Play That Song (Train song)

2016 single by Train

"Play That Song"

Single by Train
from the album  A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat
Released| September 29, 2016 (2016-09-29)
Length| 4:03 (Album version)
3:20 (Radio edit)
Label| Columbia
Songwriter(s)|

* Patrick Monahan
* William Wiik Larsen
* Frank Loesser
* Hoagy Carmichael

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

"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.

## Composition

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Play That Song"  | Chart (2016–2017)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[4] | 8
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] | 26
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6] | 69
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[7] | 6
Hungary (Single Top 40)[8] | 31
Scotland (OCC)[9] | 7
UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 21
US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 41
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] | 6
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[13] | 6
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[14] | 27

### Year-end charts

[edit]

2017 year-end chart performance for "Play That Song"  | Chart (2017)  | Position

|

Australia (ARIA)[15] | 91
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[16] | 87
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[17] | 12
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[18] | 19
US Digital Songs (Billboard)[19] | 44

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for "Play That Song"  Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[20] | 2× Platinum  | 140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Platinum  | 80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] | Gold  | 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | Gold  | 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[24] | 3× Platinum  | 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## Release history

[edit]

Release dates for "Play That Song"  Region  | Date  | Format  | Label

|
|
|

United Kingdom  | September 29, 2016[25] | Digital download | Columbia Records

## References

[edit]

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. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Train – Play That Song". Radioscope. Retrieved May 26, 2025. Type Play That Song  in the "Search:" field.
23. ^ "British single certifications – Train – Play That Song". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
24. ^ "American single certifications – Train – Play That Song". Recording Industry Association of America.
25. ^ "Play That Song - Single by Train on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Train

* Pat Monahan
* Jerry Becker
* Hector Maldonado
* Matt Musty
* Taylor Locke

* Charlie Colin
* Johnny Colt

Studio albums|

* Train
* Drops of Jupiter
* My Private Nation
* For Me, It's You
* Save Me, San Francisco
* California 37
* Bulletproof Picasso
* Christmas in Tahoe
* Train Does Led Zeppelin II
* A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat
* AM Gold

Live albums|

* Alive at Last

Compilation albums|

* Greatest Hits

Video releases|

* Midnight Moon

Concert tours|

* 2011 Summer Tour
* Mermaids of Alcatraz Tour
* Play That Song Tour

Singles|

* "Meet Virginia"
* "Free"
* "I Am"
* "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)"
* "Something More"
* "She's on Fire"
* "Calling All Angels"
* "When I Look to the Sky"
* "Get to Me"
* "Cab"
* "Hey, Soul Sister"
* "If It's Love"
* "Marry Me"
* "Shake Up Christmas"
* "Save Me, San Francisco"
* "Drive By"
* "50 Ways to Say Goodbye"
* "Bruises"
* "Mermaid"
* "Imagine"
* "Angel in Blue Jeans"
* "Cadillac, Cadillac"
* "Bulletproof Picasso"
* "Give It All"
* "Play That Song"
* "Drink Up"
* "Call Me Sir"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Band members
* Awards and nominations
* Last of Seven
* "The Truth"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template