"Shame and Scandal in the Family", also known as "Shame & Scandal" for short, is a song written by calypso singer

Sir Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), alternatively written as Launcelot and other variants, is a popular character in the Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition. He is typically depicted as King Arthur's close companio ...

for the movie ''

I Walked with a Zombie ''I Walked with a Zombie'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. It stars James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who travels to care for th ...

'' in 1943 and originally titled "Fort Holland Calypso Song". Retrieved on 22 June 2009. Sir Lancelot issued his recording of it in the late 1940s. The Sir Lancelot version was covered by folksingers

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and s ...

and

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

. In 1962,

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...

calypsonian

Lord Melody Lord Melody (1926 – 26 September 1988)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', backbeat Books, , p.154-155 was a popular Trinidadian calypsonian, best known for singles such as " Boo Boo Man", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", ...

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, “No calypso has been more extensively recorded.”

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 Puerto Rican 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. The story in Lord Melody's version is identical to that narrated in

Robert William Service Robert William Service (16 January 1874 – 11 September 1958) was an English-born Canadian poet and writer, often called “The Poet of the Yukon" and "The Canadian Kipling". Born in Lancashire of Scottish descent, he was a bank clerk by trade ...

's poem, ''Madame La Marquise'', from the 1940 collection ''Bar-Room Ballads''. The young French aristocratic Hongray de la Glaciere asks his Papa, the Marquis de la Glaciere, permission to marry Mirabelle de Veau, only to find out that Mirabelle is the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis, and so the marriage between the two young ones would be an incestuous one. Years later, Hongray seeks permission to marry Raymonde de la Veal: but again, Papa reveals that Raymonde is also his illegitimate daughter, and the relationship between the two would be incestuous. Finally, the Mother, the Marquise de la Glaciere, approaches her son in his private room, and she reveals that he may marry either Mirabelle de Veau or Raymonde de la Veal, as Papa the Marquis is not his legitimate father.

Famous covers

*In 1962, the

calypsonian

used Sir Lancelot's song as the basis of his song "Shame and Scandal", although he titled it "Wau, Wau". Melody's version used the same chorus and tune as the original 1943 song but with different verses. *In 1964, Shawn Elliott released it as a single *Also in 1964,

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

included a live performance of the song (retitled "Ah Woe, Ah Me!") on their last Capitol Records album ''Back in Town''. *In 1965, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedy actor,

Lance Percival John Lancelot Blades Percival (26 July 1933 – 6 January 2015), known as Lance Percival, was an English actor, comedian and singer, best known for his appearances in satirical comedy television shows of the early 1960s and his ability to impr ...

, reached number 37 in the UK Singles Chart with his

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

, under the expanded title of "Shame and Scandal in the Family". *In the mid 1960s, Jamaica's Kingston Hilton Hotel resident

mento Mento is a style of Music of Jamaica, Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It is a fusion of African rhythmic elements and European elements, which reached peak popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

band, The Hiltonaires, also recorded it as "Shame and Scandal". *In 1965, a ska cover version was recorded in Jamaica by

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band Bob Marley and the Wa ...

and

The Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

on vocals, backed by the

Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many oth ...

and released on the Studio One label. *In 1972, Australian singer,

Johnny Chester John Howard Chester (born 26 December 1941) is an Australian singer-songwriter, who started his career in October 1959 with a group known as The Jaywoods, singing rock music and in 1969, changed to country music. He toured nationally with the ...

's version with Jigsaw called "Shame And Scandal (In the Family)" peaked at No. 13 on ''

Go-Set ''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...

'' National Top 40. *In 1975,

The Merrymen The Merrymen, sometimes written as The MerryMen, are a popular calypso band from Barbados. The Merrymen's career spans five decades, from the early-1960s to the 2000s. As of 2011. the Merrymen were still performing. At their height they were pop ...

recorded their own version for their album "Sun Living". *In 1977, American vocal group

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All ...

released a cover version titled "Shame and Scandal in the Family" from their album, ''Sun & Soul''. The single reached #87 on the

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart. One year later, the intro of this version of the song would be used for

Rede Tupi Rede Tupi (; in English, Tupi Network) was a Brazilian commercial terrestrial television network. Its flagship station, located in the city of São Paulo, was the first TV station to operate in the country, being inaugurated on 18 September 1 ...

station ID Station identification (ident, network ID, channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in the ...

