Songs About Stuttering
This is part of a paper written for the 2004 ISAD Online conference featuring background information and songs by three people who live(d) with stuttering and wrote songs about their experience, Jason Gray, Frankie Johnes, and John Larkin. The entire online conference paper is available in another section of the Stuttering Home Page. This paper will feature background information about stuttering in singing and a slightly edited version of John "Scatman" Larkin's section of the paper as well as a copyrighted version of "I'm the Scatman", from Judy Larkin, John's wife.
Introduced by Judy Kuster (Minnesota, USA)
There are many songs about stuttering. Probably the best known song about stuttering is "K-K-K-Katy.". It was composed by Geoffrey O'Hara who composed many other songs, mostly hymns and died in 1967 at the age of 84.
Dr. W.F.Rannie who teaches geography at the University of Winnepeg wrote to me in 1998, and shared some of the story about this song. He wrote that the Katy in the song was his grandmother, Katerine Gertrude Craig Richardson of Kingston, Ontario. She was called "Kate." It was composed spontaneously at a party in 1917. The finished version of the song was first played at a garden party fund-raiser for the Red Cross at a cottage in Collins Bay on Lake Ontario just west of Kingston. Katie Richardson didn't stutter and probably the stuttering in the song it was simply a device to make the words fit the music. Many modern day song writers do the same thing, for example The Reflex by Duran Duran, My Generation by The Who, Barbra Ann by The Beach Boys, Foolin' by Def Leppard, and many others.
It is rather strange when stuttering becomes part of a song since music is usually considered a "fluency enhancer" for people who stutter. That means, when they sing, many (but not all) people who stutter become totally fluent. The first person in recorded history who is said to have noted the fact that stutterers are fluent when they sing is the English composer William Byrd (1543-1623), master of music of the Chapel Royal of Queen Elizabeth I. (posted to a stuttering mailing list by Pierre B, October 15, 2001). Healey and Mallard discovered (Healey EC, Mallard AR 3rd, Adams MR., Factors contributing to the reduction of stuttering during singing, J Speech Hear Res. 1976 Sep;19(3):475-80) that for the people in their study, sung lyrics were always more fluent than spoken lyrics and it didn't even matter if the person could carry a tune or not. The effects of singing, even in a monotone or off key, made them more fluent.
Perhaps it was because they were fluent when they sang that several people who stutter have made singing a career including Mel Tellis, Robert Merrill, Gareth Gates, and Carly Simon.
There are at least four examples of people who stutter who have written about their stuttering in their songs. One was a hymn writer, William Cowper, who wrote "There is a Fountain" in 1771. One of the verses in this hymn is
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
I'll sing a sweeter, nobler song
I'll sing Thy power to save.
Three contemporary professional singers, with distinctly different musical styles, do not stutter when they sing, but they have written and performed songs that talk about their stuttering. Frankie Jones and Jason Gay have both given permission for the performance of their songs about stuttering to be online for this conference. The song by John "Scatman" Larkin is online with the permission of his widow, Judy Larkin. The words to the songs are online if you are not able to access the music with your computer.
I'm The Scatman
By John "Scatman" Larkin
deceased
Musician John "Scatman" Larkin passed away December 3, 1999, at his home in California. He was born March 13, 1942. John, a person who stuttered, was known for his "scatsinging." Professionally he was best known for his successful recordings in Europe on the BMG/RCA label. His first single, "Scatman" was recorded September 1994 and released in Germany December 1994. John received "Best New International Artist of the Year" in Japan and the German "ECHO" award for foreign artists. He also received awards from Italy, France, Poland, Hong Kong and elsewhere. Some of his work is still available through http://www.mnsu.edu/dept/comdis/kuster/Bookstore/Bookstore.html. His love for and work with the international community of people who stutter is a major part of John's legacy.
Listen to "I'm the Scatman" (included here with the permission of Judy Larkin)
an MP3 audio file (6 MG) of Scatman's perfomance of the selection below. The lyrics are taken from http://www.szym.com/scatman/sctman.html by Szymon Krasucki
Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)
(Scatting by Scatman John)
I'm the Scatman
(Scatting by Scatman John)
I'm the Scatman
(Scatting by Scatman John)Everybody stutters one way or the other
So check out my message to you.
As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back.
If the Scatman can do it so can you.Everybody's sayin' that the Scatman stutters
But doesn't ever stutter when he sings.
But what you don't know I'm gonna tell you right now
That the stutter and the scat is the same thing.
Yo I'm the Scatman.Where's the Scatman? I'm the Scatman.
Why should we be pleasin' all the politician heathens
Who would try to change the seasons if the could?
The state of the condition insults my intuitions
And it only makes me crazy and my heart like wood.Everybody stutters one way or the other
So check out my message to you.
As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back.
If the Scatman can do it brother so can you.
I'm the Scatman.(Scatting by Scatman John)
Everybody stutters one way or the other
So check out my message to you.
As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back.
If the Scatman can do it brother so can you.I'm the Scatman.
I hear you all ask 'bout the meaning of scat.
Well I'm the professor and all I can tell you is
While you're still sleepin' the saints are still weepin' cause
Things you call dead haven't yet had the chance to be born.
I'm the Scatman.(Scatting by Scatman John)
I'm the Scatman....repeat after me
It's a scoobie oobie doobie scoobie doobie melody
I'm the Scatman....repeat after me
It's a scoobie oobie doobie scoobie doobie melody
(Scatting by Scatman John)© 2004 Judy Larkin, all rights reserved
Several years ago, John wrote the following information about, "I'm the Scatman."
- "Everybody stutters one way or the other so check out my message to you. As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back if the Scatman can do it....so can you."
- Everybody's saying that the Scatman stutters but doesn't ever stutter when he sings.....but what you don't know I gonna tell you right now that the stutter and the scat is the same thing....yo I'm the Scatman"
The first verse simply says that we all have problems; and with the courage to accept yourself just as you are and deal with those problems, you can have a good life and a stronger life as the very result of having those problems....and if I can get on with my life, so can you.
The second verse says that the stutter and the scat are the very same thing....by that I mean that the biggest influence to my scatsinging has been my stutter.
(a) The stutter taught me to pronounce the scat syllables the way you hear them on the song.
(b) It can be useful to see scatsinging as "released" stuttering....or "fluent" stuttering.
In December of 1997, John, whose email address was Hapnintwo, sent Holiday greetings to several people. Although he did not live to see the new century, he did have a vision of the times ahead that I'm sure he'd want to share with you:
Hello my friends,
In about 730+ days we will arrive at the year 2000.
A new century......A new age......A new beginning. In the last few years I have been given the opportunity to see first hand how our world community of people who stutter is moving more and more into oneness.
I have seen new organizations like the International Stuttering Association spring into existence for the purpose of serving and expediting that growing oneness.
I have seen how fast new information and hope can spread through the media and through internet communications.
This is a new time. This is a wonderful time for a pws. We have moved out of the dark into the light. We can feel connected in a way that has never been possible before. We are no longer alone. The world community has advanced a milestone in a short time.........But this is only the beginning.
It is most important that we remember that there are many more of us out in the world who are still "victimized" by their stuttering and that perhaps it is our responsibility to try to give back some of this wonderful gift that we have been given.......by trying to help any way we can.
Thank you all for what you have given me.
I want to wish you all the very best for your future.
Yours,
John Larkin
