The third post on My Top 100 Tracks.
When I recently told my partner this was one of my top 100 favourite tracks of all time and played it to her she laughed. I think it was a bit unexpected to her that I would like a song like this. She came along when I was in my 50s so had missed my earlier years of music listening. But she wasn't the only one surprised someone like me would like a track like this - more on that below. Here is a fantastic video of the O'Jays performing Love Train on the American music show Soul Train. Look at the great dancing.
When I chose my top 100 tracks there were 80 or so I was sure about and another 20 I was a bit unsure would stay in the top 100 as I mulled it over. This song was in the unsure 20. But the more I've listened to and thought about it the more it's become a definite top 100 track for me.
I was surprised to see that the song was released in 1972 and became a hit in 1973. I was 9 in 1973 so quite young to be picking up on pop music, or maybe not it seems. I do remember this as one that was on the radio and part of my world at the time. With a very catchy tune that stuck in my mind and made me feel good - what else would you want from a pop song. I'm not sure at the time I was that aware of the world peace theme, but maybe I was.
The O'Jays were a soul trio but also very much part of the wider pop and disco culture at the time. Disco was becoming really big about this time and this felt like one of the key early disco tracks, for me at least. There was zero chance of me going to discos or dancing in any context at all, but I loved disco music. There is a train-like feel to the song for me, rhythmic, pushing along, and progressing at a good steady reliable pace. A video for the song features children holding hands and hugging each other and the O'Jays members, with trains and a train station the context. It's lovely. It must have been filmed on an extremely low budget, you'll see why I say that. It's one of the things I like about the video. It's just simple and straight.
The song asks us to join hands across the world and start a love train. It mentions England, Russia, and China. It was written during the Cold War. It also mentions Egypt and Israel who had been at war and the whole continent of Africa (where post-independence conflicts had been going on in places). Japan crops up late on. Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon had been released three or four years earlier. The Vietnam War, going on at the time it was written, but ending when it was released, is not directly mentioned, but war is. Love Train was written (and produced) by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who often addressed social and political issues. They were prolific songwriters and wrote quite a few classics. Another of their songs makes my top 100 - to be covered in a future post. The O'Jays objected to the hate-inciter fascist Donald Trump using the song, one which aimed to promote unity.
Less than 10 years after first hearing Love Train I was very involved in the peace movement, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and founded and stayed at the Daws Hill Peace Camp. More than 30 years later I was writing a book on globalisation, questioning liberal views of the world as cosmopolitan and emphasising more the conflictual nature of the global world. But thankfully the O'Jays were still urging us to join hands across the world in a love train, with no sign they must have performed the song thousands of times by then.
I was very into soul in my teens but at my (very white) school I don't remember anyone else was. It was seen as odd for me to like soul music. I was a white middle-class kid from the home counties in Southern England, who listened to rock and punk. Even at my more diverse college where I did A levels between 16-18 years old, there was not much interest in soul, amongst my circle of friends at least. It wasn't until I got to university that I found others who liked the soul music I loved. I liked the music but also in the 1970s watching the synchronised dancing and the flamboyant clothes of some of the soul groups on Top of the Pops. There are several soul tracks in my top 100, more to come in future posts.
Come on. People all over the world, join hands, start a love train.
Lyrics:
People all over the world (Hit by it)
Join hands (Join)
Start a love train (You)
Love train (And you)
People all over the world (All over, nah)
Join hands (Love right)
Start a love train (Love right)
Love train
The next stop that we make will be England
Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too
Don't you know that it's time to get on board?
And let this train keep on riding, riding on through
(Well, well)
People all over the world (We don't need nobody)
Join hands (Come on)
Start a love train (Don't need)
Love train (Take it, come on)
People all over the world (Right)
Join hands (Ride this train, y'all)
Start a love train (Come on)
Love train
All of you brothers over in Africa
Tell all the folks in Egypt, and Israel, too
Please don't miss this train at the station
'Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you
(Well)
People all over the world (Sisters and Brothers)
Join hands (Join, come on)
Start a love train (Ride this train)
Love train (Come on, love train)
People all over the world (Don't need no tickets)
Join hands (Come on, ride)
Start a love train (Ride)
Love train (Ride)
Ride
Let it ride
Let it ride
Let it ride
People, ain't no war
People all over the world (This train)
Join hands (Ride the train)
Start a love train (Yeah)
Love train (Come to Japan, y'all)
People all over the world (Come on)
Join hands (You should be glad to stand)
Start a love train (Yeah)
Love train (Making love)
People all over the world ('Round the world, y'all)
Join hands (Come on)
Start a love train (Goin' over and meet ya)
Love train
People all over the world (Ride)
Join hands (Come on and meet y'all)
Start a love train (Ride)
Love train (All over the world)
People all over the world (Come on, love train)
Join hands
Start a love train (Yeah)
Love train (Get on)
People all over the world
Join hands