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"Shame"
Side A of UK 12-inch single
Single by Evelyn "Champagne" King
from the album Smooth Talk
B-side	"Dancin' Dancin' Dancin'" (7" and some 12" releases) "Nobody Knows" (many 12" releases)
Released	September 20, 1977
Genre	Disco R&B
Length	2:59 (Single Version) 4:38 (Album Version) 6:34 (12" version)
Label	RCA Big Break Records
Songwriter(s)	John H. Fitch Jr. Reuben Cross
Producer(s)	Theodore Life
Evelyn "Champagne" King singles chronology
"Shame" (1977) "I Don't Know If It's Right" (1978)
Audio
"Shame" (album version) on YouTube
Alternative release
Side A of Australian 7-inch single

"Shame" is the debut single by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King, written by John H. Fitch Jr. and Reuben Cross. It was released in 1977 by RCA Records as part of King's debut album, Smooth Talk. The extended remix was produced for the twelve-inch vinyl single and would later replace the album version of the song in late-1970s reprints of the album. "Shame" was successful on Billboard music charts and would become one of King's signature songs, though it varied on international music charts. The song was covered by Zhané for the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame and Kim Wilde in 1996.

Recordings

The song "Shame" was released as part of King's 1977 album Smooth Talk and lasts four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. The album version opens with a saxophone note by Sam Peake and is "more concise." Scotty Miller played the drums, and Instant Funk member Raymond Earl played the bass. Al Garrison and David Todd produced the extended remix for the twelve-inch vinyl single, which lasts around six minutes and thirty-five seconds, two minutes longer than the album version, and would replace the album version of the song in late-1970s vinyl re-releases of the album. The extended remix rearranges the drum notes to " the beat more" and widened the drum and bass sounds. The song was remixed twice: once by Enzo Bertoni as "Shame '92", and once by producer Tommy Faragher as "Shame '95 (Tommy Faragher Remix)" for King's 1995 album, I'll Keep a Light On.

Chart performance

The twelve-inch remix vinyl release reached number eight on Billboard's Disco Action chart in January 1978. This release also stayed at number five, its peak position, on Canada's RPM Dance/Urban chart for two weeks until the week ending April 29, 1978.

The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty-seven on the week ending June 17, 1978; it peaked at number nine on the week ending September 9 that year. It also reached number seven on the Hot Soul Singles chart on the week ending July 1. The song earned a gold certification by the RIAA on August 11, 1978. On the Billboard Year-End charts of 1978, the song positioned at number sixty-four on the Year-End Hot 100, number twenty-seven on the Year-End Disco singles chart, and number twenty-six on the Year-End Soul Singles chart. It also peaked at number eight on the Cash Box Top 100.

It entered Canada's RPM Top 100 Singles chart at number one hundred on the week ending June 24 the same year and stayed at number sixteen, its peak position, for two weeks in September 1978. It positioned at number 111 on the RPM Year-end Top 200 Singles chart.

On the UK Singles Chart, the song spent twenty-three weeks on the chart but only one week in the top 40, peaking at number thirty-nine. In the Netherlands, it peaked at number eighteen for two weeks on the Dutch Top 40 chart and number twenty-six on the Single Top 100. It reached number twelve on the Belgian Ultratop Top 50 Singles chart.

Legacy

King's version is featured in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the in-game radio station Fever 105 and also as part of the soundtrack Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Vol. 6: Fever 105.

To this date, "Shame" remains one of King's signature songs.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

• Evelyn "Champagne" King – vocals
• Sam Peake – saxophone
• Theodore Life – producer, arrangement
• Warren Schatz – executive producer
• Scotty Miller – drums
• Raymond Earl – bass
• Al Garrison and David Todd – producers (12" remix only)

Charts and certifications

Zhané version

In 1994, R&B/hip-hop soul duo Zhané covered the song, produced by Mike Chapman and Trent Thomas, and released by Jive Records and Hollywood Records as part of the soundtrack for the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame. In the US Billboard charts, the rendition reached number twenty-eight on the Hot 100, number thirty-one on the Hot 100 Airplay, number thirty-eight on the Mainstream Top 40, number forty-six on the Hot Dance Club Songs, number thirteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and number nine on the Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover.

This version reached number sixty-six on the UK Singles Chart. It was charted for one week in February 1995 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, peaking at number fifty.

Critic David Browne in an Entertainment Weekly article praised this version as one of the film soundtrack's "moments"; he graded the soundtrack a "B−".

