RIP Scatman John Larkin. He discovered scat as a way to overcome his stutter ( thats kinda the message of the song), worked as a Jazz pianist and singer in Germany, and when the Eurodance craze got going in the 90s, was found by some producers and had this massive hit
The story of he and his wife is a really good one too. They were both pretty hopelessly addicted to drugs and she helped get him off of it and into the life that led him to this song.
Danish rapper MC Einar has the same problem. They got him into the studio and could hardly understand what he was saying. Then he started rapping and they knew they had their front man
I absolutely ❤ this song! This was a MASSIVE HIT in the UK! It was always played on dance floors. This was an instant way to get people dancing. Techno + Scat - just works so well!
This was HUGE in Europe in 1995, it went to #1 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. Follow-up single Scatman's World also topped the chart in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany and Spain.
What a Legend of an artist !!!! , it is also crazy how Amber picks out the meaning of these songs so quickly from the very first time she hears these songs , while some times it takes me years or decades to actually decode what many of those singers were actually talking about🙃🤣
I love Scatman John. AS other commenters have pointed out, he started Scat as a way to overcome his stuttering. He was really nervous at trying to publicly perform Scat, his wife suggested that he address his stutter in his song, so he wrote this song. In most of his songs he tries to send uplifting messages. "Sing Now!" and "Scatman's World" are some of his most popular, but I also highly suggest "Everybody Jam!" as another really fun song of his, there's actually a spoken portion at the very beginning where you can actually hear him stutter. By far my favorite song of his though is "Love Ballad" which is just an absolutely beautiful piece that I HAD to put on my Romantic Dancing playlist.
I used one of your videos at school in my classroom to model how to “react” back to reading a piece of text by recording annotations. I used the Go West song you used recently. They enjoyed your inferences about it being a 90’s song based on the sound, hairstyles, and dance moves. Keep up the great work.
Way back in the day I performed this as a tap dance number in many competitions plus recitals at my studio; however way back in the day I grew up listening to this guy and it’s still a banger to this day!
This was part of the soundtrack of my youth, I mean the first few tones and I’m back at school dances and house parties with friends trying to sing along and having fun.
If you see interviews with the Scatman, he could heartbreakingly barely get through a sentence, but the way in which he evolved that artistically into Scat, while I'm not a fan of the song per se, is a true inspiration.
I had totally forgotten about this song. Who remembers the song "Informer" by Snow? I came across it the other day, and felt the same way, just totally forgot it existed, and that song spent an incredible SEVEN weeks at number 1 in 1992-93.
"You see all these different faces, all these different races, all these different people, from all these different parts of life" a missed opportunity to say "all these different places" at the end there 😅
Todd In The Shadows did a great "One Hit Wonderland" on this song and the life of the Scatman. Definitely something you should watch if you liked this song.
The 90s were just the best. We got some really weird, cool stuff like this that got legit radio play. Stuff like this just wouldn't make it mainstream now a days
I remember this being huge in the uk during my middle school year's. Or maybe I was in high school. I think this released around 94/95? Still, awesome catchy song.
Watch some of his live interviews and I am pretty sure that most of us shall be able to acquire his great messages in his two top songs. His performance truly inspires everyone. Love from Malaysia. RIP John Larkin.
I’ve been waiting for some “Sunscreen” reactions. I hope they get to this one! (Tip to Rob Squad: if/when you do react to this, don’t hesitate to pause more than once - your commentary is very much anticipated and appreciated)
@@hellokimmy68 Do you remember which song you commented on? I’ll go back and throw a like on it, if it helps their “gotta give the people what they want” algorithm.
Omg, this song.... My aunt had a random 90s dance mix cd with like Venga Boys and such. This song was on there. It was defintely a favorite. I am always randomly singing this one :D lol Mid 90s.
“Gotta Give The People What They Want” I want you to listen to : In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida By Iron Butterfly You’re missing out on the sixty’s psychedelic sound! Drums, guitar, organ and deep voice singer. From the 1960s.
Just to add, he made these songs for children and young people to have faith in themselves. He is in the same rolodex for me as Mr. Rodgers, Reading Rainbow, and Bob Ross. I remember when i saw this song for the first time on MTV in 1995, i was a little little kid. Always loved him. He also did a bunch of songs in Japan for commercials and such. "Su su su super Kirei" was a song he made for a cosmetics commercial and got number 16 in the top 100 trending for a good while lol
Check out Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Endicott and Going Places (early 80s). I don't know if you've listened to Jim Stafford's Spiders and Snakes or Ray Stevens' song Guitarzan or The Streak. For r&b there's Michael Henderson's songs Wide Receiver and Firecracker (early 80s).
