"Shame" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was written by band members

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

and

David A. Stewart David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best Britis ...

and produced by Stewart. The song appears on the duo's sixth studio album ''

Savage Savage may refer to: Places Antarctica * Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land * Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Savage Ridge, Victoria Land United States * Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community * Savage, Minnesota, a city * Savage, Mi ...

'' and was released as the second single in the UK. "Shame" was not released in the United States. The track is a

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

in which the protagonist expresses regret and disdain for excessive and shallow lifestyles led by those who frequent nightclubs, bars, parties and the like. The lyrics namecheck

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

and mentions the songs "

All You Need is Love "All You Need Is Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in July 1967. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was Britain's contribution t ...

" and "

We Love You "We Love You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It was first released as a single on 18 August 1967, with "Dandelion" as the B-side. The song peaked at number eight in Bri ...

". "Shame" stalled at number forty-one in the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, the first Eurythmics single to miss the UK Top 40 since "

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e ...

" in 1985. It proved to be an airplay hit in Spain, with Radio España 97.2 including it in its playlist upon its release in the country.

Track listings

7":RCA (UK, GER, FR, SP, AUS, JP)

# "Shame" (7" Version) – 3:46 # "I've Got A Lover (Back In Japan)" (LP Version) – 4:33

12":RCA (UK, GER, FR, SP, AUS)

# "Shame" (Dance Mix) – 5:44 # "I've Got A Lover (Back In Japan)" (LP Version) – 4:33 # "Shame" (LP Version) – 4:23

CD Single:RCA (UK, GER)

# "Shame" (Dance Mix) – 5:44 # "I've Got A Lover (Back In Japan)" (LP Version) – 4:33 # "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)" (Live Version)* – 7:15 * live version recorded in Sydney, 1987

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Neil Taylor of ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music journalism, music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine tha ...

'' praised "Shame" as "an alluring tune

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beckon you to the safe portals of crackerjack clubland" and a "great single". He added that it is "a great record for sipping your glasnost and lime to".

Lawrence Donegan Lawrence Donegan (born 13 July 1961) is a Scottish journalist and former musician.Lawrence Donegan ...

, as guest reviewer for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'', described it as "a wonderful single" and added, "Behind the sorry mess that is Dave Stewart's hair there lies a pop genius." In a review of ''Savage'', ''

Musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

'' described the song as having "icy passion", and ''

The Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, ''Tribune Pu ...

'' noted its "slow, ethereal arrangement." ''

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'' commented that songs on the album like "Shame" "sound lush and full, but the plea in the lyrics is almost desperate: a human longing to be touched instead of crushed by others". ''

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'' noted the song "takes on the idea of raised expectations generated by the media and nails it down as patently false. Everything is a con job... everything from movies to TV to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones." ''

Spare Rib ''Spare Rib'' was a Second-wave feminism, second-wave feminist magazine, founded in 1972 in the United Kingdom, that emerged from the Counterculture of the 1960s, counter culture of the late 1960s as a consequence of meetings involving, among ot ...

'' considered the lyrics to cover "success and disillusion".

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shame (Eurythmics Song) 1987 songs 1987 singles Eurythmics songs RCA Records singles Songs written by David A. Stewart Songs written by Annie Lennox Song recordings produced by Dave Stewart (musician and producer)