Witha lineup that included original members Monahan, Rob Hotchkiss, Jimmy Stafford, Scott Underwood, and Charlie Colin, the band achieved mainstream success with their debut album Train. The album was released in 1998 with the hit "Meet Virginia". Train's 2001 album, Drops of Jupiter, contained the lead single "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". The single won two Grammy Awards in 2002, and the album was certified double platinum. Train's third studio album, My Private Nation, released in 2003, was certified platinum in the United States with the hit "Calling All Angels". Following the departures of Hotchkiss and Colin, the band released their fourth album, For Me, It's You in 2006, with Brandon Bush (keyboards) and Johnny Colt (bass). Despite a generally positive reception from critics, the album was commercially unsuccessful. Because of this, Train went on a three-year hiatus from recording any new music.
Following the dissolution of his Led Zeppelin cover band "Rogues Gallery", singer Pat Monahan left his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, in late 1993. He resettled in California and crossed paths with Berklee College of Music alumnus Rob Hotchkiss,[6] who performed in coffee houses and local clubs. The two shared lead vocals, with Hotchkiss on guitar and harmonica, and Monahan playing percussion, including a modified conga attached to a kick-drum pedal. Hotchkiss had been the lead singer for L.A.-based Apostles. After deciding to form a full band, the duo recruited Jimmy Stafford (lead guitarist for The Apostles) on guitar, Charlie Colin on bass, and Scott Underwood on drums, thus solidifying Train's lineup in 1994. Train attempted to get signed under Columbia Records in 1996, but were rejected. Subsequently, the band decided to release their first self-titled CD independently. By 1997, they were touring nationally, opening concerts for bands such as Barenaked Ladies, Hootie & the Blowfish, Cracker and Counting Crows.[7]
Train is the band's eponymous debut album. Initially released on Aware/RED, a joint venture with Columbia, A&R executive Tim Devine picked up the record for release on Columbia.[8][9] The album was released on February 24, 1998, with a different track listing from its independent counterpart. It was self-produced for $25,000, and three singles from the album were released. The first single released, "Meet Virginia", was sent to adult album alternative radio in March 1998.[10] In 2000, it became a top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 20. The second single, "Free", was released in July 1998[10] and experienced success on pop/mainstream rock stations, and the third single was "I Am", released in 1999. The album brought the band national fame, and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Following the success of the debut album, the band began working on their second album.
Drops of Jupiter, the band's second album, was produced by Brendan O' Brien, who has also worked with artists such as Pearl Jam, King's X, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band and Neil Young. Before the release of the second album, the band released the single "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". The song was a massive hit; it entered the Hot 100 on March 10, 2001, and spent 54 weeks on the chart before being relegated to the recurrents chart. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, which was written by Paul Buckmaster, known for his string arrangements for Elton John. (The band reportedly hired Buckmaster expressly to create a sound similar to his arrangement for John's "Burn Down The Mission".)
The album Drops of Jupiter was released on March 27, 2001, and became Train's first multi-platinum album, with the success of the lead single. The album was Train's first top ten album, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200. The album was also a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number eight. "She's on Fire", the second single from Drops of Jupiter was a modest success and was featured in the 2001 comedy The Animal and the 2003 animated comedy Rugrats Go Wild. The album was eventually certified double platinum in the United States and in Canada. It was also certified gold in Australia.
During the Drops of Jupiter tour, the band released a live DVD of a sold-out concert in the band's hometown of San Francisco at The Warfield. The DVD was titled "Midnight Moon" and featured Train's hits from the first two albums among others. The concert was recorded on May 26, 2001.
In 2003, Rob Hotchkiss left the band citing creative differences. According to band interviews, he resented being pushed away as a songwriter and decided to leave.[11] Hotchkiss started pursuing a solo career, after having contributed to six of the 11 songs on the (at the time) upcoming album My Private Nation. His solo album, the critically acclaimed Midnight Ghost, was released in 2004.
