Stutter (Joe song)

"Stutter" is a song by American R&B singer Joe. The original version of the song was produced by Roy "Royalty" Hamilton and Teddy Riley and written by Roy "Royalty" Hamilton and Ernest E. Dixon.^[1]

"Stutter"
Single by Joe featuring Mystikal
from the album My Name Is Joe
Released	January 2, 2001 (2001-01-02)
Genre	R&B hip hop
Length	3:53 (album version) 3:33 (single and radio edit)
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Ernest E. Dixon Roy "Royalty" Hamilton
Producer(s)	Roy "Royalty" Hamilton Teddy Riley
Joe singles chronology
"Treat Her Like a Lady" (2000) "Stutter" (2001) "Let's Stay Home Tonight" (2001)
Mystikal singles chronology
"Danger (Been So Long)" (2000) "Stutter" (2000) "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)" (2001)
Music video
"Stutter (Remix)" on YouTube
Audio
"Stutter" (original version) on YouTube

A remix by Allen "Allstar" Gordon Jr.^[2] (marketed as the Double Take Remix due to its appearance in the 2001 film Double Take) features rapper Mystikal and was a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 2001. It was one of three singles to have sold over 500,000 copies in the US in 2001.^[3]

Composition

The original version of "Stutter" is slower, more mellow and has no samples; however, the Double Take remix featuring Mystikal (with its faster tempo) samples both "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones and "Passin' Me By" by The Pharcyde.

Music video

The song and video for "Stutter" refer to Joe's girlfriend, who comes home early in the morning while he wakes up and they discuss where she had been. She's "stuttering" because it seems she is lying to him about having an affair. Joe's close friend, portrayed by rapper Mystikal, follows and spies on her while she sleeps with another man in a motel, called the "Easy Rest-In", taping it on video. After she leaves, she and Mystikal are driving next to each other on the road, while they discuss the bad situation. Arriving home, Joe's girlfriend notes the video in their television, turning out it was her evil twin sister having that affair. Both the girlfriend and the twin sister were played by actress Natashia Williams.^[4]

Live performance

On April 10, 2001, Joe and Mystikal performed the song live at the 7th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.^[5]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[6] 19 Australian Urban (ARIA)[7] 6 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 62 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[9] 13 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[10] 32 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 35 France (SNEP)[12] 81 Germany (GfK)[13] 12 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 17 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 18 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 42 Scotland (OCC)[17] 39 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 44 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 14 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 7 UK Dance (OCC)[21] 5 UK Indie (OCC)[22] 1 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[23] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[24] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25] 1 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[26] 12 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[27] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Brazil (Crowley)[28] 70 Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)[29] 99 UK Singles (OCC)[30] 140 UK Urban (Music Week)[31] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[32] 13 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (Billboard)[33] 5 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[34] 51 US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)[35] 8

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[36]	Gold	500,000[3]

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	January 2, 2001	CD	Jive	[37]
United Kingdom	February 5, 2001	12-inch vinyl CD cassette		[38]
Australia	March 12, 2001	CD		[39]

Cover versions

• Rock group My Darkest Days covered the song on their 2012 release Sick and Twisted Affair, and have been performing the rock version live since 2008.
• American rapper-singer Becky G covered the song in 2015 as an upload to her YouTube page with a rewritten rap added to her version instead of performing Mystikal's verse.^[40]