"City of New Orleans" is a song written in 1970 by Steve Goodman, describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans on a train named “City of New Orleans”.  The songs tone was bittersweet and nostalgic.

Goodman wrote the lyrics on a sketch pad after his wife fell asleep on the Illinois Central train, where they were going to visit his wife's grandmother in southern Illinois.  He wrote about what he saw looking out the windows of the train and playing cards in the club car. After returning home, Goodman heard that the train was scheduled to be decommissioned due to lack of passengers.  He was encouraged to use this song to save the train, so he retouched the lyrics and released it on his first album in 1971.

Goodman released his version as a single in 1972, but it was Arlo Guthrie's cover that same year that popularized the song and brought attention to rail lines that were vanishing across middle America. While at the Quiet Knight bar in Chicago, Goodman saw Arlo Guthrie, and asked to be allowed to play a song for him.  Guthrie grudgingly agreed on the condition that if Goodman bought him a beer, he would listen to him play for as long as it took to drink the beer.  Goodman played "City of New Orleans", which Guthrie liked enough that he asked to record it. 

Steve Goodman died on September 20, 1984, at the age of 36 after a long battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  That same year, Willie Nelson covered this song and made it the title track of his album.  Nelson's version was a #1 Country hit and won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song and thus an honor bestowed posthumously to Goodman.

Nelson was one of many high-profile fans of Goodman, who released 11 albums in his lifetime.  Diagnosed with leukemia in 1969, Goodman underwent chemotherapy and his cancer stayed in remission for 13 years thanks to an unpleasant regimen of drugs and treatment.  When his cancer returned, Goodman continued performing and stayed in high spirits.  This song, written after he was diagnosed, is a great example of his positive outlook, demonstrating a mindfulness and vitality of someone who appreciates the time he has left.

The jubilant chorus line, "Good morning America, how are ya?" became a cultural touchstone in the United States.  When ABC launched a new morning show in 1975, they named it: Good Morning America.

Various Sources