This is what my 45 album looked like.

I’ve written about finding lost things from my childhood before, among them, the short stories “Obstinate Uncle Otis” and “The Light of Other Days.”

Also on my list of “long lost things to find” has been a song I played on a 45 album repeatedly when I was between the ages of three and five. I recalled it as a sort of “disco” version of The Lord’s Prayer, and I assumed it was probably called “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Me dancing in my room, April 23, 1974. I am relatively certain I was probably listening to “The Lord’s Prayer.” And by the way? I still have that hat. I I still, on occasion, wear it to Disney World.

Me in my room, June 7, 1974. I was three years old. This was what I thought of as my “hula girl” bathing suit, but mostly, I liked to put it on and dance to Sister Janet Mead’s “The Lord’s Prayer.” The red television sitting there on the desk was a toy in which you inserted a film strip, played an accompanying record, and watched a “movie,” of sorts, as the film strip moved magically along with certain points on the record. The toy also, however, could be used as a record player.

Even though the last time I’d heard this song was probably close to forty years ago, every single note and nuance of it would run through my head on occasion. I also recalled that I didn’t like the B-side song on the album, but that it had something to do with Father Sun and Sister Moon. Or something like that. This would always spark an Internet search, which would turn up nothing.

But, as has been proven to me many times, just wait long enough and you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Earlier this year, my housemate, Charles, played keyboard in the pit for Warner Theater in Torrington, Connecticut’s production of the musical Disaster!, a spoof on 1970s Allen-style disaster films featuring the most popular hits of the era (including “Nadia’s Theme”—who remembers that from, among other things, The Young and the Restless? That was the second song I learned to play on the piano). If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can listen to that here: https://youtu.be/Vlv32UEazGc

The cover for the Warner Theater’s production of DISASTER!

I won’t give spoilers for the show, but early on, there is a scene in which a nun appears on stage. She strums on her guitar and sings.

Out of her mouth comes “The Lord’s Prayer.” I recognized it immediately! It was one of those moments when I wished I could jump up and down and scream, “Oh my God! I know that song! I’ve been looking for that for years! I can’t believe somebody’s playing it!”

In Disaster!’s program booklet, it’s standard practice that all of the music be given the proper credit due to rights considerations. When Charles got home that night, I asked him about the song, but had forgotten about the booklet’s informational listing.

It turns out it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. When Charles and the production band’s director started looking into it, they discovered that the information in the program booklet—which comes straight from the company from which you purchase the performance rights—was incorrect. Somewhere along the line, the piece of music had been improperly attributed and was listed as being the more well-known classical version by Albert Hay Malotte.

This is how “The Lord’s Prayer” is incorrectly credited in the DISASTER! program. This comes right from the production company, since the show has so many credits they send this list ready for drop-in.

After some searching, though, they were able to track it down. The second Charles told me it was by “Sister Janet Mead,” I remember having seen her name on the label of my 45 (sure enough, I was too young to read the label when I’d been listening to it, although it’s likely that damn album kicked around in my room for a few years). And I’d also been almost right about the B-side: It was “Brother Sun and Sister Moon.” So I’d been close.

The 45 of “The Lord’s Prayer”‘s B-side. I didn’t like this song very much. I remember playing it one time and thinking, “this stinks.” But now when I listen to it, it’s kind of sweet. I was just into music I could dance to when I was that little, and this is definitely not a dancing song like “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Another lost thing from childhood, found. I was able to watch the video on YouTube and was also surprised to find that my brain had been completely accurate in terms of the arrangement, the lyrics, and vocal nuances.

It also turns out that this song played quite a large role in what would become, as we know today, contemporary Christian rock.

It was good to hear it again! If you’d like to listen to the song (and please, watch this 1970s video of nuns dancing around with children, it’s pretty fantastic), you can do that here: https://youtu.be/DZF9rsgKZHw

There’s also a brief Wikipedia article that gives you a few details about the song and its history: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord%27s_Prayer_(Sister_Janet_Mead_song)

Here’s the B-Side—“Brother Sun and Sister Moon”—which I didn’t like back then, but listening to it now, it’s fun. https://youtu.be/YGi7ehqgM50