Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)
Encyclopedia
"Drops of Jupiter" (or shortened to "Drops of Jupiter") is the title of a 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 charting in the Top 40 for 29 weeks. The single from Europe had tracks "It's Love", "This Is Not Your Life", and "Sharks" as its B-sides.
The second, and most remembered video, shows Pat Monahan performing the song on a stage, backed by the band and a strings group. As the video progresses, people come in to watch the song being performed. It was directed by Nigel Dick.
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 that saying that "add piano, a splendid orchestral backdrop, and a vocal shimmering with passion and personality, and this is a runaway track for Train."
singing it on the fifth season
of American Idol
.
The song was nominated for 5 Grammy Award
s, including also Song of the Year
, Record of the Year
and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
, and won 2 for "Best Rock Song
" and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
".
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
. It was released in February 2001 as the lead single from their second album Drops of Jupiter
Drops of Jupiter
Drops of Jupiter is Train's second album, released in 2001. The album's title is derived from "Drops of Jupiter ", its first single which was extremely popular and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song....
(2001). The song hit the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and also charting in the Top 40 for 29 weeks. The single from Europe had tracks "It's Love", "This Is Not Your Life", and "Sharks" as its B-sides.
Background and writing
Lead singer Pat Monahan has stated that the song was inspired by the death of his mother, and that the opening lines came to him in a dream. At a performance and open forum questions and answers session, for listeners of radio station KPRI in San Diego, CA, he confirmed the inspiration during his conversation with the audience.Content
The song wonders whether a lady's journey to find herself still leaves room for the man she left behind.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 Pat Monahan performing the song on a stage, backed by the band and a strings group. As the video progresses, people come in to watch the song being performed. It was directed by Nigel Dick.
Track listing
- "Drops of Jupiter"
- "It's Love"
- "This Is Not Your Life"
- "Drops of Jupiter" (Video Version)
Critical reception
Chuck Taylor, of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
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 that saying that "add piano, a splendid orchestral backdrop, and a vocal shimmering with passion and personality, and this is a runaway track for Train."
Reception
"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. 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 YoungAce Young
Brett Asa "Ace" Young is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He came to national recognition upon appearing on the fifth season of the reality television talent show, American Idol, although he was eliminated from the competition on April 19, 2006, finishing in seventh place.-Early...
singing it on the fifth season
American Idol (season 5)
The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge, and Ryan Seacrest returned to host. It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise and also with 18 contestants getting record deals -...
of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
.
The song was nominated for 5 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, including also Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
, Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories...
, and won 2 for "Best Rock Song
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre...
" and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger of the music.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
".
Charts
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Singles Chart | 14 |
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| Austria Singles Chart | 38 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
3 |
| Canada Top 40 | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italy Singles Chart | 7 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 5 |
| Portugal Singles Chart | 3 |
| Switzerland Singles Chart | 30 |
| Taiwan Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 10 |
| U.S. Adult Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Top 40 Mainstream | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| U.S. Adult Contemporary | 8 |
| U.S. Modern Rock Tracks | 11 |
| U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks | 19 |
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
| U.S. Hot Digital Songs | 41 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| U.S. Hot Digital Songs | 56 |
In popular culture
- The song was featured in American TV ads for the 2001 film K-PAXK-PAX (film)K-PAX is a 2001 American science fiction and mystery film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack and Alfre Woodard. The screenplay, written by Gene Brewer and Charles Leavitt, is based on a novel of the same name by Brewer about a psychiatric patient who...
Covers
- Judy CollinsJudy CollinsJudith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
released a cover version of the song on her 2005 album, Portrait of an American GirlPortrait of an American Girl-Track listing:#"Singing Lessons" - 4:05#"That Song About the Midway" - 4:09#"I Can't Cry Hard Enough" - 3:18#"You Can't Buy Love" - 3:13#"Pacing the Cage" - 4:02...
. The song was also included on the soundtrack for the 2009 film All About SteveAll About SteveAll About Steve is a 2009 American comedy film, directed by Phil Traill, which stars Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church and Bradley Cooper. It is distributed by 20th Century Fox...
. - The Latency released a cover version of the song on their website in 2007.
- Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
released a cover of the song on her 2011 album, "Speak Now World Tour Live". The song is also included on the concert DVD that comes with the album.