Train: "If It's Love"

[singingsparrow]

www.theimproper.com/music/?p=710

IM: Which of Save Me, San Francisco’s songs will be the next single?

Stafford: A couple will be released. The AAA adult stations around the country have already started playing “Save Me, San Francisco”, the title song, but with Top 40 I believe we’re going with a song called “If It’s Love,” and that’s what we would make the video for, and that’s what we’re remixing for radio right now. We’re starting to play it every night in the shows. It’s the second most downloaded song off the new album after “Hey, Soul Sister”. But I think it won’t be for a while yet, because “Hey, Soul Sister” is still climbing up the Top 40 charts.

*

Even though there's no adds date and Stafford himself has admitted it will be a little while before a mainstream follow-up to "Hey, Soul Sister" is released, his admission that the track has already been re-mixed for radio is an evident sign this is in fact the undeniable queued up follow-up beyond Triple A.

*

If Train's discography is any indication, they have never succeeded in delivering more than one hit from an album to a format beyond Triple A or Hot AC, perhaps most of all having to do with the fact their hits from each respective album (besides the underachieving "For Me, It's You", which produced no hits) were too colossal and thus had follow-ups bearing the brunt of each hit's weight.

However, if "If It's Love" can prove resilient in spite of the magnitude of "Hey, Soul Sister", I can see it easily becoming another respectable hit for the band, especially with their sudden international success as well. The fact Australia and New Zealand have caught "Hey, Soul Sister" fever, with Europe all but certainly prone to follow, will provide more than enough incentive for one or two follow-ups to at least get some kind of a push.............and "If It's Love" is clearly one that will hit home to those who love the quirkiness and bubbly, happy-go-lucky, melodic vibe of their current hit.

I do think "If It's Love" will break their only-one-significant-multi-format-hit-per-album curse, and this will go Top Three on Hot AC and will at least make the Top 25 on CHR/Pop.

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

[MostInterestingManInTheWorld]

I'm guessing that "Hey, Soul Sister" will be the only CHR top 40 entry from "Save Me, San Francisco". They're a great group, but their material is in fact generally too heavy for the format.

But I do appreciate that in no spot of your post is a song acronymized.

[shanas]

good choice for the 2nd single, it's quirky and certainly has some feel that HSS provides

my choice would certainly be SMSF but for the markets their angling for, this is the right choice

I dont think it will impact Pop but Hot AC and AAA it will certainly make a mark

tend to think it's got a She's on Fire to Drops of Jupiter feel about the f/up

[marv1978]

i hope "Save Me San Fransisco" goes to Hot AC and not just AAA since Hey,Soul Sister has peaked there and by the time it peaks on CHR, Hot Ac could be ready for If It's love as a 3rd single. And i haft to say Train deserves a chance to release "Parachute" It's a smash!

[singingsparrow]

Mar 17, 2010 0:05:55 GMT -5 @marv1978 said:

i hope "Save Me San Fransisco" goes to Hot AC and not just AAA since Hey,Soul Sister has peaked there and by the time it peaks on CHR, Hot Ac could be ready for If It's love as a 3rd single. And i haft to say Train deserves a chance to release "Parachute" It's a smash!

"Save Me San Francisco" just doesn't scream "Hit!" beyond Triple A to me. It's accessible and hooky, but not in a today's Top 40 Mainstream kind of way. It has an organic, 70's rock kind of production and sounds like something that would have been a major hit if not released 35 years too late.

I love the title track much more than "If It's Love" (that, along with "Marry Me" and "Breakfast In Bed", are the album's three standouts in my opinion, but none of them would make strong multi-format releases sadly) but the latter is clearly the far more logical choice as a mainstream release. Then "This Ain't Goodbye" would make the obligatory ballad release for the third single.

Though Train have never went four wide single releases deep any album era, here's how I would arrange their single releases this era:

*

Wide Release #1: "Hey, Soul Sister"
AAA-Only Release #1: "Save Me, San Francisco"
Wide Release #2 (all except Triple A): "If It's Love"
Wide Release #3: "This Ain't Goodbye"
AAA-Only Release #2: "Marry Me"
Wide Release #4 (all except Triple A):"Parachute"

*

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

[marv1978]

Mar 17, 2010 0:48:33 GMT -5 @singingsparrow said:

Mar 17, 2010 0:05:55 GMT -5 @marv1978 said:

i hope "Save Me San Fransisco" goes to Hot AC and not just AAA since Hey,Soul Sister has peaked there and by the time it peaks on CHR, Hot Ac could be ready for If It's love as a 3rd single. And i haft to say Train deserves a chance to release "Parachute" It's a smash!

