Play That Song (Train song)

"Play That Song" is a song by American rock band Train. It was released on September 29, 2016, as the lead single from their tenth studio album A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat (2017). The song peaked at number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It has been certified double platinum by the ARIA and the RIAA, and gold by Music Canada and the British Phonographic Industry.

"Play That Song"
Single by Train
from the album A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2016 (2016-09-29)
Length4:03 (Album version)
3:20 (Radio edit)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)William Wiik Larsen
Train singles chronology
"Give It All"
(2015)
"Play That Song"
(2016)
"Drink Up"
(2017)
Music video
"Play That Song" on YouTube

Composition

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The song incorporates the melody of "Heart and Soul", written by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser. They are credited as writers, alongside Train lead singer Patrick Monahan and producer William Wiik Larsen.

The song's lyrics reference "Hey Mr. DJ", a phrase that was popularized in the 2000s with such songs as Music by Madonna and Pon De Replay by Rihanna.

Music video

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A music video to accompany the release of "Play That Song" was first released onto YouTube on November 18, 2016.[1] It shows Monahan dancing through Los Angeles on a warm sunny day, accompanied by many friendly strangers. At one point, Monahan dances on a large piano keyboard, evoking a scene from Big.[2] The video was shot at Los Angeles' Grand Park. At the end of the video, Monahan is shown walking into a building with signage indicating that it is "KTRN Radio Station"; over the glass entry door is stenciled "KTRN Premium Radio". Then just before a reprise of the song's chorus, a radio announcer, heard through a large boom box being held up by the crowd, says that "Play That Song" will be played due to "..all the requests coming in". The call letters reference an actual, active radio station, 104.5 KTRN, known, quite appropriately to the video as K-Train; the only anomaly is that the station is located far from the video's Los Angeles setting in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.[3]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for "Play That Song"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] 2× Platinum 140,000
Canada (Music Canada)[21] Platinum 80,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[23] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates for "Play That Song"
Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom September 29, 2016[24] Digital download Columbia Records

References

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  1. ^ TrainVEVO (2016-11-18), Train - Play That Song (Official Video), retrieved 2017-05-31
  2. ^ "Train Get Dance Happy in New Video 'Play That Song'". Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  3. ^ "104.5 KTRN | Bluff City Radio PB". www.deltaplexnews.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-24.
  4. ^ "Train – Play That Song". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  5. ^ "Train – Play That Song" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  6. ^ "Train Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  8. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  11. ^ "Train Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  12. ^ "Train Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "Train Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  14. ^ "Train Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  15. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  16. ^ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2017". Mahasz. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  18. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  19. ^ "Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  20. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Train – Play That Song". Music Canada. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  22. ^ "British single certifications – Train – Play That Song". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – Train – Play That Song". Recording Industry Association of America.
  24. ^ "Play That Song - Single by Train on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016.