List of train songs

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This article is about songs about the vehicle. For songs by the band, see Train discography.
"The Carrollton March"
March by Arthur Clifton
Sheet music for the first-known train song[1]
OccasionCommemoration of the groundbreaking for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
PublishedJuly 1, 1828 (1828-07-01): U.S.
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A train song is a song referencing passenger or freight railroads, often using a syncopated beat resembling the sound of train wheels over train tracks. Trains have been a theme in both traditional and popular music since the first half of the 19th century and over the years have appeared in all major musical genres, including folk, blues, country, rock, jazz, world, classical and avant-garde. While the prominence of railroads in the United States has faded in recent decades, the train endures as a common image in popular song.[2][3]

The earliest known train songs date to two years before the first public railway began operating in the United States. "The Carrollton March", copyrighted July 1, 1828, was composed by Arthur Clifton to commemorate the groundbreaking of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Another song written for the occasion, "Rail Road March" by Charles Meineke, was copyrighted two days after Clifton's, one day before the July 4 ceremonies. The number of train songs that have appeared since then is impossible to determine, not only because of the difficulties in documenting the songs but also in defining the genre.[1]

Following is a list of nearly 800 songs by artists worldwide, alphabetized by song title. Most have appeared on commercially released albums and singles and are notable for either their composers, the musicians who performed them, or their place in the history of the form. Besides recorded works, the list includes songs that preceded the first wax cylinder records of the late 1800s and were published as either broadsides or sheet music.

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  • "Under Your Thumb" (Kevin Godley, Lol Creme) by Godley & Creme[822]
  • "Underground Rail Car", also titled "Song of the Fugitive", (George N. Allen),[823] written and published 1854[824]
  • "U.S. Highball" by Harry Partch

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References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cohen 2000, pp. 39–41.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Green, Archie, ed. (1968). "Railroad Songs and Ballads: From the Archive of Folk Song" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  3. ^ Cohen 2000, p. 55.
  4. ^ "2:10 Train". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  5. ^ U.S. Copyright Office (1917). Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 3: Musical Compositions (PDF). New Series, Vol. 12, Part 2, Last Half of 1917. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. p. 967. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  6. ^ a b Jurek, Tom. "Jerry Douglas Band: What If". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  7. ^ Jurek, Tom. "Tom Waits: Orphans (Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards)". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
  8. ^ a b "2:19 Blues". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  9. ^ "Mamie's Blues". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  10. ^ a b "The Moonglows: Most of All: The Singles A's & B's". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  11. ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Sandy Denny: A Boxful of Treasures". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  12. ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "Various Artists: Always Something There: Burt Bacharach Collectors Anthology". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  13. ^ Rose, Caryn (10 October 2013). "The Who's 'Quadrophenia' At 40: Classic Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  14. ^ Cady, Brian. "'Quadrophenia' liner notes". The Hypertext Who. Archived from the original on 2 July 2010.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Corsini, K. (August 11, 2019). "Playlist: The B&V 50 Favorite Songs About Trains". bourbonandvinyl.net. Bourbon and Vinyl. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Chris Isaak: San Francisco Days". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  17. ^ Schofield, Derek (11 September 2005). "Obituary: Hedy West". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  18. ^ Cohen 2000, pp. 459.
  19. ^ "500 Miles". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  20. ^ "Five Hundred Miles". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Baker, Kevin (26 June 2014). "The Twenty-Three Best Train Songs Ever Written—Maybe". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Moby Grape: Moby Grape". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  23. ^ Waltz, Robert B.; Engle, David G. (2012). "Nine Hundred Miles". Folklore The Traditional Ballad Index: An Annotated Bibliography of the Folk Songs of the English-Speaking World. California State University, Fresno. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  24. ^ "900 Miles". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  25. ^ "Nine Hundred Miles". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  26. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Duke Ellington: Complete Columbia and RCA Victor Sessions". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  27. ^ "John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: The Best of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  28. ^ Nickson, Chris. "Coco Montoya: Dirty Deal". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  29. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Chuck Berry: You Never Can Tell: The Complete Chess Recordings 1960–1966". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  30. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Terry Garland: One to Blame". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  31. ^