48 Crash

Album: The Best of Suzi Quatro (1973)
Charted: 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who wrote several other songs for Quatro and also worked with the band Sweet, wrote this song. The lyrics are striking and disjointed, with lines like:

    Well you got the hands of a man and the face of a little boy blue

    This was typical of glam rock, where outrageous and sometimes nonsensical lyrics augmented the look and sound.
  • Chapman and Chinn never told Quatro 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."
  • This was Quatro's second UK hit, following the #1 "Can The Can." Born and raised in America, she moved to England when she signed with Mickie Most's RAK label. In 1975, she made a push to break through in her home country, but never came close to her UK success. She did land a role on the TV series Happy Days though, playing the role of Leather Tuscadero from 1977-1979.

Comments: 1

  • Pete from Nowra Australiathe story goes, the boys said they could write a song about anything, someone said ok 48 ? write a song about the number 48 and they came up with this
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Charlie Daniels

Charlie DanielsSongwriter Interviews

Charlie discusses the songs that made him a Southern Rock icon, and settles the Devil vs. Johnny argument once and for all.

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.