Shame (Robbie Williams song)

"Shame" is a song by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, taken from Williams' second greatest hits compilation album, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010. It was released as the lead single from the album on 4 October 2010 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom.^[2] The single marked the first time that both Barlow and Williams had performed together on a song since the latter left Take That in 1995.^[2]

Background

The process of Barlow and Williams working together again began in February 2010 in Los Angeles. The single was confirmed by Barlow to have been written in under an hour in an empty studio and helped both himself and Williams to draw a line under their 10 year feud after the latter left Take That.^[3] On the first day of the song being released to the radio and the media "Shame" received an unprecedented 694 plays on the radio and 153 plays on TV.^[4]

Critical reception

The single has received positive reception across the media with BBC Newsround stating how it is "a meaningful song but has a cheeky sense of humour and the words will leave you feeling happy."^[5] Tim Jonze from The Guardian positively commented that the song is "a gentle country ballad that tells the story of the pair patching up the relationship that was damaged after Williams left Take That in 1995."^[6] Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy gave the song three out of five stars, writing: "It's certainly no 'Patience', 'Back for Good' or 'Pray' - it sounds awfully sweet and, more importantly, absolutely genuine."^[7] Whilst another critic stated how the song is "the perfect lead single for Robbie Williams’ second compilation album" and "with its playful lyrics, and sumptuous melody, (the song) is understated and never overblown, the perfect song for people who grew up listening to Robbie, Gary, and Take That, and are now adults themselves. One of the pop singles of 2010."^[8]

Music video

The video was filmed at the Cowboy Palace Saloon Chatsworth California in June 2010 and has a country western theme.^[9] The video is a lighthearted parody of the blockbuster movie Brokeback Mountain, depicting Williams and Barlow as closeted gay cowboys. Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow both feature in the music video.^[10] The video focuses on the relationship between Barlow and Williams, as well as Robbie's feelings after he left Take That in 1995 and how he felt after they reformed without him and achieved unprecedented success.^[11] The song and video premiered on August 26, 2010.^[12] The video has received strong airplay on VH1 Europe.

Promotion

The song premiered on the Chris Moyles' Radio 1 show on August 26th where both Williams and Barlow appeared to discuss the single.^[13] Barlow and Williams performed "Shame" live for the first time at the Help for Heroes concert at Twickenham on September 12, 2010. Both released a joint statement saying: 'It's great that people love Shame so much and we can't wait to perform it live for the first time at the Help For Heroes show...We hope everyone supports Help for Heroes as much as possible - it's a great bill and we are thrilled to be a part of it.'^[14] The duo performed the single on Strictly Come Dancing on October 2, 2010, Daybreak, BBC Radio 1, and on Paul O'Grady Live on October 8.^[15]

The song will also feature in the game We Sing Robbie Williams as a playable track.^[16]

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Chart procession and succession

Release history

References