Memories at 45 RPM

I was never massively into music growing up. Dad loved his ’60s music—he’d been a singer in a band when he was younger—while Mum was happy with a bit of easy listening. Many a Sunday, Barry Manilow or Johnny Mathis would provide the soundtrack as we cleaned and tidied the house.

My taste in music is pretty eclectic these days, but looking back, I think I missed out on some of the excitement of following bands as they arrived on the scene. Music was changing, with electronic synthesisers and drum machines helping artists create a whole new sound. At the time, though, most of it passed me by.

Now? I can’t get enough of ’80s music. It brings back so many memories. It’s amazing how the opening bars of a song can transport you straight back to a particular moment, somewhere you haven’t thought about in years.

Some of my earliest musical memories go back a little further. I remember wanting a 45 of Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury and the Blockheads for my sixth birthday. Then there was Egyptian Reggae, which, for reasons I still can’t explain, I played over and over again. Whoever else was in the house must have been thoroughly fed up with that one.

For anyone who’s never had the pleasure of handling a 45, these were the small vinyl singles that played at 45 revolutions per minute. Usually, you’d get one song on each side: the A-side was the main attraction, while the B-side was an extra track to discover when you flipped the record over. Sometimes you’d get a double A-side, with both songs given top billing.

There was something lovely about a record containing just a couple of songs. No endless scrolling or skipping through hundreds of tracks. You put it on, lowered the needle and listened. And if you were me with Egyptian Reggae, you went straight back to the beginning and did it all again.

What was your first single—and is it still one you’d happily listen to today?