I’m old enough to remember Scatman Crothers who actually made an appearance in the movie Blues Brothers which I know you did a reaction on. This was different and a nice treat and fun. By the way, this scatman had a speech impediment, so did a well known country singer whose name I don’t remember, but he stammered but could sing beautifully. And there are some actors who also stuttered/stammered who could read their lines and act in a movie flawlessly.
thank you guys as always for reacting on the best on music history and this song Scatman was a huge worldwide mega hit by John Paul Larkin back in 1995 four years before he passed away i was working for Tower Records when it came out and since the beginning of the 90S there was this massive wave of the new club music like the Scatman , 3 A.M by KLF from 1991 or Snap with The Power from 1990 and Rhythm Is A Dancer from 1992 those were power house club music and iconic as well and now seeing you guys reacting on John Paul Larkin it's totally priceless cause it's a very tongue twisted song
I never heard this song before but it was fun. But it reminded me there is one artist who both of you adore who scats constantly when she sings Blues... That you have neglected for over a year...of course I'm speaking of Beth Hart, who is known to often break out into scat in the middle of a song. You give the people what they want right? Beth is waaaaay overdue for a visit! "Caught Out in the Rain" is a perfect example.
Please be patient. I requested this one quite a while ago, and they finally got to it. They get so many requests that they can't get to all of them right away.
If they moved forward with new artists, instead of going back to those they've already reacted to, they'd make more progress. 😕 I wish they would set aside one day a week for new artists. 🙂
I remember when several of his songs made the list of the most fun music around. You can't go wrong with the Scatman. He may have left this word for Scatland, but he left happiness behind.
Great reaction, Jay and Amber! The country singer, Mel Tillis stammered all his life. He said that the only time he didn't stammer was when he was singing. His hits are: Send Me Down to Tucson, Stay a Little Longer, Good Woman Blues, New Patches, Coca-Cola Cowboy, Heart Over Mind, and many more.
Although this was his breakthrough single, the follow up "Scatman's World" had even more powerful lyrics. It's one of my goto songs for inspiration when I'm having a bad day.
What i like about this song is that he says: “everybody is a stutter one way or the other so check out my message to you, as a matter of fact don’t let nothing hold you back if the scatman can do it so can you” In this verse he is not just encouraging stutters to overcome their adversity, he is also encouraging everyone to try and do the imposible, he is saying like dude if a stutter can scat you can literally do anything you want. R.I.P scatman john, see you in scatland
This was a 90s song!!! So much good techno back then too!! You guys must listen to Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness!! And Chemical Brothers Block Rockin’ Beats, Out of Control and Let Forever Be, Crystal Method’s Busy Child, Keep Hope Alive, Name of the Game, Trip Like I Do, 808 State’s Atlantic State, Rabbit In the Moon’s Floorida, Fatboy Slim’s Rockafeller Skank, Right Here Right Now, Praise You, Weapon of Choice, Everybody Loves A 303, Wiseguys Ooh La La, Apollo 440’s Stop the Rock, Moby’s Bodyrock, Robert Miles’ Children, So many good songs!! Oh Daft Punk is a must to try out too! And Basement Jaxx!! And the Josh Wink song, listen to the 6 minute version of the song
John Paul Larkin (known more as Scatman John) was a jazz singer who performed all over Europe in early 90s, and while performing in Germany he was working with Manfred Zahringer, who was the founder of the Iceberg Records in Denmark. Manfred had an idea to mix scat singing with techno music... but initially John didn't think that it would work. His wife Judy came up with the idea of actually talking about stuttering in the song. So yeah, thanks to his wife John became an international megastar. And John was HUGE in Japan. He appeared on many TV shows, he was in the ad company for the cosmetics company Kanebo (he made a song Su-Su-Su Super Kirei specifically for those ads) and he also advertised some puding for Glico’s Prin in Japan as well (he made a song Pripri Scat specifically for those ads). John actually released a Jazz album in 1986, it was a commercial failure... but there's a song from that album called "The Misfit" that was used by John when he made lyrics for his song "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)", more specifically the part about saints that are whipping and things that we call dead that haven't even had the chance to be born.
