'Fannie Lou' Musical

AN EXPRESSION OF MOOD
BECOMES A CATCH PHRASE
OF A MOVEMENT

Back in 1964, when Fannie Lou Hamer was asked why she continued her voting-rights struggle against overwhelming odds, she responded: “All my life I’ve been sick and tired. Now I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Mrs. Hamer often referred to herself as being “sick and tired of being sick and tired” during public addresses, and the phrase has come to represent not only her personal hardships, but it has evolved into a rallying cry for the voting-rights movement.

So, any stage work about Fannie Lou Hamer would be sorely lacking if it did not at least allude to the phrase so often associated with her. In the original musical Fannie Lou it is presented in the original song “Sick and Tired,” which the title character sings while being questioned about her voting-rights activities.

Mrs. Hamer grew up exceedingly poor. Her parents were sharecroppers. Family members slept on sacks. She began working in the fields as a youngster. One of her legs was not fully functional. Yet, when she entered adolescence she quit school so she’d have more time to do field work. Years later, she was sterilized without her permission or knowledge. She suffered from diabetes and heart disease.  When, at the age of 44, she decided to assert her right to vote, she was met with violence and threats against her life. 

In writing the song, the point was to present both the literal and figurative aspects of being “sick and tired” about a chronic situation. How long must the ailing continue? When will a cure be found? At the same time, there was a desire to convey in the song’s structure the energy and strength needed to persevere until the sickness is indeed cured – and the determination to help expedite the cure’s onset.

According to audience members surveyed, “Sick and Tired” consistently has been one of the more popular songs in Fannie Lou. It is a pleasure to share this demo version with you here, as the fourth installment of the Fannie Lou musical INSIDE TRACKS series. It is hoped you will no only enjoy it here, but come and see it performed live with your friends and family membes when Fannie Lou is staged in your region.

The lyrics to “Sick and Tired” are printed below.

"Sick and Tired" lyrics

[VERSE 1]

I’m so

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

I’ve had enough of feelin’ so low

Said I’m

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

Two feelings I’d be glad to let go

I hold up with faith

And hang on with hope

It’s only through His grace

That I can cope

Lord, I’m

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

When will this sickness end?

And when will feelin’ better begin?

[VERSE 2]

Said I’m

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

Can’t remember when I didn’t hurt

I am

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

Seems I been kicked ’round like dirt

I try to get on

The best I can

And look to better days

When I can firmly stand

I am

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

When will these aches and pains end?

And when will feelin’ better begin?

[Musical interlude]

[Repeat VERSE 2]

I said I’m

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

Can’t remember when I didn’t hurt

I'm so

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

Seems I been kicked ’round like dirt

I try to get on

The best I can

And look to better days

When I can firmly stand

I am

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

When will these aches and pains end?

And when will feelin’ better begin?



Said I'm

Sick and tired of bein’

Sick and tired

When will this sickness end?

And when will feelin’ better

Begin

CHARLES DUKE
Arranger Extraordinaire

When you listen to this demo of the song “Sick and Tired,” you’ll hear notes from the written page, certainly. But you’ll also hear an array of singularly exegetic sounds that were not written. Time-stepping eighth notes. Melody-enhancing grace notes. Tempo-massaging bass notes. Rockingly responsive phrases. Lushly vigorous chord progressions.

They all are the creations of songwriter-producer-arranger-singer-pianist Charles Duke.

Charles was the first music director for Fannie Lou. He originally came aboard the production as the pianist for the 2012 world premiere. But after one or two initial musician meetings, he asked if he could be music director. Having heard how beautifully he played, and in need of a music director, I was all too happy to oblige.

And what a wonderful music director he was. He dealt with singers and instrumentalists, and muddled through my nascent score – being performed for the very first time in its totality – with patience, support and encouragement. The world premiere performances were outstanding successes, in large part, because of him.

After those performances, I asked Charles if he would go into the studio with me to record several of the songs. I was applying for a grant to help pay for the next set of Fannie Lou performances, and one of the requirements was submission of a recording of songs from the musical. Charles graciously agreed. Among the songs we recorded was “Sick and Tired.”

I rented about three hours, I think it was, in a New York recording studio. That’s all I could afford. But we had to do about eight to 10 songs within that period. Needless to say, the recordings would be rough, just laying something down to give the grant-makers an idea of the music featured in Fannie Lou. There was no time or money for mixing, certainly no mastering, and we had to do whatever we were going to do on the first or second take – then move on to the next song. The whole session was pretty much spontaneous.

Mind you, we had never performed together before. As Fannie Lou music director, Charles basically worked with the musicians and singers while I did other production-related tasks. That is what made that recording session so amazing.

And, not only did we have to basically “wing it” in the studio, we had to record in different sections of the studio, in completely different rooms. So, although we recorded the vocal and keyboard simultaneously (to save time) we could not see each other at all. There was absolutely no visual communication. Once the recording started, all we had were headphones to hear each other, that’s it. In less proficient hands, it would have been a disaster. But with Charles at the keyboard, it was a joy.

We did two takes for “Sick and Tired,” I believe. In between each take Charles coached me on my vocal delivery; the second take sounded much better vocally. And Charles’ keyboard arrangement is wonderful. It’s so good, in fact, that I completely forgot to add the written bass line that I had prepared. The way he had arranged the song, it really didn’t need it. What a gift he has. What a talent.

Given our lack of rehearsal and the drastic time and recording constraints, the demo turned out beautifully. I hope you enjoy it!

Sincerely,
Felicia

P.S.: For more information about Charles, please visit his website at www.charlesdukemusic.com



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To hear more Fannie Lou Musical INSIDE TRACKS demos of original songs, please visit here, here, here , here, here and here.