Love's Train
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"Love's Train" is a song by American R&B and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
band Con Funk Shun from their tenth studio album, '' To the Max'' (1982). The song was written by Con Funk Shun frontmen Michael Cooper and Felton C. Pilate II, and produced by the band. Cooper wrote the song to a music track created by Pilate with different lyrics. It is an R&B,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
and quiet storm song that includes a "steering bass guitar", "glittering keys", and "synth-centric flair of '80s R&B". Lyrically, the song is based on a real-life
love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...
, involving Cooper and Pilate. Since its release, the song has received praise from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, with the majority commending the band's vocals. While the song was never released as a single, it has since become an audience favorite and a signature song for the band. The song has since appeared on multiple
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
s, and has been re-recorded and remastered in 2010. The song was covered by Dru Hill on their 1996 eponymous album and by
Silk Sonic Silk Sonic is an American Supergroup (music), musical superduo composed of musicians Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. The duo released their debut single, "Leave the Door Open", in March 2021. They later released "Skate (song), Skate" in July 2 ...
in 2022, as a commemorative song for
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
; the latter's version peaked at number 47 on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
.


Background

During an interview with '' Vibe'', Felton Pilate affirmed that he wrote a song called "Baby Please Come Home", the original version of "Love's Train", for the '' To the Max'' album. After Michael Cooper heard the song, he asked for a copy of the track without the original lyrics. Cooper decided to create new lyrics for the song, which made the final cut of the track. Initially, Pilate didn't enjoy the new lyrics and it "took about a week before the other group members" convinced him. Pilate explained, that the "original version was a softer, more laid-back thing", while Cooper's version "was full of hard, gritty emotion". Usually, Con Funk Shun would listen to the finished songs together and they voted the songs they wanted to submit to
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
. Initially, they heard Pilate's original track, along with other songs, and only afterward Cooper's reworked version was played. At this point, they affirmed having already listened to the song, but Cooper said that his version was different. Only "halfway through the song" the band noticed the lyrics concerned with "what had happened between Pilate and Cooper". When they counted the votes, "Love's Train" received the most. Later, Pilate wanted to remove his music, which, according to Cooper "would've killed the song." Danny Thomas, Con Funk Shun's keyboard player, told Pilate he was crazy because the song was a hit. Pilate felt was sorry, then "they all began laughing".


Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Love's Train" is a R&B, funk, and quiet storm ballad. Its instrumentation includes a "steering
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
", "glittering keys", and "synth-centric flair of '80s R&B". The song was written by Cooper and Pilate II, and produced by Con Funk Shun. It was mastered by Chris Bellman at Allen Zentz in Los Angeles. "Love's Train" was written about "a
love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...
Cooper and Pilate found themselves in, both lovelorn and yearning". The songwriters have acknowledged there was no awkwardness during the writing sessions. One day, a young lady showed up at the studio in San Francisco and Pilate "moved on her quickly". After a month of relationship, she told Cooper that she wanted him, instead of Pilate. At this point, Cooper thought the woman had left Pilate, but she was "juggling" both of them. One night Cooper showed up at her apartment and she was with Pilate. The former told Pilate " by chance you let me come up, we can talk about this"; these words would become the bridge in "Love's Train". Cooper decided to go home and poured out his sorrow into the lyrics of a song, which started "warm night, can't sleep, too hurt, too weak, gotta call her up". Cooper wrote the song to a music track created by Pilate, but with different lyrics.


Reception and promotion

According to
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Craig Lytle, "the romance in the song is manifested by the guitar and piano rhythms". Lytle, affirmed the lead tenor, performed by Cooper, was "husky and smooth". Matt Doria from ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' described Con Funk Shun's vocals as "ultra-suave and honeyed". Since its release, "Love's Train" has become an audience favorite and a signature song for the band. "Love's Train" was included as the seventh track on Con Funk Shun's tenth studio album ''To the Max'', released in 1982 by Mercury Records. The original recording was never released as a single. "Love's Train" has appeared on numerous
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
s, including ''The Best of Con Funk Shun'' (1993), ''20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Con Funk Shun'' (2002), and ''Touch/Con Funk Shun 7/To the Max'' (2011). The song was re-recorded and remastered in 2010. Con Funk Shun first performed "Love's Train" on '' Soul Train'' in 1983 and later for Funky Nights: United We Funk All Stars, which was released on a DVD in 2003. In 1996, the song was covered by Dru Hill on their eponymous album. After listening to Dru Hill's cover, Pilate was "surprised and honored."