I haven`t heard this for a long time, but still, every now and then it plays in my head. Such a well made fun song. "A prolific jazz pianist and vocalist for several decades, he rose to prominence during the 1990s through his fusion of scat singing and dance music. He recorded five albums, which were released between 1986 and 2001. As of 2023, Larkin has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and went 15 times gold and 18 times platinum." Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) was released in 1995. Unfortunately, he died just four years later.
Singing to overcome a stutter is a classic speech therapy technique. Even something like "Johnny One Note" where all the singing is on a single note, which is something you can even get away with in normal conversation.
Watching this before I leave for work, total earworm will be singing this all day at work, will totally get on their nerves! He is amazing, so sad he is no longer with us.
Huge hit in the Mid 90s but even into the 2000, in fact this song was often backed up by Lou Bega's "Mambo Number 5" that came out in the late 90's 1999 I think and the radio station here in DFW would often play them back to back or shortly apart from one another because of their Jazzy sound. I hope you will give Mambo #5 a looksie.
Great song reaction! 😊 Whenever I hear this song I always think of the 1997 movie "Nothing to Lose", a movie that I very highly recommend. It's played during one of my favorite scenes in that movie. This is the first time that I've heard this song all the way through. Looking forward to the next music and movie reactions. 😊
Yoooooo! First time watching yall and best way to start with Scatman, one of my classic jams. The way yall break into dance @ 2:28 was in instant sub from me 🙂
OMG... LOL... 1995. MTV! I remember I was at a friend house and this came on. We were like.. is this guy really doing that? LOL Pretty cool you did a reaction to this one!
Scat is a name jazz singers use. It's their way off imitating instruments. He was a great jazz fan and he adds this Scat to his stutter to awesome effect ❤️❤️👍
It's so much fun watching the joy you guys have listening to these songs. They brought us just as much joy when they came out. If you're doing Scatman, you have to do US3 - Cantaloop. absolutely awesome
It's still surprisingly good after all these years :) funny. Just a few weeks ago they played this in a dance music radio show (top list of the week for new dance music) and the DJ kept upping the tempo everytime he pauses.. it was hilarious.
As others told you, and as you can hear in the lyrics, this song tells an awesome story, I love it and have a tear in my eye . I hope the kids (mainly) who stutter hear this song it might help with the confidence they need. I read about this guy years ago, he apparently worked in the music indusry all his life, but always stayed in the background due to his stutter and then he did this :)
Great song - unique and fun. For another more rounded, more talented super-star-in-his-day scat artist - please please give Al Jarreau a much deserved spin
RIP Scatman John Larkin. He discovered scat as a way to overcome his stutter ( thats kinda the message of the song), worked as a Jazz pianist and singer in Germany, and when the Eurodance craze got going in the 90s, was found by some producers and had this massive hit
Made two more albums after and scatman world is as big!
And was the voice of the Autobot 'Jazz' in the original 1986 Transformers movie.
Didn’t know that! Talk about turning a weakness into a strength!
The story of he and his wife is a really good one too. They were both pretty hopelessly addicted to drugs and she helped get him off of it and into the life that led him to this song.
He couldn't speak without a stammer but could sing this without a stutter. Sadly he died in 1999 aged just 57
That is right.... damn... yeah he died young!
Mel Tillis was the same way.
Danish rapper MC Einar has the same problem. They got him into the studio and could hardly understand what he was saying. Then he started rapping and they knew they had their front man
He was only 57 when he died?... He's looks older than that in this video. 😮
@@BuddyBoy68 He dies only 4 years after the video. He was made to look older deliberately.
You cannot NOT be happy listening to this! Just pure JOY
I absolutely ❤ this song! This was a MASSIVE HIT in the UK! It was always played on dance floors. This was an instant way to get people dancing. Techno + Scat - just works so well!
This was HUGE in Europe in 1995, it went to #1 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. Follow-up single Scatman's World also topped the chart in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany and Spain.
enormous here in Belgium! when I was 11 😁everyone listened to him a that time
I remember listening to this while playing super Mario Land on the OG Gameboy. Damn I feel old.
Italy as well.
@@fiore7939 It hit #3 in Italy (Musica E Dischi chart)
You missed UK too
These are the songs you rarely hear since the 90s and it just transports you back to a moment during that time.
