Like any kid who grew up during the last 35 years, I was an avid fan of Sesame Street. Whether it was watching the Cookie Monster scream "me want cookies" as he eats the letter of the day or Kermit the Frog's "Sesame Street News Flash" updates, I couldn't get enough of those Muppets and their educational infotainment. One of me and my brother's favorite segments was this animated short called The Pinball Number Count. We used to like watching that pinball make its way though the machine as it counted up to the number twelve because the song was so catchy. We used to even sing along "1-2-3-4-5...6-7-8-9-10...11-12" every time it came on the screen.
Little did we know at the time that the women singing that song were none other than The Pointer Sisters. The story goes that when they were approached to record the song the composer could only afford to pay three of the four sisters, but all of them showed up in the studio to record it anyway. Basically, even Motown legends give major street cred to Sesame Street and don't let a little thing like money stand in the way of teaching kids how to count to twelve. Of course, rather than make your run-of-the-mill boring children's tune the sisters proceeded to lay down one of the sickest grooves I've ever heard. No joke, this song belongs just as much on a disco dance floor as it does on a child's TV screen. I challenge you NOT to get this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Also, 20 something years later the video looks far more psychedelic than I remember.
The Pointer Sisters - "Pinball Number Count" (from Songs From the Street: 35 Years of Music)
and here's the video:
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