16 cover versions of Three is a Magic Number, which turned 50 this year

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Originally published at: 16 cover versions of Three is a Magic Number, which turned 50 this year | Boing Boing

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Pure shot of nostalgia. Love it.

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I had no idea there were so many cover versions of this song, but I love the Blind Melon version and have it in several of my playlists.

Time to check out the rest!

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Neither did I, and how wonderful! I think I’ve heard the De La Soul version before, but not the rest.

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De La Soul’s The Magic Number is not a cover, it is an original derivative work.

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I’m a little too young to have seen the original airings, but I watched the VHS tapes all the time.

Three is a Magic Number had a particular effect on me… To this day anything that can be adjusted by numbers (thermostat, volume, etc) I always set to a multiple of 3.

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Then there’s the delightful end-credit animation for Spiderman: No Way Home, accompanied by the De La Soul cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfVzUMGxauY

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Best part of the movie

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and the album title is derived from the Johnny Cash song “Five Feet High and Rising” sampled near the end of the song:

in case there are any readers not familiar with De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising album, it is generally considered to be a perfect album and a hip hop classic, so if you like the video embedded in the OP, it is guaranteed you will like the rest. De La’s entire catalog is solid anyhow, but 3 Feet… is transcendent.

I’m not a Blind Melon fan but have enjoyed their cover since it was released as the single for the School House Rock Rocks compilation, and after hearing the others here, it’s still the best cover imo. I found most of the rest pleasant but forgettable except the Jellybeans version, especially the out-of-nowhere guitar shredding in the bridge.

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Still the best schoolhouse rock song

Dig that wicked piano riff intro

“Thank you, pronouns!”

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As an only child who watched School House Rock in the 70s, Three is a Magic Number always was special for me: “A man and a woman had a little baby, {Yes they did}. They had three in the family, that’s a magic number.” :heart:

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Pronouns is good, I agree; although I probably hadn’t seen it in 45 years and I had forgotten it. I’ll always remember Verb, though. it has a lot of soul and a killer hook

that’s what’s happening!

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Me too! Once my son was born I had to stop listening to that song in public because I always get choked up. :face_holding_back_tears:

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Here’s a collection of covers for Pinball Number Count. Enjoy! If you use it, please credit and link back to Metafilter, it needs the traffic.

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dope
 

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