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Ain't That a Shame

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"Ain't That a Shame"
Song
B-side"La-La"
"Ain't That a Shame"
Song
B-side"Soon (I'll Be Home Again) (from the same album)"
"Ain't That a Shame"
Song
B-side"ELO Kiddies"

"Ain't That a Shame" is a song recorded by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, in Hollywood, California, for Imperial Records and released in 1955.[1] The recording ("Ain't It a Shame") was a hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached #1 on the "Black Singles" chart and #10 on the "Pop Singles" chart.[2] The song is ranked #438[3] on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song gained national fame after being re-recorded by white recording artist Pat Boone.[4] Domino's version soon became more popular, bringing Domino's music to the mass market a half dozen years after his first major recording, "The Fat Man".[5]

After "Ain't It a Shame", mainstream artists began covering Domino's songs. Teresa Brewer, for instance, performed the Domino rewrite of a folk song called "Bo Weevil".

The Four Seasons version hit #22 on the Billboard charts in 1963.[6]

According to legend, Pat Boone suggested the title and lyrics be altered to "Isn't That A Shame" to make it more appealing to a broader audience but was dissuaded by his producers.[7] Despite his suggestion being rejected, Boone had his first Billboard number-one single in 1955. Domino complimented Boone's cover of the song.[4] Boone likes to tell the story about a Fats Domino concert and Domino invited Boone on stage. Domino showed a big gold ring and said "Pat Boone bought me this ring."[8]

This was the first song that John Lennon learned to play. He later covered it on Rock 'n' Roll.[9]

On the screen

Fats Domino can be seen performing this song in a 1956 film Shake, Rattle & Rock!. The song is heard in American Graffiti, and is used in the movies October Sky, L.A. Story, School Ties and Mischief. As of April 2007, the song can be heard in commercials for Dr Pepper. It can be heard at the end of the Season Four finale of the television series The Shield. It was also included in the soundtrack for the 2010 video game Mafia II.

Chart positions (Cheap Trick version)

Chart (1979) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 35
Canadian RPM Top Singles 10
Dutch Singles Chart 25
New Zealand Singles Chart 24

Covers

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ http://www.npr.org/2000/05/01/1073610/aint-that-a-shame?sc=fb&cc=fp
  2. ^ Fats Domino Billboard Singles at AllMusic
  3. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/fats-domino-aint-it-a-shame-20110526
  4. ^ a b Show 6 - Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll: The rock revolution gets underway. [Part 2] : UNT Digital Library
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942-1988, p. 122. Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-068-7
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 237.
  7. ^ Cavallo, Dominick (1999). A Fiction of the Past: The Sixties in American History, p. 151. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-21930-X.
  8. ^ Patboone.com
  9. ^ Ain't That a Shame Songfacts
Preceded by Billboard R&B Best Sellers in Stores number-one single
June 11, 1955 - August 13, 1955 		Succeeded by
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