Throwback Thursday: New Edition – “Count Me Out”
The year was 1985 and the boys of New Edition were very settled in their stardom. Their third album, All for Love, was released in November year — its lead single, “Count Me Out,” came a month prior.
“Count Me Out” is the kind teeny R&B for which fans had come to know and love the group — complete with the rapped bridge. New Edition isn’t brought up in conversations about blending hip-hop with R&B/pop, but it’s worth noting that this is something they did from the very beginning.
The visual for the track, which is as playful as you’d expect, tells a story about what was happening in New Edition behind the scenes. The group was missing a member: Bobby Brown. While he had recorded vocals for the album and even appeared on its cover, Bobby had left — or, as the story is told, kicked out of — the group right before they shot the video for “Count Me Out.” Ricky Bell ends up having to lip-sync his lead vocals in the video. Bobby wouldn’t rejoin until 1996, when they released Home Again — now as a sextet including newcomer Johnny Gill.
Though it’s considered a classic today, “Count Me Out” underperformed on the charts, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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