Shame & Scandal

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“Shame & Scandal”
“Shame & Scandal” cover
Single by Madness
from the album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1
Released July 25, 2005
Format 7"
CD
Recorded 2005
Genre Ska/Pop
Length 2:52
Label V2 Records
Writer(s) Lord / Pinard
Producer Dennis Bovell
Madness singles chronology
"Drip Fed Fred"
(2000)		 "Shame & Scandal"
(2005)		 "Girl Why Don't You"
(2005)
The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 track listing
  1. "This Is Where"
  2. "Girl Why Don't You?"
  3. "Shame & Scandal"
  4. "I Chase the Devil A.K.A. Ironshirt"
  5. "Taller Than You Are"
  6. "You Keep Me Hanging On"
  7. "Dangerman A.K.A. High Wire"
  8. "Israelites"
  9. "John Jones"
  10. "Lola"
  11. "You'll Lose a Good Thing"
  12. "Rain"
  13. "So Much Trouble in the World"

"Shame & Scandal" is a song originally performed by calypso singer Sir Lancelot.[1] The song is a reggae classic, and was written for the movie "I Walked with a Zombie" in 1943.[1] The song was originally titled "Shame and Scandal in the Family".[1] Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Melody used the song as the basis of his song "Shame and Scandal", although it was originally titled "Wau, Wau".[1] This version used the same chorus as the original 40s song, but with new verses.[1]

In 1965, British comedy actor Lance Percival reached No.37 in the UK charts with the original title.

This version of the song is that which British ska/pop band Madness later covered. The band began performing the song at a series of low-key performances as "The Dangermen" in 2005. They later recorded the song for their cover album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1,[2] and released it as a single later that year.[3]

Contents

[edit] Lyrical content

The lyrical content of the Madness version is much the same as Lord Melody's 60s version, with a few word changes. The story follows a young Trinidadian man in search of a wife.[1] In each of the verses, the young man asks his father for permission to marry a different woman, only to be told he can't marry the girl as "The girl is your sister but your mamma don't know".[1] 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.[1]

[edit] Chart performance

The release did not fair particularly well in the UK, only spending 2 weeks in the charts, peaking at number 38.[3] However, the song performed well in France, where it peaked at number 12 and spent 19 weeks in the charts.[3] 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,[3] and just made the Dutch Singles Top 100, hitting number 100 and only remaining in the charts for a single week.[4]

Chart Peak
position
French singles chart 12
UK singles chart 38
Swiss singles chart 69
Dutch singles chart 100

[edit] Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Shame & Scandal".

  • 7" Single
  1. "Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52
  2. "Shame & Scandal [Dub]" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:56
  • CD Single
  1. "Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52
  2. "Skylarking" (Hinds) - 3:02
  3. "Dreader Than Dread" (Galnek) - 3:04

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Calypso: Shame and Scandal in the Family". Retrieved on July 5, 2007.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Allmusic.com The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 Overview". Retrieved on July 5, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d "Madness - Shame & Scandal: Charts". Retrieved on July 5, 2007.
  4. ^ "dutchcharts.com Chart Information". Retrieved on August 26, 2007.


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