Silk Sonic version

The American superduo
Silk Sonic Silk Sonic is an American Supergroup (music), musical superduo composed of musicians Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. The duo released their debut single, "Leave the Door Open", in March 2021. They later released "Skate (song), Skate" in July 2 ...
, which consists of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, recorded a version of "Love's Train" as a commemorative song for
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
. It was released as the album's fourth single on February 14, 2022, by
Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre in 1996. It operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed through Interscope Records. The label's roster includes artists ...
and
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
. "Love's Train" was later added to ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'' on streaming services and included on the webstore exclusive
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
recording. The
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and funk song was produced by Mars and D'Mile. "Love's Train" was well received by
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, who praised Mars and .Paak's vocals and commitment to the original version. To promote "Love's Train", Silk Sonic performed it at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. It won Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.


Background

Felton Pilate confessed that the group was surprised by the Silk Sonic's cover, as not only the latter didn't contact them, but Con Funk Shun's publishing company didn't tell Pilate about Silk Sonic's intention to record a cover of "Love's Train". He was grateful and humbled that Silk Sonic chose their song. Regarding the cover's production Pilate felt that Mars and .Paak were able "to keep the original emotion, and the energy behind it". He furthered, that Silk Sonic and D'Mile studied the original song in order to recapture its authenticity, and added some new sounds that Con Funk Shun could have done if they could cover their track. On February 14, 2022, Mars announced the release of Con Funk Shun's "Love's Train" cover, via
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
. He also affirmed that it is one of his and .Paak's favorite songs to play and cover. Paak wrote on his Instagram account, "We wanna dedicate this to that special someone!" In a similar publication, Silk Sonic typed on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, "We love this song so much we wanted to sing it for y'all". A press release described the track as one of Mars and .Paak’s "favorite songs".


Production

"Love's Train" was written by Michael Cooper and Felton C. Pilate II. The cover version was produced by Mars and D'Mile. Kameron Whalum sang background vocals and played the trombone. John Fossit played the piano, while Maurice Brown was in charge of the trumpet and Dwayne Dugger played the sax. Jamareo Artis played the bass, Mateus Asato the guitar fuzz, and Ella Feingold the rhythm guitar. Jimmy King played the tambourine as Eric Hernandez was in charge of the congas. Emma Kummrow, Luigi Mazzocchi, and Blake Espy played violin with Gared Crawford, Charlene Kwas, and Ghislaine Fleischmann. Jonathan Kim and Yoshihiko Nakano were on the viola. Larry Gold, with assistant Steve Tirpak, arranged and conducted the strings at Milkboy Studios, while Cody Cichowski recorded the strings. Charles Moniz, with engineering assistant Alex Resoagli, engineered and recorded the song at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios. Serban Ghenea mixed "Love's Train" at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, with mix engineer Bryce Bordone. It was mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound, NYC.


Composition

Musically, the "Love's Train" cover is a "silky and smooth" 1970s
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
and
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
song. It is composed in the key of
A Major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...
with a
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 70 beats per minute. The singers'
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
s span from the low note of E4 to a high note of E6. According to ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' Larisha Paul, Mars and D'Mile "added the bounce of Silk Sonic's signature groove, picking up the pace of the original". The cover version kept most of the original instrumentation. However, the 1980s R&B synths were replaced with "balmy horns and analogue production", as the Silk Sonic version is centered around the 1970s decade. Andy Bustard, writing for ''
HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...
'', said the duo changed "the '80s production for lush, analog instrumentation that would sound at home in the previous decade". Bustard added that they "apply a fresh sonic coat to the love ballad".
Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...
's Aaron Williams described the bass as "buzzing" and the horns as "soaring".