"Save Me San Francisco" just doesn't scream "Hit!" beyond Triple A to me. It's accessible and hooky, but not in a today's Top 40 Mainstream kind of way. It has an organic, 70's rock kind of production and sounds like something that would have been a major hit if not released 35 years too late.

I love the title track much more than "If It's Love" (that, along with "Marry Me" and "Breakfast In Bed", are the album's three standouts in my opinion, but none of them would make strong multi-format releases sadly) but the latter is clearly the far more logical choice as a mainstream release. Then "This Ain't Goodbye" would make the obligatory ballad release for the third single.

Though Train have never went four wide single releases deep any album era, here's how I would arrange their single releases this era:

*

Wide Release #1: "Hey, Soul Sister"
AAA-Only Release #1: "Save Me, San Francisco"
Wide Release #2 (all except Triple A): "If It's Love"
Wide Release #3: "This Ain't Goodbye"
AAA-Only Release #2: "Marry Me"
Wide Release #4 (all except Triple A):"Parachute"

*

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

i like your choices too and agree but i think thats why i love save me san francisco because of the classic rock feel,retro feel,but still very modern imo,kinda like bright lights by matchbox or hard 2 handle black crows, or when matchbox used a banjo on unwell,the label told them same thing and look what it did,so u never know :)

[Deleted]

Mar 17, 2010 0:05:55 GMT -5 @marv1978 said:

i hope "Save Me San Fransisco" goes to Hot AC and not just AAA since Hey,Soul Sister has peaked there and by the time it peaks on CHR, Hot Ac could be ready for If It's love as a 3rd single.

Exactly what I would do...

[zarasthustra]

Mar 17, 2010 0:48:33 GMT -5 @singingsparrow said:

Mar 17, 2010 0:05:55 GMT -5 @marv1978 said:

i hope "Save Me San Fransisco" goes to Hot AC and not just AAA since Hey,Soul Sister has peaked there and by the time it peaks on CHR, Hot Ac could be ready for If It's love as a 3rd single. And i haft to say Train deserves a chance to release "Parachute" It's a smash!

"Save Me San Francisco" just doesn't scream "Hit!" beyond Triple A to me. It's accessible and hooky, but not in a today's Top 40 Mainstream kind of way. It has an organic, 70's rock kind of production and sounds like something that would have been a major hit if not released 35 years too late.

I love the title track much more than "If It's Love" (that, along with "Marry Me" and "Breakfast In Bed", are the album's three standouts in my opinion, but none of them would make strong multi-format releases sadly) but the latter is clearly the far more logical choice as a mainstream release. Then "This Ain't Goodbye" would make the obligatory ballad release for the third single.

Though Train have never went four wide single releases deep any album era, here's how I would arrange their single releases this era:

*

Wide Release #1: "Hey, Soul Sister"
AAA-Only Release #1: "Save Me, San Francisco"
Wide Release #2 (all except Triple A): "If It's Love"
Wide Release #3: "This Ain't Goodbye"
AAA-Only Release #2: "Marry Me"
Wide Release #4 (all except Triple A):"Parachute"

*

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

Wide Release # 3 is going to be " I Got You"
Wide Release #4 is going to be " Marry Me" but these releases are contingent upon " If its love" becoming a hit. The rest of what you have is right. I would have went with "This aint goodbye as #3 but "I Got You " has huge recognition ratings on Hot AC because of the "Black Water" sampling in the song and Hot AC has been their bread and butter.

[zarasthustra]

Mar 21, 2010 11:42:45 GMT -5 zarasthustra said:

Mar 17, 2010 0:48:33 GMT -5 @singingsparrow said:

"Save Me San Francisco" just doesn't scream "Hit!" beyond Triple A to me. It's accessible and hooky, but not in a today's Top 40 Mainstream kind of way. It has an organic, 70's rock kind of production and sounds like something that would have been a major hit if not released 35 years too late.

I love the title track much more than "If It's Love" (that, along with "Marry Me" and "Breakfast In Bed", are the album's three standouts in my opinion, but none of them would make strong multi-format releases sadly) but the latter is clearly the far more logical choice as a mainstream release. Then "This Ain't Goodbye" would make the obligatory ballad release for the third single.