So fun! This song was actually released in 1995! Thanks for this great reaction! ✌💙✌
What a Legend of an artist !!!! , it is also crazy how Amber picks out the meaning of these songs so quickly from the very first time she hears these songs , while some times it takes me years or decades to actually decode what many of those singers were actually talking about🙃🤣
Agreed, she's so great at figuring out the messages right away!!!
She's a very clever girl. I love her
I love Scatman John. AS other commenters have pointed out, he started Scat as a way to overcome his stuttering. He was really nervous at trying to publicly perform Scat, his wife suggested that he address his stutter in his song, so he wrote this song. In most of his songs he tries to send uplifting messages. "Sing Now!" and "Scatman's World" are some of his most popular, but I also highly suggest "Everybody Jam!" as another really fun song of his, there's actually a spoken portion at the very beginning where you can actually hear him stutter.
By far my favorite song of his though is "Love Ballad" which is just an absolutely beautiful piece that I HAD to put on my Romantic Dancing playlist.
HOW could I have EVER MISSED THIS GUY!!! HE IS AWESOME!!! Sad to hear he's passed...what a COOL TUNE!!! RIP Scatman John!! ❤❤❤❤❤
Huge smile on my face listening to this - thank you for featuring it ❤❤
This song is a shot of nostalgia right in the veins
Right?! Haven't heard it in years, but it is going right back on the playlist.
@@brianfite4740 absolutely
I used one of your videos at school in my classroom to model how to “react” back to reading a piece of text by recording annotations. I used the Go West song you used recently. They enjoyed your inferences about it being a 90’s song based on the sound, hairstyles, and dance moves. Keep up the great work.
Are you a teacher or student? And what course? Guessing Michigan St?
@@6Texasboi Middle School teacher.
Blessed are we who grew up dancing to this.
Way back in the day I performed this as a tap dance number in many competitions plus recitals at my studio; however way back in the day I grew up listening to this guy and it’s still a banger to this day!
EVERBODY JAM - Scatman John
(ft. Louie Armstrong) is a MUST❗️
You'll Love It 👍
R.I.P & Thank You Scatman John 💛
It was a song someone played for me, I am forever thankful they did. Just FUN, glad to see you both enjoy it too.
This was part of the soundtrack of my youth, I mean the first few tones and I’m back at school dances and house parties with friends trying to sing along and having fun.
Great choice! Another fun one - Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake. The official video is really funny. Also, Unbelievable by EMF
90’s CLUB BANGER!!! Please do “WHOOMP THERE IT IS” next week. Killer base, super fun.
They should do "Whoomp (there it is)" and "Whoot there it is" back to back
RIP Scatman John
The best and worst thing about this song is that it's so damn catchy, you try and sing along and tie your tongue in knots!
Tell me about it, it took me almost 2 weeks to untie the knots from my tongue
If you see interviews with the Scatman, he could heartbreakingly barely get through a sentence, but the way in which he evolved that artistically into Scat, while I'm not a fan of the song per se, is a true inspiration.
This song is a blast from the past when I was 20 . You could hear it in every club at that time.
I had totally forgotten about this song. Who remembers the song "Informer" by Snow?
I came across it the other day, and felt the same way, just totally forgot it existed, and that song spent an incredible SEVEN weeks at number 1 in 1992-93.
"You see all these different faces, all these different races, all these different people, from all these different parts of life" a missed opportunity to say "all these different places" at the end there 😅
Todd In The Shadows did a great "One Hit Wonderland" on this song and the life of the Scatman. Definitely something you should watch if you liked this song.
The 90s were just the best. We got some really weird, cool stuff like this that got legit radio play. Stuff like this just wouldn't make it mainstream now a days
Check out "Scatman's World" as well. Another great song about unity. We lost the legend in 1999, but, he was a blessing.
This is a killer dance tune. The groove is fire!!
I remember this being huge in the uk during my middle school year's. Or maybe I was in high school.
I think this released around 94/95?
Still, awesome catchy song.
I was in high school in the UK when this released in 1995
@@carlcady4008 yeah, I would've been in high school. I went up in summer of 94.
Scatman’s world from the same album is another absolute banger with meaningful lyrics.
This was actually mid 90s! Sadly Scatman John passed away just a few years later from lung cancer.