. *In 1983,

Clint Eastwood & General Saint Clint Eastwood & General Saint were a reggae deejay duo of the early 1980s, consisting of Clint Eastwood (born Robert Anthony Brammer) and General Saint (born Winston Hislop). Eastwood was already an established solo deejay who had recorded seve ...

released a reggae cover version.

Language versions

The song has been translated to a number of major foreign languages: *French: "Scandale dans la famille" performed by

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

, by

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French musician and singer who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou", and " The Good Lif ...

and by Les Surfs in three separate versions all in 1965. French translated lyrics were by Maurice Tézé *German: "Schande Unserer Familie" performed by Harry & Ronny in 1965, "Die Story unsrer kleinen Family" performed by Okko, Lonzo, Berry, Chris & Timpe in 1978Okko, Lonzo, Berry, Chris & Timpe – Die Story Unsrer Kleinen Family
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

*Italian: "Un Grosso Scandalo" performed by

and by

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni (name), Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John (given name), John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Joan (given name), Joan, etc. ...

*Portuguese: "O Escândalo" performed by the Brazilian band Renato e Seus Blue Caps in 1965, later on by The Supersonics and in 1986, by singer and actor Sergio Mallandro. *Spanish: "Verguenza y Escandalo en la Familia" *Hungarian: "Szégyen és gyalázat a családban" performed by

Iván Darvas Iván Darvas (born ''Szilárd Darvas''; 14 June 1925 in Behynce (, ; now part of Tornaľa, Revúca District, Banská Bystrica Region) – 3 June 2007 in Budapest, Hungary) was a Hungarian actor. Early life Born as Szilárd Darvas, his fa ...

*Polish: "Skandal w rodzinie (Co za skandal, gdy tata dowie się)" performed by Chochoły *Estonian: "Skandaal perekonnas" performed by

Ivo Linna Ivo Linna (born 12 June 1949 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian singer. Eurovision Song Contest and Eesti Laul He represented Estonia alongside Maarja Liis Ilus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 in Oslo with the song " Kaelakee Hääl" (The Sound ...

and Rock Hotel *Slovak: "Nervózna família" performed by Jozef Krištof, later band Ventil RG *Greek: "Τι ντροπή" (Ti dropi) (What a shame), performed by Dakis *Hebrew: "Tsarot Ba'Mishpacha" (Troubles in the family), written and performed by

Shmulik Kraus Shmuel 'Shmulik' Kraus (; 1 July 1935 – 17 February 2013) was an Israeli pop-rock singer, composer, and actor. Kraus, one of the pioneers of Israeli music, underwent various personal crises in the course of his career. He appeared in several film ...

*Czech: "Tak či tak" written by Luděk Nekuda and performed by Plavci in 1977 *Dutch: "Wie is Wie, Groot Schandaal in onze Familie" performed by De Mounties (1965) "Groot schandaal in de familie" performed by ZZ en de Maskers (1965) Both translated van J. Hartman

Madness version

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

band

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

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'',Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. and released it as a single later that year. ;Formats and track listings These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Shame & Scandal". *7" single #"Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52 #"Shame & Scandal ub (Lord/Pinard) - 2:56 #"Shame & Scandal" (Peter Touch (Tosh) and The Wailers) - 3:03 *CD single #"Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52 #"Skylarking" (

Hinds Hinds may refer to: Places *Hinds, New Zealand, a small town *Hinds County, Mississippi, a US county *Hinds Lake, a lake in Minnesota *Hinds River, a river that flows through Hinds, New Zealand Other * A plural of deer, especially female deer (do ...

) - 3:02 #"Dreader Than Dread" (Galnek) - 3:04 ;Chart performance 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 France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where it peaked at number 12 and spent 19 weeks in the charts. The song also made an appearance on the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

Singles Top 100, spending 8 weeks in the charts and reaching a high of number 69, and just made the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

Singles Top 100, hitting number 100 and remaining in the chart for a single week. Retrieved on 26 August 2007.

References

External links

*
Odetta and Johnny Cash sing "Shame and Scandal in the Family" on YouTube (from 1969)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shame and Scandal 1943 songs 1965 singles 1972 singles 1977 singles 2005 singles The Stylistics songs Madness (band) songs V2 Records singles