(“Sesame Street” song) “Sunny days ... chasing the clouds away.”

“Hi, I’m Margaret!”

Yellow.

Feathered.

Frock.

“I have got no idea what this show is any more,” Simon Cowell said Tuesday of “American Idol.”

That makes two of us. Where have all the singers gone?

When “Idol” debuted in 2002, it was designed (in theory, at least) to find this country’s top musical talent. Through a handful of episodes this season, the Fox reality show has brought us “Big Bird,” as they’re dubbing 50-year-old Margaret Fowler; two women with hair stretching to their ankles; Ian Benardo, in all of his glory; squeakers, screechers and Taylor Hicks-wannabes (God help us).

If that wasn’t bad enough to sour us, former “Idol” contestants have made news of late for abandoning their pop/R&B music aspirations to pursue acting. Jennifer Hudson made her Big Screen debut in “Dreamgirls” and nabbed an Oscar nomination. Diana DeGarmo went to Broadway and appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Justin Guarini is now working for the TV Guide Channel.

Moreover, for the second time in five seasons, an “Idol” runner-up has surpassed the “Idol” in record sales. Chris Daughtry’s self-titled debut has sold more than twice as many copies as Hicks, last season’s winner, has. So much for the “Soul Patrol.”

At the end of the day, “American Idol” is still the No. 1 show on television. But, if it wants to keep its credibility, its cast and crew need to remember what the show is about: Finding the best singers.