This is actually a mid 90's tune, but yes a nightclub dance hit! and a party favorite! Love this song too.
Watch some of his live interviews and I am pretty sure that most of us shall be able to acquire his great messages in his two top songs. His performance truly inspires everyone.
Love from Malaysia. RIP John Larkin.
If you want a fun song, check out "Justified and Ancient" by the KLF. The artist they collaborate with with knock you for a loop.
Definitely a 90’s tune. Also in this cool vein, y’all need to react to Everybody is Free to Wear Sunscreen. AMAZING to hear you react to this❤
Too true, Sunscreens a great song, Baz Lurman was definately channeling goid vibes ehen he wrote it.
I’ve been waiting for some “Sunscreen” reactions. I hope they get to this one!
(Tip to Rob Squad: if/when you do react to this, don’t hesitate to pause more than once - your commentary is very much anticipated and appreciated)
The long version! One of my favourites of all time!
I requested that one a few weeks ago and a lot of people were very supportive them doing it, so hopefully they'll get to it!
@@hellokimmy68 Do you remember which song you commented on? I’ll go back and throw a like on it, if it helps their “gotta give the people what they want” algorithm.
Not heard that for time! It was a massive hit in the nightclubs. ❤🎼
Omg, this song.... My aunt had a random 90s dance mix cd with like Venga Boys and such. This song was on there. It was defintely a favorite. I am always randomly singing this one :D lol Mid 90s.
“Gotta Give The People What They Want”
I want you to listen to :
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
By Iron Butterfly
You’re missing out on the sixty’s psychedelic sound! Drums, guitar, organ and deep voice singer.
From the 1960s.
In the Garden of Eden by I Ron Butterfly.
Slayer did a cover of that song.
It’s
In-A-Gadda- Da- Vida
By Iron Butterfly
Grew up with this song , got the short version on a cd and this is the title .
@@glenkamerling5333This sounds like rock and/or roll!
Eternal memory to the man who made my childhood happier, in Russia in the 90s
Just to add, he made these songs for children and young people to have faith in themselves. He is in the same rolodex for me as Mr. Rodgers, Reading Rainbow, and Bob Ross. I remember when i saw this song for the first time on MTV in 1995, i was a little little kid. Always loved him.
He also did a bunch of songs in Japan for commercials and such. "Su su su super Kirei" was a song he made for a cosmetics commercial and got number 16 in the top 100 trending for a good while lol
I was in my teen years and it was a trend in our class to try to sing like him 😂😂😂😂 I failed so much but we had fun 😂😂
Certainly one of my favourites from 90's RIP John.
I found Scatman in the Philippines in 1996 while on a Navy deployment. Was awesome then too. RIP Scatman.
Check out Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Endicott and Going Places (early 80s). I don't know if you've listened to Jim Stafford's Spiders and Snakes or Ray Stevens' song Guitarzan or The Streak. For r&b there's Michael Henderson's songs Wide Receiver and Firecracker (early 80s).
This was 1995. I was 17. Man what a song! I was waiting for this reaction. So happy they liked it!!!
I’m old enough to remember Scatman Crothers who actually made an appearance in the movie Blues Brothers which I know you did a reaction on. This was different and a nice treat and fun. By the way, this scatman had a speech impediment, so did a well known country singer whose name I don’t remember, but he stammered but could sing beautifully. And there are some actors who also stuttered/stammered who could read their lines and act in a movie flawlessly.
He was also in The Shining, they would remember him from.
Mel Tillis
That would be Mel Tillis!
thank you guys as always for reacting on the best on music history and this song Scatman was a huge worldwide mega hit by John Paul Larkin back in 1995 four years before he passed away i was working for Tower Records when it came out and since the beginning of the 90S there was this massive wave of the new club music like the Scatman , 3 A.M by KLF from 1991 or Snap with The Power from 1990 and Rhythm Is A Dancer from 1992 those were power house club music and iconic as well and now seeing you guys reacting on John Paul Larkin it's totally priceless cause it's a very tongue twisted song
I never heard this song before but it was fun. But it reminded me there is one artist who both of you adore who scats constantly when she sings Blues... That you have neglected for over a year...of course I'm speaking of Beth Hart, who is known to often break out into scat in the middle of a song. You give the people what they want right? Beth is waaaaay overdue for a visit! "Caught Out in the Rain" is a perfect example.
