Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)

"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)"
Single by Train
from the album Drops of Jupiter
A-side "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)"
B-side
  • "It's Love"
  • "This Is Not Your Life"
  • "Sharks"
Released February 20, 2001 (2001-02-20)
Format CD single
Recorded 1999-2000
Genre Pop rock
Length 4:20
Label Columbia
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Brendan O'Brien
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Train singles chronology
"Ramble On"
(2001)
"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)"
(2001)
"Something More"
(2001)
Audio sample
file info · help

"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (simply "Drops of Jupiter" on the album) is a Grammy Award-winning[1] song written and recorded by American rock band Train. It was released in February 2001 as the lead single from their second album Drops of Jupiter (2001). The song hit the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also charted in the Top 40 for 29 weeks.[2] The single from Europe had tracks "It's Love", "This Is Not Your Life", and "Sharks" as its B-sides. The song was ranked at No. 4 on Billboard's 2001 list of top singles of the year, a spot higher than the song peaked.

The recording features the signature strings of arranger Paul Buckmaster, who won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for Drops of Jupiter.

Background and writing

Lead singer Patrick Monahan has stated that the song was inspired by his late mother, who had died after a struggle with cancer, and that the opening lines "came to [him] in a dream." He said, "The process of creation wasn't easy. I just couldn't figure out what to write, but then I woke up from a dream about a year after my mother passed away with the words 'back in the atmosphere...It was just her way of saying what it was like – she was swimming through the planets and came to me with drops of Jupiter in her hair."[3][4] The verse has a noted resemblance to the chorus of "Drift Away", a song most famously performed by Dobie Gray.[5]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that it "demonstrates a truly artistic lyrical bent that merits instant acceptance of this credible rock-edged song." He sums up the review saying "add piano, a splendid orchestral backdrop, and a vocal shimmering with passion and personality, and this is a runaway track for Train."[4]

Chart performance

"Drops of Jupiter" ascended to the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary chart in its 49th week, marking the longest climb to the top 10 on that tally by any act.[6] The song has spent over 100 weeks on the Adult Contemporary charts, and is still charting on the Recurrents chart. Although the song was released years before digital download became commonplace, the song has sold over 1,000,000 downloads (it was also certified Gold by the RIAA), and hit the top 50 of the Digital Downloads charts five years after its release due to Ace Young singing it on the fifth season of American Idol.

The track re-entered the UK Singles Chart for the week ending on April 7, 2012 at number 53 following a performance from contestant Phil Poole on The Voice UK. On the week ending April 28, 2012, "Drops of Jupiter" climbed to number 34, marking its ninth non-consecutive week inside the top 40.[7] As of September 2014, the song has sold 421,232 copies in the UK.[8]

Music video

There are two music videos for this song. The first one shows the band performing it on a stage, with a large banner reading "TRAIN" in the green-lit background. Clips of a woman performing various actions in various backgrounds related to the lyrics (e.g., Jupiter, holding her hands out in the rain) are inserted into various parts of the song.

The second, and most remembered video, shows the band performing the song on a stage, backed by a string ensemble. As the video progresses, people come in to watch the song being performed. It was directed by Nigel Dick. The first version of this video also featured the story of a girl who ran away from home and, upon arriving at the station where the band was playing, was so moved that she decided to return home. This storyline was dropped during the editing process. The video was shot at Union Station in Los Angeles, California.

Track listing

  1. "Drops of Jupiter"
  2. "It's Love"
  3. "This Is Not Your Life"
  4. "Drops of Jupiter" (Video Version)

Awards

The song was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and won two for "Best Rock Song" and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)".

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2001)[9] Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 38
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 5
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[13] 9
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) 1
Denmark Airplay (Tracklisten)[14] 8
France (SNEP)[15] 73
Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 73
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 1
Italy (FIMI)[18] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 5
Portugal (AFP)[21] 3
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[22] 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 45
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 30
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25] 10
UK Rock and Metal (Official Charts Company)[26] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 5
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 2
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 8
US Billboard Adult Top 40 1
US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 3
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 19
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 11
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[28] 28
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29] 34

Year-end charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 4

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Gold 421,232[8]
Italy (FIMI)[32] Gold 25,000[33]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Covers

The song was made available to download on May 1, 2012 for play in Rock Band 3 for Basic and Pro modes. The song was also played in the Netflix series Daredevil, during a flashback college scene between the two main characters Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Foggy Nelson (Eldon Henson). It was also played in the American Dad! episode "Bully for Steve". The song is also featured heavily in the 2016 film Other People.

References

  1. "Past Grammy winners search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  2. Billboard Drops of Jupiter Facts
  3. "Train". Behind the Music. Season 15. Episode 1. September 16, 2012. Vh1.
  4. 1 2 Billboard, February 3, 2001 - Vol. 113, No. 5, Page 38.
  5. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/train-the-little-band-that-could-20020328
  6. Drops of Jupiter Songfacts
  7. "Official Charts Company - Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) by Train Search". Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
  8. 1 2 Jones, Alan (September 22, 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: The Script sell 43k to hit No.1". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved November 24, 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  9. http://top40-charts.com/songs/full.php?sid=249&sort=chartid
  10. "Australian-charts.com – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. "Austriancharts.at – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (in French). Ultratip.
  14. "Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) Hitlisten.nu" (in Danish). Tracklisten.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (in French). Les classement single.
  16. "Musicline.de – Train Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". Irish Singles Chart.
  18. "Italiancharts.com – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". Top Digital Download.
  19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Train search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  20. "Charts.org.nz – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". Top 40 Singles.
  21. "Train - Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me) @ Top40-Charts.com"
  22. "Archive Chart: 2001-08-06". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". Singles Top 100.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  25. "Archive Chart: 2001-08-11" UK Singles Chart.
  26. "Archive Chart: 2001-08-11" UK Rock Chart.
  27. "Train – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Train.
  28. "Archive Chart: 2012-04-21". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  29. "Archive Chart: 2012-04-28" UK Singles Chart.
  30. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  31. "British single certifications – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  32. "Italian single certifications – Train – Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Train in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
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