54-46 That's My Number

54-46 That's My Number

Infobox Single
Name = 54-46 That's My Number


Artist = Toots & the Maytals
Released = 1968, 1969
Format =
Recorded =
Genre = Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae
Length =
Label = Beverly's in Jamaica, Pyramid and Trojan in UK
Writer = Toots Hibbert
Producer = Leslie Kong
Certification =
Chart position =
Last single =
This single =
Next single = "54-46 (That's My Number)" is a song by Fred "Toots" Hibbert, recorded by Toots & the Maytals and originally released on the Beverly's label in Jamaica and the Pyramid label in the UK. A followup version released a year later (as 54-46 Was My Number) was one of the first ska songs to receive widespread popularity outside Jamaica, and is seen as being one of the defining songs of the reggae genre. It has been anthologized repeatedly, and the titles of several reggae anthologies include "54-46" in their title.

The lyrics describe Toots' time in prison for an arrest for possession of marijuana. 54-46 was Toots' prisoner ID number during his servitude, and the original recording was made shortly after his release.

The song features the same riddim as "Train to Skaville" by Toots & the Maytals' contemporaries The Ethiopians.

The song was covered and released as a single in 1983 by British reggae band Aswad. This single also featured on their 1984 album Rebel Souls. It was later covered on Long Beach, CA-based 90s ska-punk band Sublime's 1992 album "40 Oz. to Freedom", entitled "5446 That's My Number/Ball and Chain", as well as Buju Banton on his album "Inna Heights" and Fermín Muguruza in his album Brigadistak Sound System.

The bass line to the song forms the basis of the 1990 hit Street Tuff by Rebel MC & Double Trouble.

Part of the song was used on the soundtrack to the 2006 film "This Is England".

The punk rock band The Clash paid tribute to the Maytals with their song Jail Guitar Doors recorded in 1978 which ends with Joe Strummer singing "54-46 was my number."

External links

* [http://maytals.net/lyrics/104.html Complete lyrics]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Number Six (The Prisoner) — Number Six is the central fictional character in the 1960s television series The Prisoner, played by Patrick McGoohan. In the AMC remake, the character is played by Jim Caviezel, renamed Six . In several episodes, his attempts to escape his… …   Wikipedia

  • number name —    Number names can be heard on any Saturday afternoon in Britain during the football season, as the referee of a match talks to the players. It is accepted in such a situation that the referee cannot be expected to remember the names of twenty… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • Number the Brave — Studio album by Wishbone Ash Released 1981 …   Wikipedia

  • Number theory — A Lehmer sieve an analog computer once used for finding primes and solving simple diophantine equations. Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers (the… …   Wikipedia

  • Number — For other uses, see Numbers (disambiguation). A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational… …   Wikipedia

  • number theory — Math. the study of integers and their relation to one another. Also called theory of numbers. [1910 15] * * * Branch of mathematics concerned with properties of and relations among integers. It is a popular subject among amateur mathematicians… …   Universalium

  • number symbolism — Introduction       cultural associations, including religious, philosophic, and aesthetic, with various numbers.       Humanity has had a love hate relationship with numbers from the earliest times. Bones dating from perhaps 30,000 years ago show …   Universalium

  • Number system — This article is about different sets of numbers. For different methods of expressing numbers with symbols, see numeral system. In mathematics, a number system is a set of numbers, (in the broadest sense of the word), together with one or more… …   Wikipedia

  • number — number1 W1S1 [ˈnʌmbə US bər] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(number)¦ 2¦(phone)¦ 3¦(in a set/list)¦ 4¦(for recognizing somebody/something)¦ 5¦(amount)¦ 6 numbers 7¦(music)¦ 8¦(magazine)¦ 9 have somebody s number 10 black/elegant etc …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Number 13 class battleship — design Class overview Operators: Impe …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”