It’s the song that launched a thousand cheerleading routines!

In 1982, choreographer Antonia Christina Basilotta, who had been dabbling in short films and videos, heard a song by a group called Racey, and decided to rework it as a vehicle for her own dancing and vocal talents.

The song was called “Kitty,” and was written by Mike Chapman and Nikki Chinn, best known for their work with The Sweet and Suzie Quatro…but Antonia made some changes: She changed the title, swapped lyrical genders, added a cheerleading routine, and as Toni Basil, took “Mickey” to #1 in Australia, Canada, and here in the US on Billboard’s Hot 100. It also reached #3 on the Dance chart.

And here’s a quick list of Fun Facts:

#1: For years, insiders figured Toni was singing about Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees…which made sense, since they had worked together when she choreographed the Monkees’ movie “Head.” Toni, however, has always denied it.

Fun Fact #2: In her teens, Toni was a head cheerleader at Las Vegas High School, which explains the letters on her sweater in the video. The other cheerleaders in the video were an award-winning team from Carson High School in Los Angeles.

And Fun Fact #3: You know you have an iconic song on your hands when Weird Al Yankovic records a parody. In this case, it was “Hey, Ricky,” a masterpiece referencing “I Love Lucy.”

“Mickey” by Toni Basil: a Great Song of 1982 that’s so fine, it’ll blow your mind!

Check out the links!

“Kitty” by Racey:

Ricky by Weird Al Yankovic