Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)

"Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" is a song by American eurodance artist Scatman John. It was released in November 1994, as the lead single from his second album, Scatman's World. The song is described as "a blend of jazz scatting, rap, and house beats".

"Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)"
Single by Scatman John
from the album Scatman's World
ReleasedNovember 30, 1994
1995 (re issue)
GenreEurodance, scat
Length
  • 5:03
  • 3:30 (radio edit)
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
  • John Larkin
  • Antonio Nunzio Catania
  • Tony Catania
  • Joseph Coppola
  • Catania Music Studios
Producer(s)
  • Antonio Nunzio Catania
  • Tony Catania
  • Catania Music Studios
Scatman John singles chronology
"Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)"
(1994)		 "Scatman's World"
(1995)
Music video
"Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" on YouTube

The song reached number 1 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland. It also reached the Top 10 in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the Top 20 in Iceland, and the Top 40 in Japan and New Zealand. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Scatman" reached number 1. John also won the March 1996 Echo Award in Germany for the best Rock/Pop single with "Scatman".[1]

Background

Born in El Monte, California, Larkin suffered from a severe stutter by the time he learned to speak which led to an emotionally traumatic childhood. At age twelve, he began to learn piano and was introduced to the art of scat singing two years later, through records by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, among others.

Larkin became a professional jazz pianist in the 1970s and 1980s, playing many engagements in jazz clubs around Los Angeles. His first known performance on a studio album was in 1981 on the album Animal Sounds by Sam Phipps. In 1986, he released the self titled album John Larkin on the Transition label. This album was produced by John himself, along with Marcia Larkin.

To advance his career in 1990, Larkin moved to Berlin, Germany. From there, he discovered the appreciative jazz culture and started playing jazz gigs.[2] This was when he first decided to take a monumental step away from his insecurities and add singing to his act for the first time.

His agent Manfred Zähringer from Iceberg Records (Denmark) thought of combining scat singing with modern dance music and hip hop effects. Larkin was resistant at first, terrified of being laughed at and criticized once again, but BMG Hamburg was open.

Larkin was worried that listeners would realise he stuttered, and his wife, Judy, suggested that he talk about it directly in his music. Working with dance producers Ingo Kays and Tony Catania, he recorded the first single, "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)". After his first big hit, he adopted the new name and persona of "Scatman" John.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "novelty dance tune" and noted that it "has a giddy Euro-NRG tone" and that Scatman John "bends his tongue to rapid, ear-popping effect."[3] Dimitri Ehrlich from Entertainment Weekly wrote in his review, that "this synth-pop hit defines novelty: A chintzy drum machine pitter patters at a frantic pace while John, a Los Angeles jazz vocalist who has stuttered since childhood, frees himself from his speech impediment by scatting for three minutes and twenty seconds."[4] Debby Peterson from The Network Forty described the song as a "hellacious techno-dance groove".[5]

Music video
Scatman John in the music video.

The music video for "Scatman" was released in 1994 and directed by Kerstin Mueller. It was also produced by Ariola Records.[6] It was shot in black and white, and features a fractured screen with several boxes showing shots of John singing, along with various random people dancing, miming and playing drums. The video was played in heavy rotation on music channels in 1995.

Accolades
Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
2013 Vibe United States "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks From The '90s That Changed The Game"[7] #28
2017 BuzzFeed United States "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s"[8] #94

Track Listings
CD Maxi
  1. "Scatman" (Basic Radio) – 3:30
  2. "Scatman" (Jazz Level) – 3:41
  3. "Scatman" (Second Level) – 5:40
  4. "Scatman" (Third Level) – 5:46
  5. "Scatman" (Game Over Jazz) – 5:03
CD Maxi 2
  1. "Scatman" (new radio edit) – 3:21
  2. "Scatman" (Pech Remix) – 4:55
    • Remixed by Pech
  3. "Scatman" (Arena di Verona Mix) – 6:04
  4. "Scatman" (extended radio version) – 5:11

Charts and sales

References
  1. "Echo 1996 - The Winners" (PDF). Music & Media (1996-03-09, page 15). Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  2. Scatman John’s Interview with Ira Zimmerman, mnsu.edu.
  3. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. July 22, 1995. p. 57. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  4. Ehrlich, Dimitri. "Music Single Review: Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  5. "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. June 30, 1995. p. 40. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  6. "Scatman John Music Videos". IMVDb. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  7. "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks From The '90s That Changed The Game". Vibe. October 9, 2018.
  8. "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  9. "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 6, 2008)
  10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2794." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  11. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2738." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  12. Billboard 25 March 1995. Billboard. 1995-03-25. Retrieved 2010-12-01. hits of the world.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12 no. 15. 15 April 1995. p. 28. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  14. Finnish peak
  15. "Scatman John singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 04.02.1995 – 10.02.1995" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir – Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  17. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
  18. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12 no. 24. 17 June 1995. p. 30. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  19. "Japan #1 IMPORT DISKS by Oricon Hot Singles". Hbr3.sakura.ne.jp. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  20. "Single top 100 over 1995" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Scatman John – Scatman" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  22. "Notowanie nr703" (in Polish). LP3. 21 July 1995. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  23. Billboard: Hits of the World, May 13, 1995
  24. Official UK Singles Chart Top 100 (21 May 1995-27 May 1995) (Retrieved October 23, 2018)
  25. "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (07 May 1995-20 May 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  26. Billboard AllMusic (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  27. "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box (1995-10-14). Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  28. "1995 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  29. 1995 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived 2010-09-24 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  30. 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  31. 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  32. Canada Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1995
  33. "Jaarlijsten 1995" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  34. 1995 Dutch Singles Top 100 (then Mega Top 50) Dutch Charts.nl (Retrieved August 29, 2019)
  35. "1995 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  36. 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived 2009-02-14 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
  37. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  38. "VG-lista Topp 20 Single Vinter 1995" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  39. 1995 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  40. 1995 Swedish Singles Chart
  41. Austrian certifications ifpi.at Archived 2010-02-01 at WebCite (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  42. French certifications Disqueenfrance.com Archived 2012-01-11 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  43. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Scatman')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  44. Norwegian certifications Ifpi.no Archived 2007-06-13 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved July 10, 2008)
  45. Swiss certifications Swisscharts.com (Retrieved July 24, 2008)
  46. https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/
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