Please be patient. I requested this one quite a while ago, and they finally got to it. They get so many requests that they can't get to all of them right away.
If they moved forward with new artists, instead of going back to those they've already reacted to, they'd make more progress. 😕 I wish they would set aside one day a week for new artists. 🙂
I was a barman at a huge club in the 90's
People went feral when this came on.
Please don't confuse another pple. Techno is 90s, not 80s. Scatman John was popular in 1993-1996. It was my high school days music.
I love the happy people in the Scatman video.
Thanks for teaching this old dog a new trick. Really thanks!
Haven't heard this in years. 90s all the way as dance music reigned supreme in Europe back then.
As a nerd gamer, this song brings back a ton of memories. Never thought I'd hear you both do this one.
Funeral raid
I actually never heard of this song but I LOVE IT❤️❤️❤️❤️
I can't believe I missed this when it came out!
-me either !-
I remember when several of his songs made the list of the most fun music around. You can't go wrong with the Scatman. He may have left this word for Scatland, but he left happiness behind.
Scatman song was in a hilarious scene in the movie Nothing to Lose with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence....so funny!!!
Great reaction, Jay and Amber! The country singer, Mel Tillis stammered all his life. He said that the only time he didn't stammer was when he was singing. His hits are: Send Me Down to Tucson, Stay a Little Longer, Good Woman Blues, New Patches, Coca-Cola Cowboy, Heart Over Mind, and many more.
This is the song you don’t know you needed!
This guy has an awesome backstory!! Such an awesome guy! He was HUGE in Europe!
You guys should do "Life Is A Rock, But The Radio Rolled Me" by Reunion.
Yes. I have requested this a number of times. Was starting to think I was the only one who remembers it.
@@gbh0031 It would be a good song for a reaction, especially once a reactor gets enough songs under their belt to catch the references.
Although this was his breakthrough single, the follow up "Scatman's World" had even more powerful lyrics. It's one of my goto songs for inspiration when I'm having a bad day.
What i like about this song is that he says:
“everybody is a stutter one way or the other so check out my message to you, as a matter of fact don’t let nothing hold you back if the scatman can do it so can you”
In this verse he is not just encouraging stutters to overcome their adversity, he is also encouraging everyone to try and do the imposible, he is saying like dude if a stutter can scat you can literally do anything you want.
R.I.P scatman john, see you in scatland
That bead is SOOOOOOO 90's. That 90's electronic drums and bass and keys
I’ll never be able to hear this song without thinking of the spider on your head scene in Nothing To Lose!
I remember when this came out..I was obsessed! I still have this on my gym playlist, I always will! Genius🙏🏻RIP Sir🫶🏻♥️
This was a 90s song!!! So much good techno back then too!! You guys must listen to Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness!! And Chemical Brothers Block Rockin’ Beats, Out of Control and Let Forever Be, Crystal Method’s Busy Child, Keep Hope Alive, Name of the Game, Trip Like I Do, 808 State’s Atlantic State, Rabbit In the Moon’s Floorida, Fatboy Slim’s Rockafeller Skank, Right Here Right Now, Praise You, Weapon of Choice, Everybody Loves A 303, Wiseguys Ooh La La, Apollo 440’s Stop the Rock, Moby’s Bodyrock, Robert Miles’ Children, So many good songs!! Oh Daft Punk is a must to try out too! And Basement Jaxx!! And the Josh Wink song, listen to the 6 minute version of the song
John Paul Larkin (known more as Scatman John) was a jazz singer who performed all over Europe in early 90s, and while performing in Germany he was working with Manfred Zahringer, who was the founder of the Iceberg Records in Denmark. Manfred had an idea to mix scat singing with techno music... but initially John didn't think that it would work. His wife Judy came up with the idea of actually talking about stuttering in the song. So yeah, thanks to his wife John became an international megastar.
And John was HUGE in Japan. He appeared on many TV shows, he was in the ad company for the cosmetics company Kanebo (he made a song Su-Su-Su Super Kirei specifically for those ads) and he also advertised some puding for Glico’s Prin in Japan as well (he made a song Pripri Scat specifically for those ads).
John actually released a Jazz album in 1986, it was a commercial failure... but there's a song from that album called "The Misfit" that was used by John when he made lyrics for his song "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)", more specifically the part about saints that are whipping and things that we call dead that haven't even had the chance to be born.
