Released 25 July 2005 Recorded 2005 Length 2:52 | Format 7"
CD Genre Ska/Pop Label V2 | |
"Shame and Scandal in the Family" is a song written by calypso singer Sir Lancelot for the movie I Walked with a Zombie in 1943 and originally titled "Fort Holland Calypso Song". Sir Lancelot issued his recording of it in the late 1940s. The Sir Lancelot version was covered by folksingers Odetta and Burl Ives. In 1962, Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Melody wrote new lyrics for the verses while keeping the melody and the chorus. The Historical Museum of Southern Florida said of Lord Melody's version that "No calypso has been more extensively recorded".
Contents
Lyrical content
In Sir Lancelot's version, the lyric reports gossip about a prominent family on a Caribbean island named San Sebastian.
In Lord Melody's 1960s version the story follows a young Trinidadian man in search of a wife. In each of the verses, the young man asks his father for permission to marry a different woman, only to be told he can not marry the girl as "The girl is your sister, but your mamma don't know". However, the tables are turned during the last verse, where the young man's mother tells him that "Your daddy ain't your daddy, but your daddy don't know", clearing the path for him to marry any of the girls.
Famous covers
There are known versions by Trini Lopez, De Maskers, King Bravo with Baba Brooks & his band, Bobby Aitken and Blue Beat, Odetta, Freddie McGregor, Laurel Aitken. Instrumental versions were also popular, most famously by Caravelli and by Franck Pourcel and his Grand Orchestre.
Language versions
The song has been translated to a number of major European languages:
Madness version
British ska/pop band Madness covered the song having previously covered several Prince Buster ska recordings, including the songs "Madness", and "One Step Beyond". The band began performing the song at a series of low-key performances as 'The Dangermen' in 2005.
Madness later recorded the song for their cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1, and released it as a single later that year.
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Shame & Scandal".
- "Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52
- "Shame & Scandal [Dub]" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:56
- "Shame & Scandal" (Peter Touch (Tosh) and The Wailers) - 3:03
- "Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52
- "Skylarking" (Hinds) - 3:02
- "Dreader Than Dread" (Galnek) - 3:04
The Madness release did not fare well in the UK, only spending two weeks in the charts, peaking at number 38. However, the song did better in France, where it peaked at number 12 and spent 19 weeks in the charts. The song also made an appearance on the Swiss Singles Top 100, spending 8 weeks in the charts and reaching a high of number 69, and just made the Dutch Singles Top 100, hitting number 100 and remaining in the chart for a single week.