It's a Shame (The Spinners song)
 | This article needs more citations. (October 2016) |
| "It's a Shame" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Spinners | ||||
| from the album 2nd Time Around | ||||
| B-side | "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music" (1st ver.) | |||
| Released | June 11, 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1970 | |||
| Studio | Golden World (Studio B) (Detroit, Michigan) | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:12 | |||
| Label | V.I.P. V-25057 | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Stevie Wonder | |||
| The Spinners singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "It's a Shame" on YouTube | ||||
"It's a Shame" is a song co-written by Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett and produced by Wonder as a single for the Spinners on Motown's V.I.P. Records label. The single became the Detroit-reared group's biggest single on the Motown Records label since they had signed with the company in 1964 and also their biggest hit in a decade.
The Spinner's line-up include original members Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson and Bobby Smith and lead vocalist G. C. Cameron. The quintet recorded the single in 1970.
The song, which is about a man who complains about a lover's "messin' around" on him, became a huge hit for the group peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 17, 1970 and number 3 on the R&B singles chart,[1] making it one of their biggest hits to date. The song was the first song Wonder produced by himself for another act.
Beverly Dewitt Yancey, the father of hip-hop producer J Dilla, claims to have ghost-written the song and sold it to Motown, but the song's attributed writers dispute this.[2]
Chart performance
[edit source]Weekly charts
[edit source]| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM | 36 |
| UK Singles Chart[3] | 20 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 14 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[5] | 4 |
Year-end charts
[edit source]| Chart (1970) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 76 |
| US R&B (Billboard)[7] | 13 |
| US Cashbox Top 100[8] | 87 |
Certifications
[edit source]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[9] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
[edit source]- Lead vocals by G. C. Cameron
- Background vocals by Bobby Smith, Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough and Billy Henderson
- Instrumentation by Stevie Wonder and the Funk Brothers
- Arranged by Paul Riser
References
[edit source]- ↑ Billboard Hot 100, Week of October 17, 1970 – Billboard.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Charnas, Dan (2022). Dilla time : the life and afterlife of J Dilla, the hip-hop producer who reinvented rhythm (First ed.). New York: MCD. p. 36. ISBN 9780374139940.
- ↑ "Motown Spinners songs and albums | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ↑ "The Spinners Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Spinners". Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Singles 1942-1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 386. ISBN 0898200687.
- ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ↑ "LOP Records of 1970". Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 52. December 26, 1970. sec. Talent in Action p. TA-32.
- ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1970". November 29, 2014. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Detroit Spinners – It's A Shame". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 15, 2024. Select singles in the Formats field. Type It's A Shame Detroit Spinners in the "Search:" field.
