Case’s “Missing You” is one of those go-to tracks for anyone missing an absent lover. Case vocally expressed the kind of emotions that can leave listeners speechless. That’s why the line near the end of the song, “I can’t sing no more,” resonated with so many people. But it turns out the crooner was really losing his voice.
“I was sick. That whole week I had laryngitis,” Case explained during a sit-down with the R&B Money podcast. “If we don’t do it today, we can’t do ‘Missing You.’ So, I get to the studio, and I’m like, ‘I’ll try.’ I’ve been drinking everything all day, and it’s not working! I go through it the first time.”
Case, summoning all his strength, made it through the recording. However, his voice gave out near the end of the song, which he communicated to the engineers by singing, “I was like, ‘I can’t sing no more, babe!’ Then I stopped.”
The engineers were totally unaware of what was happening. In fact, they were so impressed with the first take that they asked Case to record another one. But he simply couldn’t deliver.
“I can’t talk no more. It was over—it was really over.”
According to MayoClinic.org, laryngitis is inflammation that affects the voice box. Some of the symptoms include hoarseness, which can make the voice sound strained, rough, breathy, weak, or higher or lower in pitch, as well as short-term voice loss.
“How can I be so damn demanding?” may have been what the engineers were thinking. Needless to say, it was a blessing that Case delivered.
