"This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" is the final track on

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

's 2001 album ''

Songs from the West Coast ''Songs from the West Coast'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by English musician Elton John, released worldwide on 1 October 2001. Background For this album, Elton John once again collaborated with long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin, marking ...

''. Written by John and

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

, the song's lyrics detail John's fame being over and his coming to terms with getting older but still keep touring and giving great performances around the world. It was released as the second single from the album and reached No. 24 in the UK Singles chart and was a Top 10

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

hit in the US. The song was less successful in

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, reaching No. 83. The arrangement of the song was simple, a throwback to John's early piano-bass-drums combination prior to the arrival of guitarist

Davey Johnstone David William Logan Johnstone (born 6 May 1951) is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Career Johnstone was born in Edinburgh. At the age of s ...

to his band. John played this song and " American Triangle" on his concerts months before the album's release and at the Songs from the West Coast Tour in 2001–2002. After the tour ended, John performed this song on various locations until 2004.

Music video

The music video, directed by David LaChapelle with Pierre Rouger as cinematographer, presents a younger John played by

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

dressed in outfits typical of John in the 1970s; the video also features

Paul Reubens Paul Reubens (; ; August 27, 1952 – July 30, 2023) was an American actor and comedian, widely known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman. Born in Peekskill, New York and raised in both Oneonta, New York and Sarasota, Flo ...

Pee-wee Herman Pee-wee Herman is a comedy character created and portrayed by the American comedian Paul Reubens. He starred in films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an ...

fame as John Reid, John's manager of 25 years.

Personnel

*Elton John – piano, vocals *

Paul Bushnell Ednaswap was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, founded in 1993 and disbanded around 1998. Over a span of five years, the band released three albums and an EP through major label records East West, Elektra Records and Island Re ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session drummer, record producer and songwriter. He has played with various artists, including Pearl Jam, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, David Bowie, Tori Amos, Morrissey, The Wallflow ...

– drums *

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having writ ...

– backing vocals *

Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English drummer, best known for being a lifelong member of the Elton John Band. He has had an equally long career as a session musician and composed, recorded and produced albums as a solo artist. Ca ...

– backing vocals *

Paul Buckmaster Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Shawn Phillips, Elton Joh ...

– string arrangements

Covers

Country music artists

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...

and

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

covered the song for the 2018 tribute album '' Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin''.

Track listing

UK CD single No. 1

# "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" – 4:39 # "Did Anybody Sleep with Joan of Arc" – 4:18 # "

I Want Love "I Want Love" is a 2001 song by English musician Elton John, co-written with Bernie Taupin, released as the first single from his ''Songs from the West Coast'' album. The song reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the US, "I ...

" (live) – 4:34

UK CD single No. 2

# "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" – 4:39 # "American Triangle" (live) – 4:35 # " Philadelphia Freedom" (live) – 5:08

Alternative version

# "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" – 4:39 # "Did Anybody Sleep with Joan of Arc" – 4:18 # "I Want Love" (live) – 4:34 # "Philadelphia Freedom" (live) – 5:08

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2002 singles Elton John songs Music videos directed by David LaChapelle Songs with music by Elton John Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin 2001 songs The Rocket Record Company singles