54-46 That's My Number
{{Infobox song
| name = 54-46 That's My Number
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| type = single
| artist = Toots and the Maytals
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| released = January 1, 1968{{cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/toots-the-maytals/54-46-thats-my-number|title=54-46 That's My Number by Toots & the Maytals|accessdate=July 6, 2024}}
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| genre = Rocksteady, reggae
| length =
| label = Beverley's
| writer = Toots Hibbert
| producer = Leslie Kong
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"54-46 (That's My Number)" is a song by Fred "Toots" Hibbert. Recorded by Toots and the Maytals, the song was originally released on the Beverley's label in Jamaica and the Pyramid label in the UK.{{cite web |url=http://maytals.net/7in07.html |title=54-46 That's My Number/Dreamland (Roland Alphonso) |publisher=Maytals.net |access-date=2014-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520220235/http://maytals.net/7in07.html |archive-date=2014-05-20 |url-status=dead }} A follow-up version released a year later, "54-46 Was My Number",{{cite web |url=http://maytals.net/7in69.html |title="5446" Was My Number/Version |publisher=Maytals.net |access-date=2014-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520220237/http://maytals.net/7in69.html |archive-date=2014-05-20 |url-status=dead }} was one of the first reggae songs to receive widespread popularity outside Jamaica, and is seen as being one of the defining songs of the genre. It has been anthologised repeatedly and the titles of several reggae anthologies include "54-46" in their title.
The lyrics describe Toots' time in prison after being arrested for possession of marijuana. The song features a similar riddim to "Train to Skaville"{{cite web|title=Train to Skaville |url=http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Disco/6032/TrainToSkaville.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021081148/http://geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Disco/6032/TrainToSkaville.htm |archive-date=2009-10-21 |url-status=dead }} by Toots and the Maytals' contemporaries, the Ethiopians.{{cite web|title=The Ethiopians |url=http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Disco/6032/Ethiopians.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020001252/http://geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Disco/6032/Ethiopians.htm |archive-date=2009-10-20 |url-status=dead }}
In popular culture
The song appears in the sci-fi film Repo Men and in the series Narcos: Mexico.{{Citation|title=Repo Men|date=2010-03-22|url=https://www.amazon.com/Repo-Men-Various-Artists/dp/B0039T1QP2|publisher=Relativity|access-date=2016-06-24}}{{Citation|title=Narcos: Mexico Soundtrack|url=https://www.what-song.com/Tvshow/100384/Narcos-Mexico|website=WhatSong|access-date=2018-12-15}}
The song is also used as the soundtrack to the opening titles of 2006 Shane Meadows directed movie This is England.
On November 29, 2016, Major Lazer and Bad Royale released "My Number", a track that samples "54-46 That's My Number". Pitchfork describes the song as "a genre-defining classic from legendary ska/reggae group Toots and the Maytals."Yoo, Noah. "Major Lazer Sample Toots and the Maytals on New Song 'My Number': Listen". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. 06 Dec. 2016. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Toots & The Maytals|title=54-46 (Was My Number)|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2023|id=16016-5110-1|access-date=|note="54-46 (Was My Number)"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.pandora.com/music/song/toots+maytals/54+46+thats+my+number#lyrics Complete lyrics]
{{Toots and the Maytals}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Toots and the Maytals songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Leslie Kong