Train (album)

Train
Studio album by Train
Released	February 24, 1998 (1998-02-24)
Genre	Rock [1] alternative country [1]
Length	56:38
Label	Aware Columbia
Producer	Train Curtis Mathewson
Train studio album chronology
Train (1998) Drops of Jupiter (2001)
Singles from Train
"Meet Virginia" Released: March 1998 [2] "Free" Released: July 1998 [2] "I Am" Released: October 19, 1999 [3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Train is the debut album from the American rock band Train, released in 1998. The album was self-produced for $25,000 and three singles from the album were released. The first single released, "Meet Virginia", peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second, "Free", was largely a hit on rock stations, and the third single from the album was "I Am". The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

"Free" saw significant airplay on mainstream rock radio, later being featured on the TV show Party of Five .

Track listing

All songs are credited to Train. Actual songwriters adapted from Tidal. ^[4]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Meet Virginia"	Pat Monahan, Jimmy Stafford, Rob Hotchkiss	4:00
2.	"I Am"	Monahan, Hotchkiss	4:29
3.	"If You Leave"	Monahan, Stafford, Hotchkiss, Charlie Colin, Scott Underwood	3:29
4.	"Homesick"	Monahan, Hotchkiss	4:39
5.	"Free"	Monahan, Hotchkiss	3:58
6.	"Blind"	Monahan, Stafford, Colin	5:01
7.	"Eggplant"	Monahan, Hotchkiss	3:11
8.	"Idaho"	Monahan, Stafford	4:57
9.	"Days"	Monahan, Stafford, Colin	4:39
10.	"Rat"	Monahan, Hotchkiss	4:32
11.	"Swaying" (actual length is 3:11, followed by a minute of silence)	Monahan, Hotchkiss	4:13
12.	"Train" (hidden track)	Monahan, Hotchkiss	5:34
13.	"Heavy" (hidden track)	Monahan, Stafford, Colin	3:49

Original track listing

The album was originally released independently on December 6, 1996, and featured a different track listing. Songwriting credits adapted from Tidal and the Songview Database. ^[5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Am"	Pat Monahan, Rob Hotchkiss
2.	"Free"	Monahan, Hotchkiss
3.	"Homesick"	Monahan, Hotchkiss
4.	"Blind"	Monahan, Jimmy Stafford, Charlie Colin
5.	"Eggplant"	Monahan, Hotchkiss
6.	"Meet Virginia"	Monahan, Stafford, Hotchkiss
7.	"Train"	Monahan, Hotchkiss
8.	"Rat"	Monahan, Hotchkiss
9.	"Swaying"	Monahan, Hotchkiss
10.	"Days"	Monahan, Stafford, Colin
11.	"Idaho"	Monahan, Stafford
12.	"Sorry For"	Monahan, Stafford, Hotchkiss, Colin, Scott Underwood
13.	"The Highway" (hidden track)	Monahan, Stafford, Hotchkiss, Colin, Underwood

Personnel

Train

• Pat Monahan – lead vocals, percussion
• Jimmy Stafford – lead guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
• Rob Hotchkiss – rhythm guitar, harmonica, backing vocals
• Charlie Colin – bass
• Scott Underwood – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Grandma E. Bishop – art design
• David Bryson – mixing
• Gary Cirimelli – mixing assistant
• Tommy Dougherty III – art direction
• Charlie Gillingham – piano, organ, mellotron
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Mike McHugh – engineer
• Curtis Mathewson – moog synthesizer, producer, melodica
• Nick DiDia – engineer
• Charles Quagliana – engineer
• Stephen Saper – authoring
• Richard Stutting – artwork, design, illustrations
• Train – producer
• Matt Wallace – producer, engineer, mixing on "If You Leave"
• Alan Yoshida – mastering
• Joel Zimmerman – art director

Charts

Chart performance for Train

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [6]	76

"Free"

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [7]	12

"I Am"

Chart (2000)	Peak position
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [8]	35

Certifications

Certifications for Train

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [9]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

"I Am"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	October 19, 1999	Mainstream rock active rock radio	Columbia Aware	[10]
	March 28, 2000	Contemporary hit radio		[11]
	April 4, 2000	Adult contemporary hot adult contemporary radio		[12]

References

1. Blanford, Roxanne. Train - Train (1998) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
2. "Adult Alternative Aware of Train's Single 'Free'". Radio & Records . No. 1266. September 18, 1998. p. 34.
3. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1321. October 15, 1999. pp. 189, 194.
4. "Train / Train / Credits". Tidal.com. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
5. "Monahan Patrick". ascap.com. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
6. "Train Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
7. "Train Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
8. "Train Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
9. "American album certifications – Train – Train". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 7, 2021.
10. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records . No. 1321. October 15, 1999. pp. 189, 194.
11. "Gavin Top 40/Rhythm Crossover: Impact Dates". Gavin Report . No. 2297. March 24, 2000. p. 8.
12. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1344. March 31, 2000. pp. 74, 78.