As Thursdays, yesterday was one of the best. Mainly, I think, because before daylight yesterday I heard “Love Train” on the soundtrack of a movie. Now, I don’t know about you, but to me, there is just something happy about that song, and so many others of that era, mainly because you could actually understand the words and the tune was catchy. “Love Train” was one of the hit songs of the early 70s, back when music was music and it didn’t sound like the artists were mad at the world, nor did they ‘talk’ their songs. Mainly, music from that period was written and performed to make people smile, laugh and dance their legs off!
This one, "Love Train" a hit single by The O'Jays, was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Released in 1972, it reached number one on both the R&B Singles and the Billboard Hot 100, in February and March 1973 respectively, number 9 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold by the RIAA.
It was The O'Jays' first and only no. 1 record on the U.S. pop chart. "Love Train" entered the Hot 100s top 40 on Jan. 27, 1973, the same day that the Paris Peace Accords were signed.
So, in the spirit of love and peace, we are about to make your mornings a little brighter, happier and a whole lot more fun than listening to a lot of bad news! Just see if you don’t catch yourself smilin’ and tapping your foot under your desk as you go about your day humming our good humor music!
Let’s get started, y’all!
One of the reason's this song has never really faded away from the American anthology of music is its fast tempo (roughly 150 beats per minute), major key and happy lyrics.
In a survey commissioned by British electronics manufacturer, Alba, 2,000 U.K. adults were asked to share their favorite feel-good songs, the most commonly cited of which was Queen’s upbeat, anthemic hit, "We Will Rock You".
Fun Music Facts:
When cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Jacob Jolij, who completed the data analysis for Alba, examined the elements of the 1978 single, he identified the trifecta mentioned above as the equation that gives a song its feel-good quality.
“My analysis confirmed very nicely what we already knew from the literature: Songs written in a major key with fast tempo are best at inducing positive emotions,” Jolij, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Groningen, told The Huffington Post in an email. “Virtually all ‘feel good’ songs were in major key (save one or two), and all of them were at least 10 BPM faster than the average pop song.”
According to Joli, more than anything else, our own positive associations with a song are what determine whether it will make us feel good,
“Although you cannot really pinpoint one song as the ultimate feel good song, what we can do is identify specific features of songs that lift people’s spirits,” Jolij said. “The more data we have available, the more we can learn about how music affects our moods.”
And The Cullman Tribune is on a mission this morning to affect your mood! Have a great day!
