Back in the days when radio stations played vinyl, the DJ was always switching between records that played at different speeds. One of the most embarrassing things that could happen to you—and I speak from experience here—is to launch a record at the wrong speed, resulting in music that is too slow or too fast. Cringey stuff. But sometimes there are unintended consequences.
In 1978, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, a Southern rock band, released a single called “Imaginary Lover.” A DJ played the song at 45 instead of 33 and didn’t pay attention. The listening audience did, though. To them, it sounded like Stevie Nicks was singing and that this was a brand-new Fleetwood Mac song.
For a while, the song was considered to be a “lost” Stevie Nicks track before everything was sorted out.
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