The Band You’ve Heard Without Knowing It
The O’Jays formed in 1958 under the name The Mascots while the members were still in high school. Remarkably, as of 2022, they remained active, although only one original member was still part of the lineup.
Throughout the 60s, after adopting the name The O’Jays, they released their first charting single, Lonely Drifter, in 1963.
A series of other singles followed, but despite releasing more than 30 singles and five studio albums, major commercial success remained elusive. Then, almost 15 years after they formed, everything changed.
Back Stabbers: The Breakthrough
In 1972, The O’Jays released Back Stabbers, the album that finally established them as major stars. It produced three hit singles, including the title track and Love Train, which reached number one.
Love Train became their signature song—and it’s easy to understand why. With its uplifting message, irresistible groove, and built-in audience participation, it became a favourite for weddings, parties, and therefore, working bands.
It’s also a great example of how a song can take on a life of its own beyond the original recording.
Back Stabbers has been sampled by other artists, including in Angie Stone’s I Wish I Didn’t Miss You, while the song itself was written by McFadden & Whitehead, the duo who would later give us Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.
The Ultimate Wedding Gig Closer
If you’re asked to suggest a song for a Soul band to play at a wedding where crowd participation is important, Love Train is hard to beat.
For a working guitarist, it’s one of those songs where the audience already knows exactly what to do. You get the groove going, the singer gets the crowd involved, and suddenly the whole room becomes part of the arrangement.
That’s what makes songs like this so valuable in a working-band repertoire. You’re not just learning chords—you’re learning how a song functions in a room full of people.
Love Train has also been covered by artists including The Supremes, Hall & Oates, The Rolling Stones, and even Tommy Lee.
As far as songs for closing a Motown/Soul night go, Love Train sits comfortably alongside Proud Mary, Valerie, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.
If you want to play guitar in a Soul/Motown band, you need to know Love Train.
Ship Ahoy
The O’Jays’ success continued with their next album, Ship Ahoy, which included Now That We Found Love and For The Love of Money.
The O’Jays’ original version of Now That We Found Love barely charted, but the song found a much wider audience when Heavy D and The Boyz covered it in 1991, taking it into the top 10 in 17 countries.
For The Love of Money also went on to become a familiar song beyond the original O’Jays recording.
This is one of the things that makes The O’Jays such an interesting band for guitarists to explore. Their songs keep turning up in different places—on dancefloors, in films and television, in samples, in covers, and in working-band setlists.
You may not always recognise the name The O’Jays, but there’s a good chance you already know some of the music.
The O’Jays Tunes | Related Pages
Love Train | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Love Train by O’Jays using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
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