Released 20 September 1977 Genre Disco Label RCA, Big Break Records | Format 7" single, 12" single Length 6:34 | |
B-side "Dancin' Dancin' Dancin'" | ||
"Shame" is a 1978 hit single recorded by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. It reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, number eight on the U.S. Disco Chart, and number seven on the U.S. R&B Chart, earning a Gold certification by the RIAA that same year. In the UK Singles Chart, "Shame" spent twenty three weeks in the chart but only one week in the top 40, peaking at number 39.
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The song is featured in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the in-game radio station Fever 105.
On September 20, 2004, King's "Shame" became one of the first records to be inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York's Spirit club.
Zhané version
In 1994, R&B/hip-hop soul duo Zhané covered the song and hit #28 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the R&B chart. The Zhané remake was released as part of the soundtrack for the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame.
Kim Wilde version
The song was covered in 1996 by British singer Kim Wilde. She originally recorded the song as a "new" track on the compilation album The Singles Collection, which was released only in France (not to be confused with the internationally released compilation The Singles Collection 1981-1993 three years prior to this). Wilde's version was released as a single in France and was remixed and released in the United Kingdom. Several extended remixes were also made available in the UK on the 12" and CD-single formats.
Despite a good degree of club play (the song reaching no. 1 in the pop club play charts), the single failed to chart. Disastrously, the record shops failed to stock the single on the publicised release date in the UK. Kim, who was ill at the time, could not promote the song and it subsequently became her only single not to chart in the Top 75, despite a prediction by the ITV Chart Show of a #25 entry in that week's chart. Since 1981 she had scored 30 Top 75 hits. "Shame" marked Wilde's final single with MCA Records, to which she had been signed since 1984.