"Long Train Runnin" (or "Long Train Running") is a song recorded by

the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

and written by band member Tom Johnston. It was included on the band's 1973 album ''

The Captain and Me ''The Captain and Me'' is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on March 2, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. It features some of their most popular hits including "Long Train Runnin'", " China Gr ...

'' and was released as a single, becoming a hit and peaking at No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by the Italian band Traks in 1982, and then by the British girl group

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...

in 1991. In 1993, the Doobie Brothers' version was

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

ed and charted again in several countries, including reaching No. 7 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Origin

The tune evolved from an untitled and mostly ad-libbed jam that the Doobies developed onstage years before it was finally recorded. Its working title, according to Johnston, was "Rosie Pig Moseley" and later "Osborn". "I didn't want to cut it," Johnston later confessed. "...I just considered it a bar song without a lot of merit.

Teddy Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer * Tedd ...

empleman on the other hand, thought it had some." Templeman convinced Johnston to write words to the song. Johnston performed the lead vocal and the rhythmic guitar strumming that propels the song and also performs the harmonica solo.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described it as "good-timey, good-harmony AM cooker." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' praised the Doobies' "fine harmony and musical prowess." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated "Long Train Runnin the Doobie Brothers' second-greatest song, especially praising the guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

. The staff of ''

'' rated it as the Doobie Brothers' sixth-best song, noting how Johnston's and Patrick Simmons' "punchy guitars" contrast with "the jammy

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

s" in the bass and drums.

Personnel

Source: * Tom Johnston –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

ARP synthesizer ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the 1970s before de ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Patrick Simmons Patrick Simmons (born October 19, 1948) is an American musician best known as a founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he has been the only consistent member of the band throughout their tenure. Simm ...

– guitar, ARP synthesizer, vocals *

Tiran Porter Tiran Calvin Porter (born September 26, 1948) is an American bass and guitar player, vocalist and composer, best known as a member of The Doobie Brothers from 1972 to 1980 and 1987 to 1992. Biography Porter graduated from Leuzinger High School in ...

– bass, vocals *

John Hartman John Hartman (March 18, 1950 – September 22, 2022)drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, vocals *

Michael Hossack Michael Joseph Hossack (October 17, 1946 – March 12, 2012) was an American drummer for the rock band The Doobie Brothers. Biography Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Hossack was known as "Big Mike" to his former band members. He started playin ...

– drums,

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

Charts

Original release

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Remixes

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other reissues

Certifications

Traks version

In 1982, Italian band Traks covered the song. This version charted in France and in West Germany, where it peaked at No. 62 and No. 18, respectively.

Track listing

* 7" single Polydor 2040 365 #"Long Train Runnin (short version) – 3:30 #"Drums Power" – 4:27

Charts

Bananarama version

English pop trio

's version of "Long Train Runnin appeared on their fifth studio album, '' Pop Life'' (1991), and was released as the album's third single in the UK. The group discovered the song when they were browsing through the record collection of

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

, producer of the ''Pop Life'' album. They needed one more tune to complete ''Pop Life'' and decided to go with a cover. The song reached No. 10 in Portugal, No. 18 in Ireland and No. 30 in the UK.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' noted that here, "

offers a pop/

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

version of the Doobie Brothers' classic rocker "Long Train Running"." He added, "Produced by

, this first single from the forthcoming "'' Pop Life''" album features guitar work from the

Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, t ...

, which provides a tough, rustic edge to an otherwise light and campy track. A fun one that could cross into radio territory."

Chuck Eddy Chuck Eddy (born November 26, 1960) is an American music journalist. Life and career Chuck Eddy was born in Detroit, Michigan. After starting his journalism career with ''The Village Voice'' and ''Creem'', where he published one of the first nati ...

from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' commented that "those

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

gods" help engineer the song "into a scary locomotive blues."

Music video

The Bananarama music video, directed by Nick Egan, features the group members dressed in Spanish gowns while attending a soirée with various guests at a castle. Scenes at a decorated dining table alternate with shots from bedrooms.

Track listing

* UK CD single NANCD 24 #"Long Train Running" (radio version) – 3:31 #:Remixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent #"Long Train Running" (Alma De Noche Mix) – 6:40 #:Remixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent #"Long Train Running" (Flamenco CD Mix) – 4:57 #"Outta Sight" – 4:30

Charts

References

{{authority control 1973 songs 1973 singles 1982 singles 1991 singles Bananarama songs The Doobie Brothers songs London Records singles Polydor Records singles Song recordings produced by Ted Templeman Songs about trains Songs written by Tom Johnston (musician) Warner Records singles Music Week number-one dance singles