ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Train (4 songs)

This band, formed in San Francisco CA in 1993, finally broke into the mainstream with their 1998 album ‘Train’, from which came their 1st Billboard Hot 100 Top 20, 1999’s “Meet Virginia”.

#1
Released 02/20/2001 from the band’s 2nd album of the same name, this song became their 1st Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, peaking at #5; it also claimed #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, while reaching #5 in Australia, #10 in England & #1 in both Canada & Ireland. The song also won 2 Grammys: Best Rock Song & Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).

#2
After their only 2002 release failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the band released this song 06/17/2003 as the 1st single from their 3rd album ‘My Private Nation’. Their only 2003 release, the song peaked that year at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 & claimed #1 (3 weeks) on the Adult Contemporary chart. It also enjoyed further exposure with use in several TV shows including “1 Tree Hill”, “CSI:NY” & “Smallville”. The Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim used it as an unofficial anthem during the 2010 MLB season.

#3
After successful Adult Contemporary hits in the mid 2000s like 2004’s “When I Look To The Sky”, 2005’s “Get To Me” & 2005’s “Cab”, the band didn’t release any new music in 2007 & 2008. Then, this song hit the airwaves 11/11/2009 as the 1st release from their 6th album ‘Save Me, San Francisco’. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 & claimed #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart; it also managed #52 in the country genre. Elsewhere, it reached the Top 5 of 15 other charts, partly due to its inclusion in several TV shows (scripted & non-scripted) & in the 2011 movie ‘Friends With Benefits’.

#4
Watch the video for this song; quite a few classic cars in it! Perhaps my favorite of this group, it debuted 01/10/2012 & peaked that year at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 & claimed #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Abroad, it notched in the Top 5 of 15 other charts, including in Austria (#5), Denmark (#5), Finland (#3), Germany (#3), Hungary (#1), Italy (#3), Luxembourg (#5), Netherlands (#4), New Zealand (#3), Norway (#4), Poland (#3), Scotland (#4), Sweden (#3) & Switzerland (#1). The band performed a parody of it (“5 By”) with Elmo & Count von Count for an episode of TV’s “Sesame Street”.