The band's third album, My Private Nation, was released in June 2003 with the lead single "Calling All Angels" becoming Train's third top 20 hit. "Calling All Angels" was a major hit on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and has been certified RIAA Gold.
In October 2003, bassist Charlie Colin was forced to leave the band because of substance abuse. According to singer Pat Monahan, Colin was "a mess". After a live presentation in Oregon, Monahan called an emergency meeting and told the band that "you can have your bass player, or you can have your singer".[12] He was replaced by Johnny Colt, bass player for the Black Crowes.
In 2004, their non-album song "Ordinary" was featured in the movie Spider-Man 2. In 2007, it was featured again, this time in the NBC series Heroes. The music video for "Ordinary" was in rotation on MTV, but the song only charted on the Adult Top 40 Tracks chart. In July 2005, after the song was featured in an advertising campaign for Cingular, the band released "Get to Me" as the final single from My Private Nation. "Get to Me" (written by Rob Hotchkiss and Pat Monahan) reached number nine on the Billboard Adult Top 40. Paul Buckmaster returned on "My Private Nation" with string arrangements for the tracks "Lincoln Avenue" and "Your Every Color". The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Train began recording their fourth studio album, For Me, It's You, in Atlanta during the summer of 2005. They released the album's lead single, "Cab", on November 14, 2005. The song peaked at number nine on the Adult Top 40 Tracks chart. The album was released on January 31, 2006, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 chart. However, it failed commercially, becoming the first album of the band's career to fail to receive an RIAA certification. The album was the band's only album to include members Johnny Colt on bass and Brandon Bush playing keyboard.
Starting in November 2006, the band took a two-year hiatus from recording and touring to be with friends and family. The band's lead singer and songwriter Pat Monahan released a solo album, Last of Seven, on September 18, 2007. The album peaked at number 82 on the Billboard 200 chart. Two hit singles off of the album, "Her Eyes" and "Two Ways to Say Goodbye", charted at number 9 and number 21 on the Adult Top 40 with "Her Eyes" charting at number 10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles as well. Pat Monahan also wrote "The Truth" for American Idol winner Kris Allen. "The Truth" charted at number 17 on the Adult Top 40.
On August 11, 2009, Train released their first single in more than three years. Fall Out Boy's co-manager Jonathan Daniel helped Train begin their comeback after a couple of off years.[13] The song "Hey, Soul Sister", from their fifth studio album, Save Me, San Francisco, was released on August 11, 2009, while the rest of the album was released about two and a half months later on October 27, 2009. The single was a major success, becoming their second-career top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in its 16th week on the chart, after surging from number 23 to number seven during the week of January 30, 2010, largely because of an 81% increase in digital sales from the previous week. Like their earlier hit "Get to Me", this song gained further popularity when it was used as the commercial soundtrack to launch Samsung's 3D television during the Oscars. It is now their highest-charting single. "Hey, Soul Sister" is also the most played song in Australian radio history[citation needed], the most downloaded iTunes song of 2010, the best selling single in Columbia Records history, and has been certified RIAA 6 x platinum. The album itself peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Train's second single from the album, "If It's Love", peaked at number 34, making it their most successful secondary single from any record. "If It's Love" has been RIAA certified gold. Train released the third single from the record, "Marry Me", on October 25, 2010. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 95, the first time Train have had three consecutive singles on this chart. The song peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Marry Me" was featured on One Tree Hill on February 1, 2011. "Marry Me" has been certified RIAA Gold. Train released a Christmas single called "Shake Up Christmas", which was featured in commercials internationally as part of Coca-Cola's Christmas commercial series in 2010. The single charted at number 12 on the "Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks". The single also charted at #99 on Billboard's Hot 100.[14] Train's single "Save Me, San Francisco" peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, at 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and 7 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.[14]
"Drive By", the lead single off of Train's sixth studio album, was released worldwide on January 10, 2012.[15] It peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100,[16] as well as reaching Platinum certifications in Australia[17] New Zealand,[18] and the United States.[19]
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