Such a Shame

"Such a Shame" is a song written by Mark Hollis for the English band Talk Talk's second album It's My Life (1984). It was released as the album's second single and went on to becoming a top 10 hit across Europe.

"Such a Shame"
Artwork for the original 12-inch vinyl release; the 7-inch has the same artwork with three vertical dots on the right sidebar
Single by Talk Talk
from the album It's My Life
B-side	"Again, a Game... Again"
Released	1984
Length	3:59 6:54 (12" single, A-side) 5:43 (12" single, B-side)
Label	EMI Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Mark Hollis
Producer(s)	Tim Friese-Greene
Talk Talk singles chronology
"It's My Life" (1984) "Such a Shame" (1984) "Dum Dum Girl" (1984)
Audio sample
"Such a Shame" file help
Music video
"Such a Shame" on YouTube

Overview

"Such a Shame" was inspired by Luke Rhinehart's The Dice Man,[1] one of composer Mark Hollis' favourite books. When asked what drove him to respond to Rhinehart's book, Hollis replied, "A good book, not a lifestyle I'd recommend."[2]

The song was released as the album's second single in the spring of 1984, with the cover art designed by James Marsh. Some pressings of the single came with an additional 7" release The Talk Talk Demos which included three songs recorded in June 1981: "Candy", "Talk Talk" and "Mirror Man". Writing in the NME, Richard Cook slated the song, describing it as "faceless regret coaxed from lurex trashcan."[3]

"Such a Shame" became a big hit in continental Europe in 1984 and 1985, reaching the top 10 in several countries, including number 1 in Switzerland. It was their third number 1 single after the remixed version of the song "Talk Talk" which topped the South African charts in 1983 and the single "It's My Life" which was number 1 in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in 1984. In the US, "Such a Shame" entered the Billboard Hot 100, and was a top 20 hit in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play. The single entered the top 10 in the pan-European singles airplay chart.[4] It only reached number 49 in the UK.[5]

The song was featured in a European TV commercial for the French car Peugeot 205 in the 1980s. In 1990, the single was re-issued to promote the compilation Natural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk.

Following Hollis' death in early 2019, "Such a Shame" charted at number 5 on Digital Song Sales in France[6] and number 44 on Back Catalogue Singles in the Flemish region of Belgium.[7]

Track listings

Original release

• 7" single (EMI 5433)

A. "Such a Shame" — 3:59

B. "Again, a Game... Again" — 4:06

• 12" maxi single (12EMI 5433)

A. "Such a Shame" (12" Mix) — 6:54

B1. "Such a Shame" — 5:43

B2. "Again, a Game... Again" — 4:06

1990 release

• 7" single (R 6276)

A. "Such a Shame" (Original Version) — 4:28

B. "Dum Dum Girl" (Live from 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival) — 3:39

• 12" maxi single (12R 6276)

A. "Such a Shame" (Remixed by Gary Miller) — 5:40

B1. "Such a Shame" (Original Version) — 4:28

B2. "Dum Dum Girl" (Live from 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival) — 3:39

• CD maxi single (CDR 6276)

1. "Such a Shame" (Original Version) — 4:28
2. "Such a Shame" (Remixed by Gary Miller) — 5:40
3. "Talk Talk" (Live from 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival) — 3:30
4. "Dum Dum Girl" (Live from 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival) — 3:39

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 13 Europe (European Top 100 Singles)[10] 18 France (SNEP)[11] 7 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 11 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 9 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 39 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[5] 49 US Billboard Hot 100[16] 89 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[16] 12 West Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 2 Chart (1990) Peak position UK Singles (OCC)[18] 78

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] 17 Italy (FIMI)[20] 28 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 95 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 59 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 3 West Germany (Official German Charts)[24] 4

Sandra version

"Such a Shame"
Single by Sandra
from the album The Wheel of Time
Released	25 March 2002
Length	4:18
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Mark Hollis
Producer(s)	Michael Cretu Jens Gad
Sandra singles chronology
"Forever" (2001) "Such a Shame" (2002) "I Close My Eyes" (2002)

German singer Sandra covered "Such a Shame" for her seventh studio album The Wheel of Time (2002). Her version was produced by Michael Cretu and Jens Gad. It was released on 25 March 2002 and reached number 76 on the official German singles chart.[25]

Track listing

• CD maxi single[25]

1. "Such a Shame" (Radio Edit) — 4:18
2. "Such a Shame" (Straight Dance Mix) — 7:54
3. "Such a Shame" (Cool Club Mix) — 5:22
4. "Such a Shame" (Karaoke Version) — 4:18

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Germany (Official German Charts)[25]	76

An Pierlé version

An Pierlé recorded a cover of "Such a Shame" for her 2013 album Strange Days. The song reached number 45 in the Walloon region of Belgium.[26]

See also

• List of number-one singles of the 1980s (Switzerland)

References

1. Neiss, James (December 1991). "Talk Talk". Record Collector. No. 148. Diamond Publishing Group Ltd. pp. 18–23.
2. Aakjaer, Henrik H. "Such a Shame". Within Without. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
3. Cook, Richard (31 March 1984). "Singles". NME. p. 18.
4. "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. No. 23. Amsterdam. 3 September 1984. p. 6. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
6. "Talk Talk > French Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
7. "Ultratop Back Catalogue Singles: 02/03/2019" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
8. "Austriancharts.at – Talk Talk – Such a Shame" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
9. "Ultratop.be – Talk Talk – Such a Shame" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
10. "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. No. 25. Amsterdam. 17 September 1984. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
11. "Lescharts.com – Talk Talk – Such a Shame" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
12. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 22 July 2013.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Talk Talk – Such a Shame" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
14. "Charts.nz – Talk Talk – Such a Shame". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
15. "Swisscharts.com – Talk Talk – Such a Shame". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
16. "Talk Talk – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Talk Talk – Such a Shame". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
19. "Jahreshitparade 1984" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
20. "I singoli più venduti del 1984" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
21. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
22. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
23. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1984" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
24. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1984". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sandra – Such A Shame". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
26. "An Pierlé - Such A Shame" (in French). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 27 July 2020.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics