You have to hear “Play That Song” by Train. It’s only been out 2-weeks and it’s already in the top 25.
It’s snappy and catchy, fun, charming, laid back, simple yet sophisticated– 4-minutes of really polished, well produced Top 40 rock. Train, a San Francisco roots-rock 8-person band, has been around since the late 90s. You might be familiar with “Meet Virginia”, “Hey, Soul Sister,” and “Marry Me.”
“Play That Song” has roots that go back to 1938 when Hoagie Carmichael wrote the music to his hit “Heart and Soul,” one of the all time great melodies, which was revived in 1961 by both Jan & Dean and The Cleftones, which was the version that was included in “American Graffiti.”
Millennials know “Heart and Soul” from that famous giant piano scene with Robert Loggia and Tom Hanks in the film “Big.”
And here is that familiar and famous melody again, as the foundation of the infectious “Play That Song,” which is about a guy imploring the club DJ to “Play That Song”– the one that makes his girl “dance all night long.” He wants her to be happy. A sweet sentiment. This song feels good and sounds good: no misogyny, violence, or politics, plus all the words are really easy to understand.