What Drops of Jupiter Taught Me About Music

I will never forgive them for writing the line “I’m so gangster I’m so thug you’re the only one I’m dreaming of”

Honestly man, the whole being embarrassed to like something or playing it off as ironic is a product of age and immaturity. I went through it myself. Now in my mid-40s, I honestly don’t care what people think of the things I like, and it’s very liberating

A song written for a late mother is still a love song 💔

One of the best sentiments I've ever heard about the collaborative nature between musician and audience was from Wayne Coyne of The Flaming lips in regards to Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (paraphrasing here) he said "We're the band that plays a silly song about a girl who fights pink robots, and somehow we get to take credit for the amazing song our audience wrote"

Meet Virginia was definitely a sizable hit in the late 90’s. They are at least a 3-hit wonder.

The song that I always come back to is "Love Song," by Sara Bareille. In my opinion, it does an incredible job of encapsulating the kind of contradictions you discuss in the video. The standout line from the chorus is "I'm not going to write you a love song." Meanwhile, the song actually functions pretty well as a love song. And then there is the meta-commentary about the song, as Sara said in interviews that her label was unsatisfied with the songs she was writing and was pushing her to write something more like a mainstream love song. "Love Song" was written in this frustrated circumstance, and was instantly a hit with her label and I believe is still her top chart performance in her music career. The perfect example of a song that somehow manages to satirically criticize the request, while simultaneously fulfilling the request.

It’s honestly wild how many songs by train people know but just don’t realize are by train, or even by the same band

This is one of my favorite songs of all time and I'm glad it's getting its due respect in a Polyphonic video.

it's impossible NOT to call drops of jupiter a love song when you hear its origins; it's a song about a mother loving her life, and her son. that's not any less about love than a romantic one.

I have a weird connection to this song. Right after I was born in 2002 I was hospitalized and almost died. While I was in the hospital my mother heard someone playing this song and she says it brought hope that I would be okay. Obviously only being a few WEEKS old I had no idea this happened to me. Fast forward to 1st grade my class puts on a concert for the school/parents this being one of the songs we sang. I remember at the time thinking the lyrics were weird but still finding something hopeful about them. After the concert my mom tells me about that time in the hospital. So even though I don't think it's an amazing song, it holds a very special place in my heart.

If you've played Outer Wilds and you see the red giant informing you of your impending doom, Drops of Jupiter is now stuck in your head.

RIP Charlie Colin the bass player of Train. Definitely one of the first "modern" rock songs I remember hearing us a kid.

another song that changes its meaning when we know its story is Bread's Everything i own, a harmless 60's softrock, which seems like a romance song but is actually about the death of the author's father

I think theirs a level of nuance where someone can like something, like something ironically, and like something post ironically. And I don't think its any less valid to like a song or any piece of media on those levels. Drops of Jupiter is a wonderful song with a beautiful sentiment, but I love it ironically. I love that they just let Pat Monahan say some of the stupidest lines to be sung. This goes for almost all of Trains catalogue. "Two ply hefty bag to hold my love" is a line I will sing with friends. My love for it is post ironic, though. Like, I adore it because the lines are so stupid, they feel so sincere For me, train will always be a band that makes good music that has lyrics so bad that they loop around to being enjoyable. Theres nothing inherently jaded about that

I highly recommend checking out the album that also bears the name Drops of Jupiter. The entire album is amazing. It got me through some tough times, and I’ve always loved it. Standout tracks are of course Drops of Jupiter and She’s on Fire, but also Hopeless, Let it Roll, Something More, and Mississippi.

STOP THE TRAIN!

Too bad that Soul Sister will forever be written on their tombstone...

I thought Meet Virginia was their first hit?! They had more than 2 or 3 hits didn’t they? Am I old? Damn.

This was the first song I remember actually "hearing" on the radio as a kid, while I helped my dad build our swing set in 2001. It was the first song I bought on iTunes for my iPod mini in 2006. It was my most played song on that iPod til it died when I was in high school lol. I saw Train live before the pandemic and when they played this song I got goosebumps...almost a cosmic religious experience I guess. Never been able to put my finger on why this song resonates with me....never really tried to give it much thought I guess....but this video helps articulate some points and allows me to explore my own thoughts

i've heard this song several times but actually LISTENED to it last week while waiting for a hot towel shave. It's a masterpiece.