A Tom Waits song first released in 1985 found a much bigger mainstream audience when Rod Stewart gave it a new sound four years later.
“Downtown Train,” written and originally recorded by Waits for his 1985 album Rain Dogs, became one of Stewart’s most recognizable cover songs after his version reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Stewart’s recording also reached No. 1 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts, while it reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 10 in the United Kingdom.
Now, 41 years after Waits first released the song, “Downtown Train” remains a notable example of how one songwriter’s work can take on a very different life when another singer reshapes it for a wider audience.
The original appeared on Rain Dogs, an album known for its unusual mix of rock, blues, jazz and other sounds. “Downtown Train,” however, stood out as one of the album’s more direct songs, built around a story of longing and a man hoping to be with someone he cannot easily reach.
Tom Waits posed for a portrait.Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns
Waits wrote and recorded the song himself in 1985. His version did not become a major U.S. pop hit, but the song later attracted several artists who heard its potential.
According to Songfacts, Stewart recorded “Downtown Train” in 1989, with Trevor Horn producing the track. It was released as a single in November that year and became a major chart success.
The recording was also connected to Stewart’s Storyteller collection, a project that included new recordings alongside his earlier material. Songfacts reports that record executive Rob Dickins brought “Downtown Train” to Stewart’s attention.
Stewart later explained why he wanted to record the song. In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, he said, “For instance, I’m sure Tom Waits wouldn’t mind me saying this – Tom’s ‘Downtown Train,’ I realized there was a melody there in the chorus, and it’s beautiful, but he barely gets up and barely gets down to the lower notes, so I took it to the extreme. That was a case where I brought the chorus alive and there have been a couple like that.”
That approach became an important part of Stewart’s version. Rather than simply copy Waits’ recording, he pushed the vocal melody in a more dramatic direction.
The song also earned Stewart a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Rod Stewart was not the first musician to record “Downtown Train” after Waits.
Patty Smyth released her version in 1987. It reached No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 40 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart.
Bob Seger also recorded the song in 1989. According to American Songwriter, Seger had planned to release his recording around the same time, creating a story around how Stewart learned about the song. Seger later released a re-recorded version in 2011.
Waits’ original recording also had a distinctive lineup. The personnel included Waits on vocals and guitar, Michael Blair on percussion, Robert Quine and G. E. Smith on guitar, Mickey Curry on drums, Tony Levin on bass and Robby Kilgore on organ.
At its center, “Downtown Train” is a song about wanting someone who may be out of reach.
The lyrics create a nighttime city setting, with trains, streets, windows and neighborhoods forming the background. The narrator knows the woman’s surroundings and keeps returning to thoughts of her, while other people compete for her attention.
More than four decades after its original release, the song remains a clear example of how a rock composition can cross generations without losing its central story.
Related: The 1975 Song, Ranked Among ‘Best Breakup Songs’ of All Time, Was Created in the Backseat of a Los Angeles Cab
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