I haven`t heard this for a long time, but still, every now and then it plays in my head. Such a well made fun song.
"A prolific jazz pianist and vocalist for several decades, he rose to prominence during the 1990s through his fusion of scat singing and dance music. He recorded five albums, which were released between 1986 and 2001. As of 2023, Larkin has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and went 15 times gold and 18 times platinum." Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) was released in 1995.
Unfortunately, he died just four years later.
As a french, I can assure you this song was very HUGE HIT in France !
Went to club Cyberia in 1998 and this song came on and the dance floor went nuts!
Singing to overcome a stutter is a classic speech therapy technique. Even something like "Johnny One Note" where all the singing is on a single note, which is something you can even get away with in normal conversation.
God this takes me back to college. They played this so much back then! I miss those days!
Watching this before I leave for work, total earworm will be singing this all day at work, will totally get on their nerves! He is amazing, so sad he is no longer with us.
4:57 Before there was "I'm Batman"... there was "I'm the Scatman." :D
This was a 90's hit that everyone jammed to. R.I.P. Scatman John
Scatman is undefeated: makes everyone dance
Huge hit in the Mid 90s but even into the 2000, in fact this song was often backed up by Lou Bega's "Mambo Number 5" that came out in the late 90's 1999 I think and the radio station here in DFW would often play them back to back or shortly apart from one another because of their Jazzy sound. I hope you will give Mambo #5 a looksie.
Great song reaction! 😊
Whenever I hear this song I always think of the 1997 movie "Nothing to Lose", a movie that I very highly recommend. It's played during one of my favorite scenes in that movie.
This is the first time that I've heard this song all the way through.
Looking forward to the next music and movie reactions. 😊
What a movie!!
Same here
100% I cried laughing in this scene first time I saw it!!
There are several blues and jazz singers that used this technique, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Cab Callaway
I used to request this all the time in Popworld when I was in Uni 🤣
La Bouche - Be My Lover. A massive hit across Europe in the 90s - peak commercial dance tune! Jay will love it
omg, the memories. This was so huge in Europe in the mid 90s
This song will burn a hole in your soul. 😂😂😂🔥🔥🔥
Yoooooo! First time watching yall and best way to start with Scatman, one of my classic jams. The way yall break into dance @ 2:28 was in instant sub from me 🙂
i remember when this came out it was EVERYWHERE it was a Huge banger in the clubs. good memorys.
Man I loved this back in the day, 95 I think this came out? RIP brother ❤️
OMG... LOL... 1995. MTV! I remember I was at a friend house and this came on. We were like.. is this guy really doing that? LOL Pretty cool you did a reaction to this one!
Scat is a name jazz singers use. It's their way off imitating instruments. He was a great jazz fan and he adds this Scat to his stutter to awesome effect ❤️❤️👍
I mean how you’ve never heard this is quite unbelievable!
What a surprise. I've never heard this before.
It's so much fun watching the joy you guys have listening to these songs. They brought us just as much joy when they came out. If you're doing Scatman, you have to do US3 - Cantaloop. absolutely awesome
It's still surprisingly good after all these years :) funny. Just a few weeks ago they played this in a dance music radio show (top list of the week for new dance music) and the DJ kept upping the tempo everytime he pauses.. it was hilarious.
As others told you, and as you can hear in the lyrics, this song tells an awesome story, I love it and have a tear in my eye . I hope the kids (mainly) who stutter hear this song it might help with the confidence they need. I read about this guy years ago, he apparently worked in the music indusry all his life, but always stayed in the background due to his stutter and then he did this :)
All I can picture is the back of Remer's jersey lighting on and off. IYKYK.
Great reaction. This was so fun. The other one he did was called Scatman’s World.
I'd forgotten all about scatmans world.
I need to go listen to that again.
@@TheRetroManRandySavage Yeah good song too, came out in ‘95. Well both did
@@GrahamG76 95?
I knew they had to have been around 94-95.
@@TheRetroManRandySavage Yeah ‘95 and the singer sadly died in ‘99
I first hear this in some commercial where this old guy would dance to this and when the song came out it was just the icing on the cake
You should definetly do Scatman's World aswell.
Great song - unique and fun. For another more rounded, more talented super-star-in-his-day scat artist - please please give Al Jarreau a much deserved spin