Toots and The Maytals are from Kingston, Jamaica. It was the producer Byron Lee who 1971 renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group and the lead singer, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.
In Kingston, he met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to "The Flames" and, possibly, "The Vikings". Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, "Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals", for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.
After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band's musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drug possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which produced three classic albums and a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies -- "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word "reggae", "Pressure Drop", "54-46" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970. The group was featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events -- The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff.
Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the group released three best-selling albums, and enjoyed international hits with Funky Kingston in 1973 and Reggae Got Soul in 1976.
Toots and the Maytals' compositions would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when the Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and the Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop", with other Maytals' covers being recorded by Sublime. Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully.
In 2005, the band won a Grammy award for best reggae album for True Love, consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the Easy Star All-Stars album 'Radiodread' (a dub tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[35] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.
In 2017 Toots and the Maytals played Coachella Fest April 16 and 23 at 4:20 pm. They became the second reggae-based group to perform at the Coachella festival, after Chronixx in 2016.
In 2018, Toots and the Maytals launched a 50th anniversary tour with concert appearances in North America from April to August, moving to dates in the UK starting in October.
On July 25, 2018 Toots and the Maytals debuted an original song entitled "Marley" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and also played the classic "Funky Kingston".
On August 24, 2018 Toots and the Maytals performed at Locknโ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song โMonkey Manโ.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
54 46 Was My Number
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
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Listen what I say (listen what I say)
I said hear me now (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
I said, "Stick it up, mister"
Hear what I say, sir
Get your hands in the air, sir
Do what I say, sir, ah
Just what I mean sir
Get your hands in the air, sir
Then you will get no hurt, no
I said, yeah (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
I said hear me now (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
Second thing they say, I must join the office
Third thing they say, "Son, give me your number now"
He say, "What's your number?", I don't answer
He say, "What's your number, man?", I don't answer
He say, "What's your number now?"
He say "What's your number now?"
I said, "Fifty-four, forty-six, that's my number", whoa
Fifty-four, forty-six, that's my number, one more time
Fifty-four, forty-six, that's my number, whoa
Fifty-four, forty-six, that's my number
I said, yeah (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
I said hear me now (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
Ba-da-da, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee, da-da-dee-da
Ba-da, dai-dai, day-day, day-da-da-dee-da
Dee-da-dai-da, day-da-day-da, day-da-day-da, day-da-day-da
Da-da-da, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, de-dee-dee
Dee-da-da-da-da, dai-da-da-da-da
Dee-da-da-da-da-da
I said, yeah (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
I said, yeah (I said, yeah)
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
Stick it up, mister
Hear what I say, sir
Get your hands in the air, sir
You will get no hurt, sir, me say
Turn out your left pocket
Ah, give me a clean shirt, sir
Take off your shirt, sir
I not want no racket now
Stick it up, mister (I said, yeah)
Hear what I say, sir (I said, yeah)
Get your hands in the air, sir (I said, yeah)
Then you will get no hurt, mister, oh oh (I said, yeah)
Yeah (I said, yeah)
Whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah (I said, yeah)
Stick it up, mister now (I said, yeah)
Hear what I say, sir
The song "54-46 That's My Number" by Toots and The Maytals is about the experience of being arrested and sent to jail. The opening lyrics "Stick it up, mister, hear what I say, sir, get your hands in the air, sir then you will get no hurt mister, ah, do what I say, sir, ah, just what I mean sir" create an image of a police officer arresting the singer and telling them what to do in order to avoid getting hurt. The singer is telling the officer to do what they say and they won't get hurt. The rest of the song describes the singer's experience in jail, including being asked to give their number and responding with "54-46 That's My Number".
The lyrics of the song show the singer's strength, resilience, and hope in a situation that could easily break a person. The repetition of "I said, yeah" and "listen what I say" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's determination to be heard and respected, even in a place where they have no power. The song also touches on themes of police brutality and corruption, as well as the dehumanizing experience of being in jail.
Line by Line Meaning
I said, yeah (I said, yeah)
The singer is urging the listener to pay attention to what he has to say.
Listen what I say (listen what I say)
The singer repeats that the listener should pay attention to what he's saying.
I said hear me now (I said, yeah)
The singer is emphasizing that he wants to be heard.
I said, "Stick it up, mister"
The singer is commanding the listener to raise his hands.
Hear what I say, sir
The singer emphasizes that he wants the listener to listen to him.
Get your hands in the air, sir
The singer repeats that he wants the listener to raise his hands.
Then you will get no hurt mister, ah
The singer reassures the listener that if he complies, he won't be hurt.
Do what I say, sir, ah
The singer repeats that he wants the listener to obey him.
Just what I mean sir
The singer emphasizes that he wants the listener to follow his instructions exactly.
I said, "Listen what I say"
The singer repeats that he wants the listener to pay attention to him.
Second thing they say, I must join the office
The singer refers to the consequences of not complying with authority.
Third thing they say, "Son, give me your number now"
The singer highlights how authority figures want to identify and track individuals.
He say, "What's your number?", I don't answer
The singer refuses to comply with the request to give personal information.
He say, "What's your number now?"
The authority figure insists on getting personal information from the singer.
I said, "Fifty-four, forty-six, that's my number", whoa
The singer reveals his identity but maintains a sense of defiance and self-assuredness.
Ba-da-da, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee, da-da-dee-da
The song features a musical interlude.
Ba-da, dai-dai, day-day, day-da-da-dee-da
The song features another musical interlude.
Dee-da-dai-da, day-da-day-da, day-da-day-da, day-da-day-da
The song features yet another musical interlude.
Da-da-da, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, de-dee-dee
The song features another musical interlude.
Dee-da-da-da-da, dai-da-da-da-da
The song features a musical interlude.
Dee-da-da-da-da-da
The song ends with a musical flourish.
Stick it up, mister
The singer repeats his earlier command to raise hands.
You will get no hurt, sir, me say
The singer repeats that the listener won't be harmed if he obeys.
Turn out your left pocket
The singer instructs the listener to empty his pocket.
Ah, give me a clean shirt, sir
The singer asks for a shirt from the listener.
Take off your shirt, sir
The singer instructs the listener to remove his shirt.
I not want no racket now
The singer emphasizes that he doesn't want any trouble or fuss.
Yeah (I said, yeah)
The singer repeats his earlier command for attention.
Whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah (I said, yeah)
The singer repeats his emphasis on wanting to be heard and recognized.
Stick it up, mister now (I said, yeah)
The singer repeats his earlier command for the listener to raise his hands.
Hear what I say, sir
The singer repeats his instruction for the listener to listen to him.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Frederick Hibbert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind