Rod Stewart said his 1985 cover of Tom Waits’s “Downtown Train” improved on the original by making its chorus more vivid and singable. The claim reflects Stewart’s approach to covers: he treated familiar songs as material to reshape around his own voice, rather than trying to reproduce them faithfully.

Waits’s recording centres on the song’s story and has a rough, club-like feel, while Stewart’s version adds a polished 1980s rock sound suited to larger audiences. The article also points to Stewart’s earlier covers, including “You Shook Me”, and notes that he recognised some singers, such as the Temptations’ David Ruffin, were difficult to match.