miles.
Here is my other honorable mention: Runaway Train by Soul Asylum and I was considering Clash “Train in Vain,” then I realized that except in the title, there’s no train a-comin’ in the lyrics. In fact, no train at all unless I’m missing something.