Scatman John ep. 7

His third album "Take Your Time", produced by Kai Matthiesen (producer of Mr. President, B-Charme, Crispy) , was released on October 1999. Sadly, it was also be his last, because he died of a cancer the 3rd December of the same year at his home in California. There were no music videos made for any of the tracks on this album owing to John's poor health. "Take Your Time" was released as a six-track CD-single. "Ichi Ni San...Go" was released as the follow up. In Japan, "The Chickadee Song" was released as a double-A-side single.
It featured the album version and remix ofThe Chickadee Song and the album version and 2 remix versions of "Take Your Time".
After John's death, the "Take Your Time" single was re-released. This time it had only 4 tracks and a banner on the cover which mentioned "In Loving Memory Of Scatman John".
A site in Scatman memoriam can be found here.



Thanks to Karine Sanche

Scatman John ep. 6

Owing to the massive success of the "Scatman's World" album the follow up followed the same path and themes. It wasn't as successful commercially as the debut but still had enough energy and passion to keep John in the game. The Japanese release of the album, again, featured a different cover and 5 bonus tracks. The original title of this album was rumored to be "Journeys Of Fantasy" but was replaced with the title of the first single to make the cut from the album.


At the same time in Japan, John was everywhere. He made the television circuit usually performing "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)" or "Everybody Jam!". However he was hired to appear in 2 Japanese commercials, one for pudding (featuring the track "PriPri Scat") and one for cosmetics (featuring the song "Su Su Su Super Kirei"). "Super Kirei" was the second track off this album to spawn a music video, this time a little less extravagant than "Everybody Jam!" The video featured John in a featureless room riding a mini trike, producing flowers like a magician and dancing around. He is also filmed in a basement and a cgi kitchen.

Besides "Everybody Jam!" "Let It Go" was also released as a single, although the album version does not feature on it. As far as I know no video was made for the track. The Invisible Man was rumored to be a single release at one point, this never happened though.

Thanks to Karine Sanche

Scatman John ep. 5

"Only Love" was the third single from the "Scatman's World" album. Whilst Europe got the "Song Of Scatland" single this was the Japanese release in its place. "Popstar" it was another  track released as Cd promo in 95 by Gramaphone Records.
In October John prepared a new single called "Everybody Jam" a song inspired from Jazz  his love, and a tribute to his childhood idol Louis Armstrong, in interview John explains why was inspired by Luis :
  “Louis was the first and strongest influence on my musical existence. There have been many masters of music, of soul, but for me Louis is the father of them all.'



The story of the video was this : Scatman walking through a car park at night, when he glances up the spirit of Armstrong appears. The pair agree to duet and the action switches to a New Orleans Mardi Gras street party. Armstrong and Scatman ride along the road in an open top limo whilst a marching band precedes them and various children dressed as Scatman dance around. There's also shots of John by various New Orleans Landmarks. The video ends back in the car park as Armstrong disappears.

The single soon was followed in November by the album with the same title.

Thanks to Karine Sanche

Scatman John ep. 4

The "Scatman's World" album was created by Ingo Kays and Tony Catania, and majority of the lyrics were inspired by the obstacles and inspirations in Johns life. "Scatman (ski ba bop ba dop bop)" deals with the fact that John stuttered. Famously his main concern with recording was that people would discover he stuttered, his wife suggested he make it the focus of the song and declare to people that he was a person who stuttered. Time (Take Your Time) deals with Johns time at Alcoholics Annonymous, a theme which would be explored on tracks "Let It Go" & "Hey You".

The third single released from the "Scatman's World" album was "Song Of Scotland" it was an odd choice for a single as it didn't follow the high powered techno vibe of it's predecessors. This was a ballad about Scatman's vision for the world we should all try to create. It was not released in the UK, neither were the subsequent albums or singles. At this point Scatman seemed to have been deemed non profitable, and so this was a European release.

Thanks to Karine Sanche

Scatman John ep. 3

Scatman's World was the follow up single to "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)" entitled "Scatman's World". This was as successful as it's preceding single and maintained Johns status as a popstar. The track deals with his world view and philosophy based on a vision of a utopian society he calls "Scatman's World" in which we all co habit peacefully and help each other out.

The video begins with a reporter interviewing a disillusioned boy who is on his way to visiting "Scatman's World" from then on the boy is submerged in water whilst idylic images of fields and trees play out, intercut with crowds traffic and general hustle and bustle. Scatman sings against these backdrops about the need to find peace inside of ourselves.




The single came from his debut album of the same name "Scatman's World" , released in the summer of 1995, and sold more than 3 million copies.
Th the same year, Scatman John was given the 'Artist of the Year' award in Japan, has received the Golden Europa award for single sales, the Echo Award in Europe for 'cross-over artist of the year', and an MTV Europe Music Award in the Best Male Artist Category, alongside Michael Jackson, Dr. Dre, Neil Young, and Lenny Kravitz. Scatman-mania has, without a doubt, circled the globe.

Thanks to Karine Sanche

Scatman John ep. 2

The single "Scatman John" was the track that propelled him to chart success in the summer of 1995.
The verse from the song were addressed to people who have the same issue(stutters) and not only:

"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."
Some of the lyrics were taken from his 1986 album.

The video was shot in black and white featuring a fractured screen with several boxes showing shots of John singing along with various random people dancing, miming and playing drums. This was played in heavy rotation on music channels in 95 and still is this days . He also performed the song live on BBCs Top Of The Pops show and Mtvs Most Wanted with Ray Cokes.

"Scatman" has been used in the films "Nothing To Lose" starring Tim Robbins & "BASEketball" starring Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Thanks to Karine Sanche

Scatman John ep. 1

    The story began in the summer of 1994 when John Larkin (Scatman's real name) was performing at the Alexandra Hotel in Norway. One afternoon, his agent called and proposed the concept of 'scat-rap'. Always game for something new, Larkin spent six hours in a recording studio, unsure what the finished product would sound like.
With the help of producers Antonio Catania and Ingo Kays, the first song, Scatman (Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop), was completed and just weeks later skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Eurochart.
The song, which was released in the US as a CD single off RCA Records' Club Cutz dance compilation and can be heard on the soundtrack of the soon-to-be-released Touchstone Pictures film Nothing To Lose starring Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence, has sold more than two million copies world-wide to date. It was the second most sold single in France for the year 1995.  ( Special Thanks to Karine Sanche)