Downtown Train

"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 boxer Jake LaMotta and Neith Hunter.

"Downtown Train"
Single by Tom Waits
from the album Rain Dogs
B-side	"Tango Till They're Sore"
Released	November 1985
Recorded	1985 (1985)
Studio	RCA (New York City)
Genre	Rock[1]
Length	3:53
Label	Island
Songwriter(s)	Tom Waits
Producer(s)	Tom Waits
Tom Waits singles chronology
"Hang Down Your Head" (1985) "Downtown Train" (1985) "Hang On St. Christopher" (1987)

Rod Stewart version

"Downtown Train"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album The Best of Rod Stewart
Released	November 1989
Length	4:40
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Tom Waits
Producer(s)	Trevor Horn[2]
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"This Old Heart of Mine" (1989) "Downtown Train" (1989) "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1990)

Rod Stewart recorded a cover version that became a number-three 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. The song went to number one in Canada and made the top ten on the UK Singles Chart in 1990. Stewart received a Grammy nomination for the song in the category Best Male Pop Vocal performance.^[3] Originally released as a non-album single, Stewart's version of "Downtown Train" was included on some editions of his 1991 album Vagabond Heart.

Other recordings

Bob Seger also recorded a version of "Downtown Train" in 1989 before Rod Stewart recorded his version. Seger claimed that on a trip to London he told Rod Stewart he had recorded a version of "Downtown Train" and then one month later Rod Stewart recorded his version. Rod Stewart and his management have denied that Rod Stewart stole the idea from Bob Seger. Seger decided not to release his version in 1989 as originally planned but instead re-recorded it in 2011 for his album Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets.^[4]

Patty Smyth released a version in 1987 that reached number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100. The promo video for the song was directed by David Fincher.

Mary Chapin Carpenter also released a cover version in 1987 on her debut album Hometown Girl.

Everything but the Girl's acoustic cover, also recorded in 1989 and later put on the reissue of The Language of Life, was used for the climactic scene of the 2014's final episode of the long-running series How I Met Your Mother. Music supervisor Andy Gowan says that Carter Bays "basically put it in the script, and wrote that script with that song in mind"; Gowan described the song as "heartbreakingly beautiful" and captured both the "sweet and romantic" and the "somber, dark part" of the scene.^[5]

Personnel

• Tom Waits – vocals, guitar
• Michael Blair – percussion
• Robert Quine – guitar
• G. E. Smith – guitar
• Mickey Curry – drums
• Tony Levin – bass
• Robby Kilgore – organ

Charts

Patty Smyth version

Chart (1987)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[6]	95
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[7]	40

Rod Stewart version

Weekly charts Chart (1989–1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[8] 29 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[10] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 25 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 16 Ireland (IRMA)[13] 13 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[14] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 42 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 30 UK Singles (OCC)[17] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 3 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] 1 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20] 1 West Germany (GfK)[21] 39

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[22] 5 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[23] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[24] 37 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[25] 18 US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[26] 18

Bob Seger version

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peak position US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[27] 17

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[28] 46

See also

• List of RPM number-one singles of 1990
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1990 (U.S.)
• List of Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 1990s
• List of train songs