Released 1974 Genre Disco, soul | Recorded 1974 Length 3:47 | |
B-side "More Shame" (U.K., Europe)
"Shame, Shame, Shame" (Instrumental) (U.S.) Format CD single, 7" single, 12" single | ||
"Shame, Shame, Shame" is a 1974 hit song written by Sylvia Robinson, performed by American disco band Shirley & Company and released on the Vibration label. The lead singer is Shirley Goodman, the male vocalist is Jesus Alvarez.
The track, with its prominent use of the Bo Diddley beat, was one of the first international disco hits and reached number 12 on the Billboard charts. It also hit number one on the soul singles chart for one week. "Shame, Shame, Shame" also stayed at number one on the disco/dance charts for four weeks. It was, however, the sole success of this one-hit wonder band: a full-length album Shame, Shame, Shame was subsequently recorded and was released in 1975.
The lead singer Shirley Goodman, was one half of the duo Shirley and Lee who had enjoyed a major hit 18 years earlier, in 1956, with the song "Let The Good Times Roll" for Aladdin Records.
Cover versions
Linda Fields & The Funky Boys covered a nearly identical sounding version, released as a single (7") in 1975. Rereleased in 1983 as a 12" EP. This version appears on several disco compilations and is often confused with the original. Polish-Swedish singer Izabella Scorupco recorded a cover version of the song in 1992 which was a charted hit in a number of European countries. It appears on an extended version of her 1991 album Iza. Also in 1992, the song was covered by British-American singer Sinitta. It was released as a single and peaked at number 28 in the United Kingdom. It was later included on her third studio album Naughty Naughty (1995). The A-Teens recorded a cover of the song for their album New Arrival (2003). Henri Salvador recorded a French version of the song, with the title "J'aime tes g'noux" ("I like your knees"). The song was also sung on the Cher show by Cher and Tina Turner in the mid-1970s. It was recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1974 but never released.