"Love Train" is a hit single by the O'Jays, written by

Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

. Released in 1972, it reached No. 1 on both the R&B Singles and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February and March 1973 respectively, and No. 9 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 ...

and was certified gold by the RIAA. It was the O'Jays' first and only number one record on the US pop chart. The song has been considered one of the first songs of disco music. "Love Train" entered the Hot 100's top 40 on January 27, 1973,''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - the same day that the Paris Peace Accords were signed. The song's lyrics of unity mention a number of countries, including England, Russia, China, Egypt and Israel, as well as the continent of Africa. Recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios, the house band MFSB provided the backing. Besides its release as a single, "Love Train" was the last song on the O'Jays' album '' Back Stabbers''. "Love Train" was a 2006 inductee into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Music video

The music video shows a group of people forming a human chain near a railroad station, while at the same time, some railroad cars are shown in motion. Throughout the video, more people join in the chain, which they call the "Love Train". It was most likely filmed around the Northeast Corridor, as Long Island Rail Road

MP75 The ACMUs (short for Air Conditioned Multiple Unit) were a series of electric multiple unit railcars built for the New York Central railroad in three orders between 1950 and 1965. The ACMUs were intended to replace/supplement the original fleet o ...

railcars appear throughout the music video (in which the words "LONG ISLAND" are clearly visible), as well as

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

railcars, Penn Central railcars, and other railcars. It was recorded in 1973.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

By early 1974, The Supremes' line up (Wilson, Birdsong and Payne) adopted the song to perform in live appearances.

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

covered it for the 1989 soundtrack to the film '' Earth Girls Are Easy'', as well as Daryl Hall and his band joining the 2016 version of the O'Jays in a live version on Hall's '' Live from Daryl's House'' television show. The Rolling Stones played Love Train on their worldwide Licks Tour during 2002 and 2003. Roots rock 'n' roll band

The Yayhoos The Yayhoos are an American country rock group led by Eric "Rosco" Ambel (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts) with Dan Baird (The Georgia Satellites). They were called "the Traveling Wilbury's of Now Americana" and "the rig-rock supergroup from heck". ...

' take on the song appeared on their 2006 release, "Put The Hammer Down." Gospel Group Doc McKenzie and the Hi-Lites did a rendition in 2003. In 2006

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...

drummer Tommy Lee performed "Love Train" for the ending credits of '' Final Destination 3''. "Love Train" was sampled in the 1973 break-in record, " Super Fly Meets Shaft" (US #31). An Australasian cover was recorded in 1973 by Dalvanius Prime. Australian singer

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

performed a version during her 1991 Let's Get to It Tour. The Wiggles' album '' Racing to the Rainbow'' features a cover of Love Train on the deluxe edition of the CD. Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, James Corden and Ron Funches performed the song in the opening of ''

Trolls Holiday ''Trolls Holiday'' is a 2017 Christmas special that premiered on NBC on November 24, 2017. Based on the film ''Trolls'', the half-hour Christmas special was directed by Joel Crawford and produced by DreamWorks Animation. The main cast all reprise ...

''. Australian band

Human Nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

included it on their 2018 album ''

Romance of the Jukebox ''Romance of the Jukebox'' is the thirteenth studio album by Australian pop vocal group Human Nature (band), Human Nature set for release in August 2018. The album was supported by a "one night only" concert on 21 August 2018 at The Star in Sydn ...

''.

References

External links

* Song reviewon

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

* {{authority control 1972 songs 1972 singles 1973 singles The O'Jays songs Songs written by Leon Huff Songs written by Kenny Gamble Philadelphia International Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Disco songs Songs about India