08 October 2007

Tracking Down A Story




Manic Monday logo courtesy of Jannagraphics





Marvelous Mo has decreed that the Manic Monday word for today is "Track". As usual this produced any number of possibilities for me, but I kept coming back to the first record I ever bought for myself: The Wayward Wind by Gogi Grant

In a lonely shack by a railroad track
He spent his younger days
And I guess the sound of the outward bound
Made him a slave to his wandrin' ways

Add to this the fact that one of my favorite names for a girl comes from a song with a train in the lyrics, "And you see Laura on a train that is passing through. She gave your very first kiss to you, but she's only a dream".

Now this quite naturally made me think about train songs: Trains or tracks in the title, Name of a particular train, and events happening on a train. So I got out a paper and pen and by the time I got to the 50th song off the top of my head, it occurred to me (I can be a little slow at times) that song writers and singers from every imaginable genre like to write or sing about trains and you can make the instruments do such nice whiney sounds for the train whistle heard from the tracks when the train goes by.

The next trip was to my buddy Google. Is there a list of train songs? Of course there is ... three lonnnnnnnnnnnng pages of lists of train songs. One of the best is a blog done by a lady for her husband who loves trains: The Train Song Collection. Feel free to browse. You will be surprised at how many you not only recognize, but know well enough to sing a few bars.

This brings up the question. What is your favorite train song(s)?

Now on to You Tube for today's entertainment: Several sound tracks making up a concert of a few good train songs:

City of New Orleans - The Highway Men

Wabash Cannonball - Boxcar Willie

Take the A Train - Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald

Last Train To Clarksville - The Monkees

Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe - Judy Garland

Sentimental Journey - Les Brown & Doris Day

Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller Orchestra - Dorothy Dandridge singing and The Nicholas Brothers Dancing

And last but not least: 500 Miles - Peter, Paul and Mary




11 comments:

Anonymous said...

what a wonderful MM post. I have always loved songs that remind me of trains. I love the clickety clack of the train on a track.

Anonymous said...

Very good MM post! :)
I love it.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

nice to look back on memorable tracks..nice photo on B & W.happy MM!
mine is up now.

Gattina said...

Wow, with all these songs I just want to jump on a train and roll away !

Ian said...

I think my favorite train song is probably Crazy Train by Black Sabbath. Classic metal at its finest, and oh so much fun!

Ian

maryt/theteach said...

My favorite train song is in your list, Jamie. Chattanooga Choo Choo, won't you choo choo me home...
Ha!

marvelous post so very interesting!

Schmoop said...

I may have told you this before, but I saw PP&M some 15 years ago and they played that song. They were great. Cheers!!

Jenny McB said...

I almost went with the music route for this week also, but I kept coming back to Track of my tears and then thought of Grand Funk railroad. Your post was great, railroads were such a huge influence in our history. Bet you wouldn't find that many songs about flying!

Sarge Charlie said...

winners:
city of NO
WABASH CANNONBALL
LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO

ah heck, I like all of them

Linda said...

When I think of train songs, I always think of the "Folsom Prison Blues" because of the very first line ... I hear the train a'comin, it's rollin' round the bend .... I know it isn't a train song per say but it certainly exemplifies the whole loneliness aspect of a train coming and going.

Had I had the time to do a MM post this week I had the perfect one as while we were visiting at Gillette Castle it turned out that it was the weekend where they unveiled the newly restored small train engine that William Gillette had owned and which he used on the three miles of track that he had on his property. He had both one steam engine and one electric engine and used to entertain such guests as President Truman and Albert Einstein with them.

My grandfather always loved trains so consequently I inherited that from him. They made up such a large part of the history of our country; without them it would have been a lot tougher to settle the West or make a good Western for the movies or TV!

katherine. said...

great idea for tracks!