It was 1973, the height of the Philadelphia soul genre was dawning, and "Love Train" came along with just the right sound at just the right time. It was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, producers for the O'Jays. The team of Gamble & Huff would go on to write and produce over 170 gold and platinum records - and they also wrote "Back Stabbers" and "For The Love Of Money," two more key songs in the O'Jays' career.
The lyrics make a call for unity and world peace, mentioning England, Russia, China, Egypt, Israel, and Africa. "Love Train was the first of our big message songs," O'Jays singer Walter Williams told The Guardian. 1972 was explosive – Vietnam was rumbling on, the rich were getting richer - so it was the perfect time to sing about social issues. The song mentioned places that were having human rights problems, but in a positive, hopeful way: "The first stop we make will be England... tell all the folks in Russia and China too."
According to Eddie Levert of the O'Jays, when they started working on this song, it didn't have lyrics. Kenny Gamble wrote them on the spot in about five minutes. "By the time we started laying down the vocals, we knew we had a hit," he told The Guardian. "Love Train felt like destiny. It had such perfect, timeless lyrics that it was almost as if they’d come from God, and we had to deliver them to the people."
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