Downtown Train

"Downtown Train"
Single by Tom Waits
from the album Rain Dogs
Released	1985
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Tom Waits

"Downtown Train" is a song by Tom Waits released on his album Rain Dogs in 1985.

The promo video for the song was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and features the boxer Jake LaMotta.

Rod Stewart recorded a cover version that became a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after being released as a single in late 1989, and was also a number-one single on the album rock and adult contemporary charts.^[1] The song went to number-one in Canada and made the top ten on the UK Singles Chart in 1990. Stewart also received a Grammy nomination for the song in the category Best Male Pop Vocal performance.^[2] Stewart's cover featured the slide guitar playing of Jeff Beck, who also appeared on the music video.

Other artists who have covered "Downtown Train" include Mary Chapin Carpenter, who included it on her debut album Hometown Girl in 1987; and Patty Smyth, who released a version that same year that reached #95 on the Billboard Hot 100. Everything But the Girl also produced an acoustic cover of the song. Bob Seger also recorded a cover version of "Downtown Train" in 1989, but he opted not to release it because Stewart's version had been released earlier. On February 28, 2011, Seger finally released his version of the song as a single, which is also part of the retrospective album Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets. The German band The Piano Has Been Trinking included a version of Downtown Train (Rude Jolf) on their 1990 album The Piano Has Been Trinking which only consists of cover versions of Tom Waits songs in Kölsch dialect (Colognian).

The Swedish artist Moneybrother released a Swedish version of the song; it is included on his album Pengabrorsan. Austrian hardcore/punk band Rentokill recorded a cover of the track for their 2009 EP The O.S.E.

Contents 1 Chart performance 1.1 Patty Smyth version 1.2 Rod Stewart version 1.3 Bob Seger version 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

Chart performance

Patty Smyth version

Chart (1987)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	95
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	40

Rod Stewart version

Chart (1989-1990)	Peak position
Canadian Singles Chart	1
German Singles Chart	39
Irish Singles Chart	13
Dutch Single Chart	42
New Zealand Singles Chart	30
UK Singles Chart	10
US Billboard Hot 100	3
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	1

Bob Seger version

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[3]	17

See also

• List of RPM number-one singles of 1990
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1990 (U.S.)
• List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)

References

External links

• AllMusic.com track review

Tom Waits Studio albums Closing Time The Heart of Saturday Night Nighthawks at the Diner Small Change Foreign Affairs Blue Valentine Heartattack and Vine Swordfishtrombones Rain Dogs Franks Wild Years Bone Machine The Black Rider Mule Variations Blood Money Alice Real Gone Bad as Me Live albums Big Time Romeo Bleeding: Live From Austin Glitter and Doom Live Soundtrack albums One from the Heart Night on Earth Compilation albums Bounced Checks Anthology of Tom Waits Asylum Years The Early Years, Volume One The Early Years, Volume Two Beautiful Maladies Used Songs 1973–1980 Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards Notable songs "Ol' '55" "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening with Pete King)" "Somewhere" "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" "Romeo Is Bleeding" "Kentucky Avenue" "Heartattack and Vine" "Jersey Girl" "Downtown Train" "Way Down in the Hole" "Young at Heart" "Bad as Me" Tours Real Gone Tour The Orphans Tour Glitter and Doom Tour Related articles Kathleen Brennan Greg Cohen Rickie Lee Jones Marc Ribot Larry Taylor Chuck E. Weiss Portal:Music Commons:Tom Waits

Rod Stewart singles 1970s "It's All Over Now" (1970) · "Reason to Believe"/"Maggie May" (1971) · "(I Know) I'm Losing You"/"Mandolin Wind" (1971) · "Handbags and Gladrags" (1972) · "You Wear It Well" (1972) · "Angel" (1972) · "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" (1972) · "Twistin' the Night Away" (1973, 1987) · "Oh! No Not My Baby" (1973) · "Farewell" / "You Send Me" (1973) · "Mine for Me" (1974) · "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything" (1974) Stewart/Faces · "Sailing" (1975) · "This Old Heart of Mine" (1975) · "Tonight's the Night" (1975) · "The Killing of Georgie" (1976) · "Get Back" (1976) · "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1977) · "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1977, 1990) · "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (1978) · "Hot Legs" (1978) · "I Was Only Joking" (1978) · "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978, 1997) · "Ain't Love a Bitch" (1979) · "Blondes (Have More Fun)" (1979) 1980s "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" (1980) · "Young Turks" (1982) · "How Long?" (1982) · "Baby Jane" (1983) · "That's What Friends Are For" (1983) · "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (1984) · "All Right Now" (1984) · "People Get Ready" (1985, 1991, 1993) Stewart/Beck · "Love Touch" (1986) · "In My Life" (1987) · "Forever Young" (1988) · "My Heart Can't Tell You No" (1988) · "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" (1989)Stewart/Isley · "Downtown Train" (1989) 1990s "It Takes Two" (1990)Stewart/Turner · "Rhythm of My Heart" (1991) · "The Motown Song" (1991) · "Your Song" (1992) · "Ruby Tuesday" (1993) · "Have I Told You Lately" (1993) · "Reason to Believe" (unplugged, 1993)  · "All for Love" (1993) Stewart/Adams/Sting · "Lady Luck" (1996) · "Ooh La La" (1998) · "Rocks" (1998) · "Cigarettes and Alcohol" (1998) · "Faith of the Heart" (1999) 2000s "These Foolish Things" (2002) · "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (2003) · "Time After Time" (2003) · "What a Wonderful World" (2004) · "Blue Moon" (2004) · "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (2005) · "I've Got a Crush on You" (2005) · "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (2006) · "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (2006) · "Everybody Hurts" (2010)

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Bob Seger • Craig Frost • Chris Campbell • Alto Reed Drew Abbott • Charlie Allen Martin • Dave Teegarden • Rick Mannassa • Robyn Robbins • Dawayne Bailey The Bob Seger System albums Ramblin' Gamblin' Man • Noah • Mongrel Bob Seger solo albums Brand New Morning • Smokin' O.P.'s • Back in '72 • Seven • Beautiful Loser • Face the Promise Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band albums Night Moves • Stranger in Town • Against the Wind • The Distance • Like a Rock • The Fire Inside • It's a Mystery Live albums Live Bullet • Nine Tonight Compilations The Bob Seger Collection • Greatest Hits • Greatest Hits 2 • Early Seger Vol. 1 • Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets Songs "East Side Story" • "Heavy Music" • "2 + 2 = ?" • "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" • "Lucifer" • "Turn the Page" • "Get Out of Denver" • "Katmandu" • "Nutbush City Limits" • "Night Moves" • "Hollywood Nights" • "We've Got Tonite" • "Old Time Rock and Roll" • "Fire Lake" • "Against the Wind" • "You'll Accomp'ny Me" • "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You" • "Shame on the Moon" • "Roll Me Away" • "Fortunate Son" • "Like a Rock" • "Shakedown" • "Landing in London" (with 3 Doors Down) • "Wait for Me" • "Downtown Train" Related articles Discography • Gibson/Miller Band