Release

"Love's Train" was released on February 14, 2022, by
Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre in 1996. It operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed through Interscope Records. The label's roster includes artists ...
and
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
as a commemorative song for
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
. On March 18,
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...
(WMG) issued the track for
radio airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
in Italy. On April 21, 2022, ''Billboard'' reported that "Love's Train" was the album's fourth single, with no official date of release in the United States. In February, the song was added to Silk Sonic's debut album '' An Evening with Silk Sonic'' on digital and streaming services and it was also included on the webstore exclusive
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
recording.


Reception

"Love's Train" was met with acclaim from music critics. The song was included on '' Under the Radar'' Songs of the Week on February 18, 2022, as part of the Honorable Mentions. Eddie Fu, writing for '' Consequence'', dubbed the song as Silk Sonic's latest "soundtrack for...ahem adult activities". Fu commented that both Mars and .Paak stayed "true" to Con Funk Shun's original and "easily slip into their seductive role". Similarly, Doria also found Silk Sonic to be "largely faithful to the five-minute jam". Doria called Silk Sonic's version "expectedly sensual...soulful and groove-laden". ''Billboard'' Jason Lipshutz compared the best songs on ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'' to the cover version of "Love's Train", saying "the homage pops with modern production and two self-assured vocal performances". Bustar affirmed that "Silk Sonic's rendition stays faithful" to the original version. Bustar praised the merge of Mars "soaring falsetto", and .Paak's "raspy timber" as it "adds more sensuality to the Valentine's Day jam." Jordan Darville of ''
The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...
'' commented that while "the aesthetic of Silk Sonic may seem tongue-in-cheek, the music and the duo's appreciation for the era they're channeling certainly isn't". In a mixed review,
Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...
's Williams called Silk Sonic's vocals "velvety", and noted that despite being a
love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...
, "it's as much about the messiness as anything on their debut album". "Love's Train" peaked at number 47 on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
. It failed to reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, though entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100, which acts as an extension of the former chart, peaking at number 111. "Love's Train" spent thirteen weeks on the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Adult R&B Songs chart. It won Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.


Live performances

Silk Sonic performed the song live at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. They were joined on stage by a band and two backup singers, both wearing "maroon leisure suits", while the band used "complementing outfits". The performance included a "fully choreographed routine" by Silk Sonic and everyone on stage. It was well received by critics. ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...
'' Zach Seemayer‍ dubbed Silk Sonic's performance as one of the show highlights, "flawless '70s crooning that is every bit as smooth as their name wound lead you to expect." Melissa Ruggieri writing for ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' placed Silk Sonic's performance as the fifth-best of the show. Ruggieri noticed the "pelvic thrusts and Temptations-styled dancing". Austin Williams from '' Vibe'' commended Silk Sonic's singing and choreography. Starr Bowenbank of ''Billboard'' magazine praised "their smooth dance skills". The duo also sang "Love's Train" during the concert residency,
An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM was a concert residency by American R&B superduo Silk Sonic, held at Dolby Live in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The concert residency was promoted by Live Nation and MGM Resorts. Background and developme ...
(2022).


Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''An Evening with Silk Sonic''. *Bruno Mars – vocals, production *Anderson .Paak – vocals, drums *Kameron Whalum – background vocals, trombone *Michael Cooper – songwriting * Felton C. Pilate II – songwriting * D'Mile – production *John Fossit – piano * Maurice Brown – trumpet *Dwayne Dugger – sax * Jamareo Artis – bass * Mateus Asato – guitar fuzz *Ella Feingold – rhythm guitar *Jimmy King – tambourine *Eric Hernandez – congas *Larry Gold – strings conduction, arrangement * Steve Tirpak – arrangement assistant *Cody Chicowski – strings recording *Emma Kummrow – violin *Luigi Mazzocchi – violin *Blake Espy – violin *Gared Crawford – violin *Charlene Kwas – violin *Ghislaine Fleischmann – violin *Jonathan Kim – viola *Yoshihiko Nakano – viola *Glenn Fischbach – cello * Charles Moniz – recording, engineering *Alex Resoagli – engineering assistant * Serban Ghenea – mixing *Bryce Bordone – mixing engineering * Randy Merrill – mastering


Charts


Release history


References

{{Authority control 1982 songs 2022 singles Anderson .Paak songs Bruno Mars songs Con Funk Shun songs Silk Sonic songs Atlantic Records singles Quiet storm songs