Single:
48 Crash entered the Australian singles chart* on 29 October 1973 and was a #1 hit. The song was #22 on the Top 100 of 1973.
Album:
The song is on Can the Can which entered the Australian albums chart* on 3 December 1973 and peaked at #2. The album was released in the USA and UK as Suzi Quatro, but in Australia as Can the Can.
Songwriters:
Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn
Producers:
Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn
Record label of Australian release:
Rak
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Songfacts:
Songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman never told Suzi what this song is about, but she came up with her own interpretation, deciding that it’s about male menopause, a condition that can occur in men around age 48 where they experience many symptoms of female menopause (hot flashes, fatigue), as well as sexual dysfunction. “It’s crazy lyrics, but to me, that makes sense,” she told Songfacts. “And back then, Mike used to write kind of nonsensical lyrics. But it’s one of the favorites around the world. So, I say it’s about the male menopause.”
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/suzi-quatro/48-crash
Wikipedia:
The song has long been assumed to be about male menopause. However, according to the British writer D. J. Taylor, one alternative theory is that, having boasted of their ability to write “a song about anything”, Chapman and Chinn were issued with the challenge to come up with a treatment of the 1848 United States economic crisis.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48_Crash
Lyrics:
Well you got the hands of a man and the face of a little boy blue-ue
And when you stand you’re so grand there’s a case just for looking at you-oo oo-oo
You’re so young, you could have been the devil’s son
You’re so young, but like a hang up I’ll be sad when you’re old and you’re gone
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
New to Bang a Gong? Click HERE to learn more about us.