Sheryl Crow Shares Reflective New Single ‘Freight Train’

The song is the second preview of Crow’s 12th studio album, Pick You Up, due in October.

Sheryl Crow has released “Freight Train,” the second song from her forthcoming album, Pick You Up.

The nine-time Grammy winner’s 12th studio album will arrive on October 9 through Old Green Barn Productions. “Freight Train” follows the August single “Freedom Bus,” featuring singer-songwriter Jesse Welles.

Built around softly played guitar and an unhurried arrangement, “Freight Train” explores the isolation that can persist even when other people are close by.

“So many times in my life I have felt alone, even when surrounded by people,” Crow said. “I think we all feel that way sometimes. This song is about the knowingness that we are not alone in feeling that way and that it will pass.”

In a post announcing the track, Crow said she recorded “Freight Train” with musician Dirk Powell. The album version was captured live, without overdubs, preserving the intimacy and spontaneity of the performance.

The distant train of the title becomes an image for lives unfolding simultaneously in houses, cars and across the countryside, each carrying many of the same questions and emotions.

“Freight Train” arrives a month after “Freedom Bus,” which introduced Pick You Up in August. Featuring Welles, the song considers personal and political freedom and asks how people might remain connected despite their differences.

Crow wrote the album’s seven songs with longtime collaborator Jeff Trott. Pick You Up finds the pair returning to the rock, Americana and singer-songwriter territory that has long underpinned Crow’s catalogue, while exploring themes of hope and unity.

Crow was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. Across a career spanning more than three decades, she has won nine Grammys and released hits including “All I Wanna Do,” “If It Makes You Happy,” “Everyday Is a Winding Road” and “Soak Up the Sun.”

“Freight Train” is available to stream now. Pick You Up can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here