Shame (Robbie Williams song)
Encyclopedia
"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. 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.
. 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
. 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.
Newsround stating how it is "a meaningful song but has a cheeky sense of humour and the words will leave you feeling happy." 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." 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." 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."
, depicting Williams and Barlow as closeted
gay cowboys. Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow both feature in the music video. 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. The song and video premiered on August 26, 2010. The video has received strong airplay on VH1 Europe
.
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.' 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.
The song will also feature in the game We Sing Robbie Williams
as a playable track.
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
, 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
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
in the United Kingdom. The single marked the first time that both Barlow and Williams had performed together on a song since the latter left Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
in 1995.
Background
The process of Barlow and Williams working together again began in February 2010 in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. 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
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. 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.
Critical reception
The single has received positive reception across the media with BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Newsround stating how it is "a meaningful song but has a cheeky sense of humour and the words will leave you feeling happy." Tim Jonze from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
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." Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave the song three out of five stars, writing: "It's certainly no 'Patience
Patience (Take That song)
"Patience" is a song by British boy band Take That. It was released on 13 November 2006 as the first single from their comeback album Beautiful World...
', 'Back for Good
Back for Good
"Back for Good" is a song by the British pop group Take That. It was released in 1995 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Nobody Else and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain and the UK where it topped...
' or 'Pray
Pray (Take That song)
"Pray" is song by boyband Take That. Written by Gary Barlow and released on July 5, 1993, it was the second single from their second album Everything Changes. It is the first of 11 singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks and starting a...
' - it sounds awfully sweet and, more importantly, absolutely genuine." 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."
Music video
The video was filmed at the Cowboy Palace Saloon Chatsworth California in June 2010 and has a country western theme. The video is a lighthearted parody of the blockbuster movie Brokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
, depicting Williams and Barlow as closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
gay cowboys. Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow both feature in the music video. The video focuses on the relationship between Barlow and Williams, as well as Robbie's feelings after he left Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
in 1995 and how he felt after they reformed without him and achieved unprecedented success. The song and video premiered on August 26, 2010. The video has received strong airplay on VH1 Europe
VH1 Europe
VH1 Europe, also known as VH1 European, is a music television channel from MTV Networks Europe, based on the American Channel of the same name. This version of VH1 is very different from its American counterpart, since it has never ceased to be a proper music channel, playing a wide variety of...
.
Promotion
The song premiered on the Chris Moyles' Radio 1 show on August 26th where both Williams and Barlow appeared to discuss the single. Barlow and Williams performed "Shame" live for the first time at the Help for HeroesHelp for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
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.' The duo performed the single on Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing (series 8)
The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won the competition...
on October 2, 2010, Daybreak
Daybreak
-Albums:*Daybreak *Daybreak *Daybreak *Daybreak, an album by Paul Hardcastle*Daybreak, an album by Mezzoforte*Daybreak -Songs:...
, BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, and on Paul O'Grady Live
Paul O'Grady Live
Paul O'Grady Live was a British comedy chat show hosted by Paul O'Grady, that began airing on 10 September 2010 on ITV1 and ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD in the United Kingdom. The show is a Friday night chat show that features a mixture of celebrity guests, airing at 21:00. The show culminates with...
on October 8.
The song will also feature in the game We Sing Robbie Williams
We Sing Robbie Williams
We Sing Robbie Williams is the third game in the We Sing series for the Wii following on from We Sing Encore. Developed by Le Cortex, produced by Wired Productions and published by Nordic Games, it is the latest singing game in the series to support 4 players simultaneously each with their own...
as a playable track.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
62 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 1 |
| German Airplay Chart (Media Control AG Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
1 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... ) |
91 |
| Latvia (EHR European Hit Radio European Hit Radio is one of the very first commercial radio stations in Baltic States. This radio focuses on reflecting the current situation in European music charts... ) |
6 |
| UK Airplay Chart (The Official Charts Company) | 1 |
End-of-year charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 68 |
| Germany (Media Control AG Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
82 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart | 36 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 82 |
Certifications
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Country | Release date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26 August 2010 | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
Virgin Records Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
| 4 October 2010 | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
||
| Worldwide | 27 August 2010 | Digital download |