When I was in my 40s, I mentioned to a woman half my age at the time that I had asked a friend to make music CDs from my 45s. And she said…wait for it… “What’s a 45?”
I should mention that this woman was my personal fitness trainer. At the time she uttered that sentence I was in the process of lying on a bench while lifting a 150-pound barbell over my chest. I recovered (from her query), stacked the weight, and then walked over to the gym owner. He was in his 30s. I asked him, “Do you know what a 45 is?” He said…wait for it… “a gun?”
The 45 I refer to is a music recording on a 7-inch vinyl disc and plays at a speed of 45 revolutions per minute. In the 1950s and 1960s this type of record became very popular and was often referred to as a “single” or, simply, a “45.” I had quite the collection during the 1970s that were my teenage years. Here’s a partial list of my 45s (transferred to CDs, then upgraded to MP3s now in the cloud):
Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now – McFadden & Whitehead
Alone Again (Naturally) – Gilbert O’Sullivan
Backstabbers – O’Jays
Bad Luck – H. Melvin & Blue Notes
Beautiful Sunday – D. Boone
Best of My Love – Emotions
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – B. Midler
Brandy – Looking Glass
Breakout – Swing Out Sister
Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe – B. White
Come and Get Your Love – Redbone
Come Get to This – M. Gaye
Could it be I’m Falling in Love – Spinners
Crocodile Rock – E. John
Daddy Could Swear I Declare – G. Knight & Pips
Dance with Me – P. Brown
Dancing Machine – Jackson 5
Daniel – E. John
Do You Want to Dance? – B. Midler
Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing – S. Wonder
Earth, Wind & Fire – Fantasy
Everybody Plays the Fool – Main Ingredient
Frankenstein – Edgar Winter Group
Got to be Real – C. Lynn
Heaven Knows – D. Summer
Hotel California – Eagles
How Do You Do? – Mouth & Mac Neal
I Can See Clearly Now – J. Nash
I Wanna be Where You Are – Jackson 5
I Want You Back – Jackson 5
I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby – B. White
I’ve Got to Use My Imagination – G. Knight & Pips
If Loving You is Wrong I Don’t Want to be Right – L. Ingram
Jive Talkin’ – Bee Gees
Keep on Truckin’ – E. Kendricks
Lean on Me – B. Withers
Listen to the Music – Doobie Brothers
Living for the City – S. Wonder
Lookin’ for a Love – B. Womack
Love Train – O’Jays
Love Will Keep Us Together – Captain and Tennile
Love’s Theme – Love Unlimited Orchestra
Magic – Pilot
Me & Mrs. Jones – B. Paul
Midnight Blue – Melissa Manchester
Mighty Mighty – Earth, Wind & Fire
Mr. Jaws – D. Goodman
My Eyes Adored You – F. Valli
Neither One of Us Wants to be the First to Say Good-bye – G. Knight & Pips
Once You Get Started – Rufus
One of these Nights – Eagles
Papa was a Rolling Stone – Temptations
Pick up the Pieces – Average White Band
Rock the Boat – Hues Corporation
Rock Your Baby – G. McCrae
Rockin’ Pneumonia-Boogie Woogie Flu – J. Rivers
Satin Soul – B. White
Saturday in the Park – Chicago
Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire
Skin Tight – Ohio Players
Smarty Pants – First Choice
Someone Save My Life Tonight – E. John
Soul Makossa – Manu Dibango
Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel
Summer Breeze – Seals & Crofts
Superfly – C. Mayfield
Superstition – S. Wonder
Sussudio – P. Collins
Swearin’ to Go – F. Valli
Tell Me Something Good – Rufus
The Love I Lost – H. Melvin & Blue Notes
The World is a Ghetto – War
Too Late to Change the Time – Jackson 5
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) – MFSB
Use Me – B. Withers
Use to be My Girl – O’Jays
Victim – Candi Stanton
When Will I see You Again? – Three Degrees
You’re so Vain – C. Simon
It’s Alright – Huey Lewis
Just You and I – Eddie Rabbit/Crystal Gayle
Taxi – Harry Chapin
Garden Party – Ricky Nelson
End of the Road - Boyz 2 Men
Save the Best for Last – Vanessa Williams
I Hope You Dance – Lee Ann Womack
Lean on Me – Temptations
Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
Daydream Believer – Monkees
Danny’s Song – Anne Murray
Jump Around – House of Pain
She’s Gone – Hall & Oates
Stan – Eminem
Purple Rain – Prince
What a Fool Believes – Doobie Brothers
