Rock band Train soared into superstardom 20 years ago when “Drops of Jupiter,” the lead single for their second album was released. The band found surprise success when “Meet Virginia” reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it was the soaring song about dealing with loss the saved Train from becoming a “one-hit-wonder.”
Lead singer Pat Monahan wrote the song after losing his mother to cancer. Speaking with Billboard, he says it felt like she wrote it for him:
“The song felt like she was writing it — because she was telling me, ‘This is what happens after life. You can do anything you want, swim through the planets…’ and she came back with drops of Jupiter in her hair. It was a way of easing my mind that it wasn’t a bad thing.”
As for how fried chicken and soy lattes fit in the song, Monahan believes the food items help sell the song, defending his lyrical choices, “I’m gonna sing what I wrote. When you guys come up with something better, I’ll sing that.”
Relive the magic of “Drops of Jupiter” right here!