Det er hundrevis av sanger som er togrelaterte. Det er vanligere å skrive om kveldstog enn om morgentog. Helst skriver man gjerne om det siste toget. Toget kan være både svart og blått, og det kan være brukt som metafor. En togreise kan f.eks være livsløpet.
Flere sanger er gjort i utallige versjoner og jeg lar meg friste til å velge den versjonen jeg liker best, og det er ikke nødvendigvis orginalen. Jeg har også valgt å velge bort instrumentaler. John Coltrane’s «Blue Train» for eksempel, er en tidløs klassiker. Jeg har valgt å nevne femten låter, men uten å rangere dem i rekkefølge. Så her er min, Terje Hanstad, sin personlige liste.
Love in vain – Rolling Stones
City of New Orleans – Willie Nelson
Freedom Train – James Carr
Black train – The Gun Club
Town with no cheer – Tom Waits
Texas 1947 – Guy Clark
John Hardy – Uncle Tupelo
Smokestack Lightning – Howling Wolf
Ramblin’ Man – Hank Williams
Casey’s last ride – Kris Kristofferson
Folsom prison blues – Johnny Cash
Midnighttrain to Georgia – Gladys Knight & the Pips
Smoke along the track – Emmylou Harris
3:10 to Yuma – Sandy Denny
In a station – The Band
I tillegg til min egen liste har jeg også fått kollegaer og artistvenner til å samle sammen en liste med favorittlåter om tog. Videre nedover artikkelen får dere servert listene og helt nederst finner dere Dust of Daylight sin samlede spilleliste med togrelaterte sanger.
I HEARD THAT LONESOME WHISTLE BLOW – HANK WILLIAMS SR.
No Train list is complete without a Hank song. This was always my favorite of his train themed tunes.
IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY – BOB DYLAN
One of my favorite Dylan tracks and it’s off of the groundbreaking HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED album. Classic Dylan.
GEORGIA ON A FAST TRAIN – BILLY JOE SHAVER
This album was a huge influence on me in the early 90s. I was just entering my 20’s and this album was so refreshing and different than anything on country radio at the time. It blew me away. Re-introduced me to the great songwriter that Billy Joe was and produced by fabulous RS Field.
DESPERADOS WAITING FOR A TRAIN – GUY CLARK
Guy is one of my all time favorite songwriters and this is a classic TX Story Song. The chorus is infectious.
LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Originally released on LIVE IN NYC (and my favorite version), a studio version was released few years later on The Boss’ WRECKING BALL album. Building on the long tradition of using trains as metaphors, this is Bruce at his best form here. Plenty of realism with a dose of Hope, always felt like a Gospel song to me.
LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE – THE MONKEES
My Aunt and Uncle and cousins lived in Clarksville, TN for awhile and I always loved this song as a kid because it mentioned a TN town. Stands up over time as a solid pop/rock tune in my opinion as well.
ASHEVILLE SPECIAL – TWO DOLLAR GUITAR
I’m not sure where I first came across this track. I have spent a lot of time in Asheville, North Carolina over the years and I picture the Mountain town in the old days when I hear this instrumental track. It is on an album appropriately titled TRAIN SONGS.
DANVILLE GIRL – RAMBLING JACK ELLIOT
My hometown Woodbury, Tennessee was once called Danville and I love history so I was drawn to this song envisioning my old town (which never had a railroad) back in the 1800s.
MYSTERY TRAIN PART II -STEVE EARLE
This was Earle’s comeback album after sobering up in the 90s. This track kicked off the album and set the tone for a one of his best.
NEXT STOP REDEMPTION – STEPHEN SIMMONS
Like most Songwriter’s I’ve written my share of train songs too. This is off of 2006’s DRINK RING JESUS album; thought for good measure I’d throw one of my own on the list.
*I know I’ve left many off the list that I love!
Georgia on a fast train – Shaver
City of New Orleans – Steve Goodman
Midnightrain to Georgia – Gladys Knight & the Pips
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Play a train song – Todd Snider
Train kept a rollin’ – Johnny Burnette
Train in vain – the Clash
People get ready – The Impressions
Downtown train – Tom Waits
Train song – Tom Waits
Rune Letrud
Train in the Distance – Paul Simon
Play a Train Song – Todd Snider
Wreck Of the Old 97 – Eddy Arnold
Let the Train Whistle Blow” (Johnny Cash) – Old 97’s versjon
It Was A Train – Otis Gibbs
Train – Uncle Tupelo
Frustration Train – The Rainmakers
Train – Blue Rodeo
A Train Bound For Glory – Pete Molinari
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – The Band
Night Train To Memphis – Roy Acuff
Northbound – Cold Chisel
Only A Hobo – Bob Dylan
Walkin’ Down The Line – Bob Dylan
Railroad Worksong – Notting Hillbillies
I’m a Train Wreck – Old 97s
Sorrow Coming Down The Line – The Porter Draw
End Of The Line – The Traveling Wilburys
Plate: Boxcar Willie – Just Train Songs
Jan Eiesland
Guy Clark – Texas 1947
Guy Clark – Desperados Waiting For A Train
Fred Eaglesmith – 49 Tons
Fred Eaglesmith – Freight Train
New Riders of The Purple Sage – Glendale Train
Scott Miller & The Commonwealth – Amtrak Crescent
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Downbound Train
The Carter Family – Wabash Cannonball
Dillard & Clark – Train Leaves Here This Morning
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tuesday’s Gone
Jan Kristoffer Dale
Norman Blake – “The Weathered Old Caboose Behind The Train”
Utah Phillips “Wabash Cannonball/Tolono”, “Queen of the Rails”, “Starlight on the Rails”, Daddy’ What’s a Train?”
Greg Brown – “The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home”
Doc Watson – “Greenville Trestle High”
Johnny Cash – “Let the Train blow the whistle”
Tom Russell – “The Next thing smokin'”
Dave Alvin – “Jubilee Train”
Steve Earle – “Mystery Train pt II & “Texas Eagle”
Hank Williams – “Lonesome Whistle”
Elizabeth Cotten – “Freight Train”
Joe Ely – “95 South”
Bill Morrissey – “Night Train”
The Gibson Brothers – “Railroad Line”
John Hiatt – “Train to Birmingham” (Kevin Welch)
Rune Torsteinsen
Morning Train – John Prine
Train Leaves Here This Morning – Dillard & Clark
Workin’ For The MTA – Justin Townes Earle
Morning Train – David Francey
A Train Robbery – Leveon Helm
Night Train – Mark Erelli
Train To Jackson – Jeffrey Foucault
Desperados Waiting For A Train – Guy Clark
Hey, Hey Train – Johnny Cash
Number Nine Train – Tarheel Slim
Roald Hansen
True Believers – Train Round The Bend
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Trains
The Vapors – Trains
Boz Scaggs – Waiting For A Train
Alone At 3AM – Watching Trains
Andi Almqvist & The Employees – Black Train
An American Underdog – Train
Bad Livers – Ghost Train
Richard Barone – Waiting For The Train
Be Bop Deluxe – No Trains To Heaven
Bedouin Soundclash – Nico On The Night Train
Belle Adair – Losing My Train
The Count Bishops – The Chiswick
Blue Rodeo – Train
Eddie Christiansen
Elvis Presley – Mystery Train x 10
