Song · Tom Waits
“Downtown Train” by Tom Waits
From the album Rain Dogs (1985)
“Downtown Train” by Tom Waits appears on 8 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 2007 and 2026. It was first released in 1985 on the album Rain Dogs. Its best result is #127 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,881 indie & aaa song of all time and #320 of the '80s.
"Downtown Train" rides in on Rain Dogs, the ninth studio album Tom Waits put out on Island in 1985, and here the gravel-voiced singer-songwriter brings a full rock band along for the trip. Waits produced and arranged it himself and plays guitar next to G.E. Smith, with Robert Quine sitting in as a guest guitarist, Tony Levin on bass, Mickey Curry on drums, Michael Blair on percussion and Robbie Kilgore on organ. Jeff Lippay recorded and mixed it.
It got the proper promo treatment too: a black-and-white clip shot by director Jean-Baptiste Mondino, with Andrea Ambandos producing and the boxer Jake LaMotta turning up for a cameo. Music Week's Jerry Smith reckoned it an effective single.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 501 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 484 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2018 | 832 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2021 | 127 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2022 | 754 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2023 | 557 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2023 | 178 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
| 2026 | 690 | KXT | KXT 917 Song Countdown | 917 |
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