Though Train have never went four wide single releases deep any album era, here's how I would arrange their single releases this era:

*

Wide Release #1: "Hey, Soul Sister"
AAA-Only Release #1: "Save Me, San Francisco"
Wide Release #2 (all except Triple A): "If It's Love"
Wide Release #3: "This Ain't Goodbye"
AAA-Only Release #2: "Marry Me"
Wide Release #4 (all except Triple A):"Parachute"

*

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

Wide Release # 3 is going to be " I Got You"
Wide Release #4 is going to be " Marry Me" but these releases are contingent upon " If its love" becoming a hit. The rest of what you have is right. I would have went with "This aint goodbye as #3 but "I Got You " has huge recognition ratings on Hot AC because of the "Black Water" sampling in the song and Hot AC has been their bread and butter.

As an aside.. Save me sanfrancisco is now in the top 40 for AAA. There was no indication that this song would do this well and it started hitting hard 2 weeks ahead of adds... could be a # 2 and then think about the implications for the rest of the tracks on the cd... just sayin

[erzo01]

#4 in Hot AC Taking Off chart

TRAIN If It's Love 4 47

[erzo01]

Top 50 in Hot AC!

63 50 TRAIN If It's Love 163 84 79 0.783

[Jorge_Str [Som3on3]]

yeah finally!

[singingsparrow]

Apr 13, 2010 9:05:34 GMT -5 erzo01 said:

Top 50 in Hot AC!

63 50 TRAIN If It's Love 163 84 79 0.783

And it's looking like "Hey, Soul Sister" will rebound to #1 at the same time.

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

[Jorge_Str [Som3on3]]

if Hey, Soul Sister rebound to #1 will it become the oldest song ever in the chart sitting at the top spot? if not, which was the oldest song to sit atop the chart?

[Hot AC Archiver]

Apr 15, 2010 5:40:54 GMT -5 Jorge_Str [Som3on3] said:

if Hey, Soul Sister rebound to #1 will it become the oldest song ever in the chart sitting at the top spot? if not, which was the oldest song to sit atop the chart?

No it will not, at least for a few weeks. The April 18th chart will be Train's 35th week on the chart. The oldest song in the number one spot has been "I'm Yours", which was in its 38th week on the chart in its final week at #1. Here are the top 6 songs:

1. "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz, 38 weeks on
1. "Smooth" - Santana f/ Rob Thomas, 38 weeks
3. "You & Me" - Lifehouse, 37 weeks
3. "Bad Day" - Daniel Powter, 37 weeks
5. "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol, 36 weeks
6. "Love Song" - Sara Bareilles, 35 weeks
6. "Hanging by a Moment"- Lifehouse, 35 weeks

[Jorge_Str [Som3on3]]

i have a feeling that Hey, Soul Sister might break that record

[thirddegree50123]

Apr 15, 2010 9:47:33 GMT -5 Hot AC Archiver said:

Apr 15, 2010 5:40:54 GMT -5 Jorge_Str [Som3on3] said:

if Hey, Soul Sister rebound to #1 will it become the oldest song ever in the chart sitting at the top spot? if not, which was the oldest song to sit atop the chart?

No it will not, at least for a few weeks. The April 18th chart will be Train's 35th week on the chart. The oldest song in the number one spot has been "I'm Yours", which was in its 38th week on the chart in its final week at #1. Here are the top 5 songs:

1. "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz, 38 weeks on
2. "You & Me" - Lifehouse, 37 weeks
2. "Bad Day" - Daniel Powter, 37 weeks
4. "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol, 36 weeks
5. "Love Song" - Sara Bareilles, 35 weeks
5. "Hanging by a Moment"- Lifehouse, 35 weeks

Surprised "Smooth" isn't on this list. That spent like 25 weeks at #1.

[Hot AC Archiver]

Apr 15, 2010 13:07:51 GMT -5 thirddegree50123 said:

Apr 15, 2010 9:47:33 GMT -5 Hot AC Archiver said:

No it will not, at least for a few weeks. The April 18th chart will be Train's 35th week on the chart. The oldest song in the number one spot has been "I'm Yours", which was in its 38th week on the chart in its final week at #1. Here are the top 5 songs:

1. "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz, 38 weeks on
2. "You & Me" - Lifehouse, 37 weeks
2. "Bad Day" - Daniel Powter, 37 weeks
4. "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol, 36 weeks
5. "Love Song" - Sara Bareilles, 35 weeks
5. "Hanging by a Moment"- Lifehouse, 35 weeks

Surprised "Smooth" isn't on this list. That spent like 25 weeks at #1.

Ahhh crap! You're right. I've amended the post to include it. It's tied for 1st place. I'll save the lame excuse and just admit I screwed up. ;) Thanks!

[shanas]

Top 30 and on the up.....

looks to be the 2nd single that works for them for a change...

