The O'Jays got their start in 1958 in Canton, Ohio. They had a few small hits through the sixties and were considering calling it quits in 1972 when they signed with noted producers Gamble and Huff and their career began an upward trajectory. They would have a steady string of hits through the seventies and while their chart success would slow they still managed to chart into the nineties. For their career, the O'Jays released 29 studio albums with eight of them reaching the top twenty. They also released 92 singles, and had 7 of them hit the top twenty while enjoying one #1. They are still together performing and released their latest album just last year. The O'Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.
"Love Train" was released as a single in 1972 from their album Back Stabbers. It would go on to be their only #1 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Love Train" is the O'Jays anthem asking us all to join hands and love one another, which is quite the noble sentiment. Add in the Philadelphia soul sound and some righteous vocals (from members Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and Eric Grant) and you have yourself a classic single. There's a nice break where the O'Jays show off their vocal chops, and I also love the shout outs after each line in the chorus ("c'mon" "'round the world, y'all"). I don't remember when my love affair with this song began (though it was a number of years after its initial release), but as I noted above it still fills me with as much bliss as it did when I first marveled at its exuberance. And it's just another reminder of just how much fun--and how hopeful--pop music can be.
Lyric Sheet: "People all over the world (Sisters and Brothers)/Join hands (join, come on)/Start a love train (ride this train, y'all)/Love train (come on)..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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