The music video of the Zhané version shows the duo performing the song and scenes from the film.

Track listings

Charts

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.

The version was charted for one week on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 79.

Critical reception

British magazine Music Week rated Wilde's cover of "Shame" three out of five, adding, "Due out the day after Wilde weds Tommy co-star Hal Fowler, this is a fine but unspectacular updating of the Seventies disco classic."

Music video

The accompanying music video of "Shame" shows Wilde performing the song in various scenes, including those with four male dancers.

Track listings

Charts

Notes

1. ^ Hogan, Ed. "Review of 'Shame' by Evelyn 'Champagne' King". Allmusic. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
2. Shame '92 (12-inch vinyl). 07863 62350-1.
3. I'll Keep a Light On (CD). Evelyn "Champagne King".{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) XECD1.
4. "Evelyn 'Champagne' King – I'll Keep a Light On". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
5. "Billboard's Disco Action". Billboard. December 24, 1977. p. 114. Retrieved December 24, 2017. The 12-inch remix release of the song was charted on Billboard's Disco Action chart in 1977–78.
6. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King: Chart History – Dance Club Songs: 'Shame'". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
7. ^ "Top 30 Playlist". RPM. April 22, 1978. Retrieved December 24, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
8. "Top 30 Playlist". RPM. April 29, 1978. Retrieved December 24, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
9. "The Hot 100: The Week of June 17, 1978". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
10. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King: Chart History – Hot 100: 'Shame'". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
11. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King: Chart History – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 'Shame'". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
12. ^ "American single certifications – Evelyn King – Shame". Recording Industry Association of America.
13. ^ Billboard Year-End 1978, p. TIA-18.
14. ^ Billboard Year-End 1978, p. TIA-48; also called "Disco Audience Response"
15. ^ Billboard Year-End 1978, p. TIA-62.
16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 9, 1978". Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
17. "RPM Top 100 Singles (51–100)". RPM. June 24, 1978. p. 20. Retrieved December 24, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
18. ^ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. September 16, 1978. p. 21. Retrieved December 24, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
19. "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. September 23, 1978. p. 14. Retrieved December 24, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
20. ^ "RPM Top 200 Singles". RPM. December 30, 1978. Retrieved December 25, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
21. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King". Official Charts. 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
22. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King – 'Shame'". MediaMarkt Top 40. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
23. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King – 'Shame'". Dutch Charts. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
24. ^ "Evelyn 'Champagne' King – 'Shame'". Ultratop. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
25. Phares, Heather. "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Vol. 6: Fever 105 review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
26. "Canadian single certifications – Evelyn King – Shame". Music Canada. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
27. ^ "Zhané: Chart History – Hot 100: 'Shame (From A Low Down Dirty Shame)'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
28. "Zhané: Chart History – Radio Songs: 'Shame'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
29. ^ "Zhané: Chart History – Mainstream Top 40: 'Shame'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
30. ^ "Zhané: Chart History – Dance Club Songs: 'Shame'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
31. ^ "Zhané: Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 'Shame'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
32. ^ "Zhané: Chart History – Rhythmic: 'Shame'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
33. ^ "Zhané". Official Charts. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
34. ^ "Zhané – "Shame" (song)". charts.nz. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
35. "The NZ Top 40 Singles Chart – (week of) '12 February 1995'". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
36. Browne, David (December 16, 1994). "EW takes a look at 1994's movie soundtracks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
37. "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. March 18, 1995. p. 30. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
38. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). January 28, 1995. p. 6. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
39. "Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
40. Flick, Larry (October 5, 1996). "Nuyorican Soul Does It on Infectious First Single". Dance Trax. Billboard. p. 31. Retrieved December 23, 2017 – via Google Books.
41. ^ "Kim Wilde". Official Charts. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
42. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 24, 1996. p. 23. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
43. "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). September 14, 1996. p. 8. Retrieved September 5, 2021.

References

• "Billboard 1978 Year End Awards Issue: Talent in Action" (PDF). Billboard. December 23, 1978. Retrieved December 25, 2017 – via American Radio History.

External links

• "champagne"-king/chart-history/ Evelyn "Champagne" discography at Billboard.com
• Evelyn "Champagne" King at AllMusic

• 1977 songs
• 1977 debut singles
• 1994 singles
• 1996 singles
• Evelyn "Champagne" King songs
• Zhané songs
• Kim Wilde songs
• RCA Records singles
• Jive Records singles
• MCA Records singles