I thought about this tune after I posted a picture of a painting I did of the same title – Lover Please. The recording I was thinking about was performed by Clyde McPhatter and I’ve loved this tune for many years. It has some great features, including really catchy hand-claps, nice piano and sax work and even some tasty back-up singing. Plus, it features Clyde McPhatter’s singing. Here’s Lover Please (train song #7)…

http://youtu.be/JPcNdOSw5ZA

Now you might say that Lover Please isn’t technically a train song at all, but is really a don’t leave me baby song. After all the train songs I’ve given you, I hope you’re not going to get technical on me. Sure, he doesn’t want his baby to leave him but he’s specific about it – he doesn’t want her to take that train comin’ down the track.

Mr. McPhatter only lived for 40 years but was a very influential performer. Among other things, he founded The Drifters. Lover Please, written by Billy Swan, was recorded in 1962. It was McPhatter’s final top 10 hit. Curiously enough, it was also Mr. Swan’s first big tune. A dozen years later, Swan had a very successful album and single you might recall, called I Can Help. I used to have that one on vinyl.