Speech Therapy

Album: Speech Therapy (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is the title track from British rapper Speech Debelle's debut album.
  • Debelle's real name is Corynne Elliot, she got her pseudonym from her Jamaican grandmother. This song contains a shout-out to her gran. Debelle explained to The Sunday Times July 26, 2009: "She's a fashion designer and a clothes-maker who tells stories like parables. Her label is called Madame De Belle. When I was old enough to speak, I'd answer her phone and go, 'Hello, Madame De Belle Designs, how may I help you?' It's ingrained in me. My gran's house is the strangest gran's house you could ever walk into. It's all sewing machines, wall to wall, and that's where it happens. She'll be working at four in the morning, she'll be there, creating. And I know what that is now I'm writing. I'll be up then and thinking, 'I'm on fire.'"
  • This song was written partly in response to news, received as she was leaving for Australia, that Debelle's close friend Frenchy was dying of cancer. Frenchy died two months after she returned from Melbourne to London. The album is dedicated to him.
  • Producer Wayne Lotek recalled to The London Times September 10, 2009 that the lyric: "Oh Frenchy, stay on this earth longer please/I can't believe you're dying/I can't keep from crying," "wasn't even supposed to be a take, It was the guide vocal."
  • Speech Therapy was the winner of the prestigious 2009 Mercury Prize for the best British album of the year. The award to Debelle was a surprise to many as at the point when the announcement was made, the British rapper had yet to reach the Official Singles or Albums charts. It is the lowest-selling album to have ever won the award, selling only around 3000 copies at the time of winning the prize.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.