[The Party Captain]

Funny how the sales of this album have yet to eclipse the last one. Just shows how bad of shape the market is in.

[singingsparrow]

Apr 29, 2010 1:16:26 GMT -5 The Party Captain said:

Funny how the sales of this album have yet to eclipse the last one. Just shows how bad of shape the market is in.

It also shows it's their current hit single that's generating all this buzz, but most listeners sadly couldn't care less about the band overall and get the greater respect they deserve.

With me, I'm the total opposite. The success "Hey, Soul Sister" is enjoying simply bewilders me beyond belief, but I love Train overall. Sad how the vast majority of their discography just doesn't get the exposure.

Namaste,
Lisping Hibiscus

[The Party Captain]

There is no doubt this is a lucky track to slip through the crack. It's simply a lucky, lucky track. There was a gaping hole in radio playlists and this filled that hole.

[someguy]

I like this one a lot. I find that Train are a band where I like their singles an awful lot, but not so much their album tracks. So much so that I stopped buying their albums after their third. The quality of this song, plus the title track and "Hey, Soul Sister" have me seriously considering buying the album.

[The Party Captain]

Save Me San Francisco has some solid album tracks such as the title track, "Parachute", and "You Already Know"

[shanas]

where's this song on the Hot AC chart at present ?

[Rodze]

May 3, 2010 13:32:52 GMT -5 The Party Captain said:

Save Me San Francisco has some solid album tracks such as the title track, "Parachute", and "You Already Know"

Indeed.

I'm really liking their album and listening to it without even skipping tracks. Too bad HSS is not selling it that much.

This is no. 23 on HAC today (but HSS is still no. 3.).

[erzo01]

Top 20 in Hot AC!

23 20 TRAIN If It's Love 1187 874 313 5.581

I have to agree that this era will give Train their first-ever consecutive hits.

[marv1978]

May 13, 2010 9:29:54 GMT -5 erzo01 said:

Top 20 in Hot AC!

23 20 TRAIN If It's Love 1187 874 313 5.581

I have to agree that this era will give Train their first-ever consecutive hits.

i haft to disagree with that because as a huge Train fan and radio fan,i remember like yesterday like back in '03 around the My Private Nation era that i heard "Calling All Angels", "When I Look To The Sky", "Get To Me' and "Ordinary" from Spiderman 2 all in the same era and all over the radio in Charleston,WV's wvsr 102.7 and i lived in florida in close to gainesville where i heard them on several stations until i got satelite radio and then they played them even more to a wider audience than radio can ever grab with one station. If i remember correctly they all went top 10 too,and this is the hot ac forum too. But I still here "Meet Virginia", "Drops Of Jupiter", "Calling All Angels", "When I Look To The Sky", "Get To Me", "Cab", "Her Eyes", "Hey, Soul Sister" & now "If It's Love" every week alot!

[Adam (UTR)]

May 13, 2010 11:02:43 GMT -5 @marv1978 said:

May 13, 2010 9:29:54 GMT -5 erzo01 said:

Top 20 in Hot AC!

23 20 TRAIN If It's Love 1187 874 313 5.581

I have to agree that this era will give Train their first-ever consecutive hits.

i haft to disagree with that because as a huge Train fan and radio fan,i remember like yesterday like back in '03 around the My Private Nation era that i heard "Calling All Angels", "When I Look To The Sky", "Get To Me' and "Ordinary" from Spiderman 2 all in the same era and all over the radio in Charleston,WV's wvsr 102.7 and i lived in florida in close to gainesville where i heard them on several stations until i got satelite radio and then they played them even more to a wider audience than radio can ever grab with one station. If i remember correctly they all went top 10 too,and this is the hot ac forum too. But I still here "Meet Virginia", "Drops Of Jupiter", "Calling All Angels", "When I Look To The Sky", "Get To Me", "Cab", "Her Eyes", "Hey, Soul Sister" & now "If It's Love" every week alot!

"When I Look To The Sky" was the only one that really had any kind of longevity on Hot AC, and that barely made the top 10. Sure, "Get To Me" got to #7 and "Cab" got to #10 ("Ordinary" only got to #12), but no one really remembers them because they were out of the top 20 after 12, 13, 14 weeks. That's not a whole lot of exposure time. Plus, all of those never made the Pop chart. I think "If It's Love" can surpass those and it will be the first time Train has two consecutive top 5 hits in a row on Hot AC, plus be a decent-sized Pop hit, maybe peaking in the 20's like "Calling All Angels" did.

[chris89]

how is this doing?