Peak
62
Weeks
8
Score
477
Chart Year
1976
Written by Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson, the locomotive in this song is running out of control, and is a metaphor for societal problems. Anderson gave a detailed explanation of the song in our 2013 interview, where he said: "When I wrote it, I wasn't deliberately setting out to write a piece of music on a particular subject. But it evolved during the writing process into being not terribly specific, but about the issues of overcrowding - the rather claustrophobic feel of a lot of people in a limited space. And the idea of the incessant unstoppable locomotive being metaphor for seemingly the unstoppable population expansion on planet Earth. When I look at it today, it does, for me, become very crystallized in being a song about unmanageable population expansion. It's something that concerns me even more today than it did back when I wrote it, when the population of planet Earth was only about two thirds of what it is today. So in my lifetime alone, we've seen an enormous increase in population, and an enormous increase in the degree to which we devour our limited resources. So the idea of population planning and management is something that I think we ought to be thinking about a lot more than we do. Does that mean I think we should sterilize everybody after the age of 30? No, of course not. The size of the family you want to have is going to be your choice. But, you should make that choice knowingly, wisely, and responsibly." "Old Charlie," who appears in the chorus to this song, represents God. Anderson says that when he "stole the handle," he left the train running out of control. This symbolized everyone facing injustice in life and feeling powerless to do anything about it - you just have to make the best of it. It took a few attempts to record this song, as Anderson had to impress on the band that musically, it was supposed to feel like a train on the tracks, not one that goes off and explodes. He uses the analogy of a boiler building up pressure to describe the song musically. Restraining the drummer is always a challenge when performing this song. This is a Classic Rock staple, but disc jockeys have to be patient with this one, as it starts with a quiet piano intro that lasts about 1:22, at which point the other instruments kick in, giving the feeling of a calm that is suddenly disturbed. Anderson's vocals come in around 1:32. This was one of the songs Ian Anderson and his arranger John O'Hara reworked for the 2017 album Jethro Tull: The String Quartets. This version, known as "Loco," opens with a cello cadenza inspired by Bach, a composer who is a huge influence on Anderson. This is a popular song among metal bands; W.A.S.P. covered it on their 1989 album The Headless Children, and Helloween released their version on their 1999 set Metal Jukebox. Styx also recorded it for their 2005 album Big Bang Theory.Written by Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson, the locomotive in this song is running out of control, and is a metaphor for societal problems. Anderson gave a detailed explanation of the song in our 2013 interview, where he said: "When I wrote it, I wasn't deliberately setting out to write a piece of music on a particular subject. But it evolved during the writing process into being not terribly specific, but about the issues of overcrowding - the rather claustrophobic feel of a lot of people in a limited space. And the idea of the incessant unstoppable locomotive being metaphor for seemingly the unstoppable population expansion on planet Earth. When I look at it today, it does, for me, become very crystallized in being a song about unmanageable population expansion. It's something that concerns me even more today than it did back when I wrote it, when the population of planet Earth was only about two thirds of what it is today. So in my lifetime alone, we've seen an enormous increase in population, and an enormous increase in the degree to which we devour our limited resources. So the idea of population planning and management is something that I think we ought to be thinking about a lot more than we do. Does that mean I think we should sterilize everybody after the age of 30? No, of course not. The size of the family you want to have is going to be your choice. But, you should make that choice knowingly, wisely, and responsibly." "Old Charlie," who appears in the chorus to this song, represents God. Anderson says that when he "stole the handle," he left the train running out of control. This symbolized everyone facing injustice in life and feeling powerless to do anything about it - you just have to make the best of it. It took a few attempts to record this song, as Anderson had to impress on the band that musically, it was supposed to feel like a train on the tracks, not one that goes off and explodes. He uses the analogy of a boiler building up pressure to describe the song musically. Restraining the drummer is always a challenge when performing this song. This is a Classic Rock staple, but disc jockeys have to be patient with this one, as it starts with a quiet piano intro that lasts about 1:22, at which point the other instruments kick in, giving the feeling of a calm that is suddenly disturbed. Anderson's vocals come in around 1:32. This was one of the songs Ian Anderson and his arranger John O'Hara reworked for the 2017 album Jethro Tull: The String Quartets. This version, known as "Loco," opens with a cello cadenza inspired by Bach, a composer who is a huge influence on Anderson. This is a popular song among metal bands; W.A.S.P. covered it on their 1989 album The Headless Children, and Helloween released their version on their 1999 set Metal Jukebox. Styx also recorded it for their 2005 album Big Bang Theory.
In the shuffling madness Of the locomotive breath Runs the all-time loser Headlong to his death Oh, he feels the piston scraping Steam breaking on his brow Old Charlie stole the handle And the train it won't stop Oh no way to slow down He sees his children jumping off At the stations one by one His woman and his best friend In bed and having fun Oh, he's crawling down the corridor On his hands and knees Old Charlie stole the handle And the train it won't stop going No way to slow down Hey He hears the silence howling Catches angels as they fall And the all-time winner Has got him by the balls Oh, he picks up Gideons bible Open at page one I thank God he stole the handle And the train it won't stop going No way to slow down No way to slow down No way to slow down No way to slow down No way to slow down No way to slow down No way to slow down No way to slow down
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 14, 1976 | 88 | 38 |
| 2 | Feb 21, 1976 | 78 | 48 |
| 3 | Feb 28, 1976 | 68 | 58 |
| 4 | Mar 6, 1976 | 66 | 60 |
| 5 | Mar 13, 1976 | 64 | 62 |
| 6 | Mar 20, 1976 | 62 | 64 |
| 7 | Mar 27, 1976 | 62 | 64 |
| 8 | Apr 3, 1976 | 82 | 44 |