Train Celebrates 20th Week at No. 1 on AC, Talks About Grammy Snub

Posted January 5, 2011 by J Matthew Cobb in News

Even with their obvious Grammy snub, Train remains highly optimistic over their future with the recent breaking-news about “Hey, Soul Sister” position on charts

The only rock band to climb their way up into the Top 10 on the Hot 100 in all of 2010 was Train, with “Hey, Soul Sister.” That song, which fueled international acclaim, gave the California rock band their latest claim to pop fame. In 2003, Train traveled that same path up the pop charts with “Calling All Angels.” This time, things are a bit different.

“Hey, Soul Sister” has been certified platinum six times. “If It Isn’t Love,” the latest single from their return-to-roots, Gold-certified LP Save Me, San Francisco, is experiencing its own share of success on the Billboard Hot 100. And one Grammy nomination is still looming over them, for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

Train frontman Pat Monahan talked about the disappointing news of Train’s disqualification from the big fields like Record and Song of the Year, since it was originally released as a digital single prior to the Grammy’s eligibility period.

“My feelings were hurt,” Train lead singer Pat Monahan admitted. “But, it’s cool to be nominated at the same time so I’m pretty appreciative.”

The band performed at the Grammy nominations’ ceremony and felt that their invitation to perform for the annual event was a sign that nods were coming their way. “You know, it was a strange night for us, to be real honest with you,” Monahan told MTV News. “Playing the nominations show, being seated in the front to watch all the performances, and then to not be nominated for any of them during that show. I don’t really know what the take is, to be real honest. It kind of felt like a practical joke at the time.”

Monahan elaborated on his dismay:

“I’ll just speak for myself. During the ceremony, my feelings were hurt. I felt like we were being set up for something kinda big and it didn’t go down,” he said. “And I was like, ‘Wow, that was weird,’ because if I hadn’t been here, I’d just be psyched that we’re nominated, instead of disappointed that we weren’t nominated for the big several [awards]. But, you know, it’s cool to be nominated at the same time, so I’m pretty appreciative. It was just that one moment was a little bit hurt feelings.”

Train has put the Grammy episode behind them and are celebrating all the success that’s come their way, particularly with the recent announcement concerning their chart-topping success on the Adult Contemporary chart. With “Hey, Soul Sister,” they have spent 20 weeks at No. 1 – the fourth in the chart’s fifty year existence to spend over twenty weeks in the top spot. Billboard announced the group was also the top Adult Pop Songs artist of 2010 in their annual special double issue. And with over 5 million sales, “Hey, Soul Sister,” one of 2010’s most recognizable and unavoidable tunes, became the eight-most downloaded single in the digital era – according to Nielsen Soundscan.

“It’s a great reminder that that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here because there (are) some Train fans out there and somehow they keep growing instead of shrinking. And, there’s some music that we’re supposed to provide people to maybe make their lives a little bit better. That’s really why we’re here.”