Songfacts®:

• This is the first single from Lizzie's second album. She explained the background to the song. "We live in a society where terrible behaviour is rewarded with coverage and attention, where celebrity is seen as a talent in itself," said the singer-songwriter." I understand the allure of image and of a good story but I sometimes feel like it trumps the content.
  "When I wrote 'Shameless' I'd just been feeling so over how much bulls--- style over substance there is to 'making' it in this business."
• Lissie told The Sun that her refusal to play the fame game is at the heart of the song. "I'm not specifically attacking anyone," she said. "The song is more about me speaking my truth about what I'm not willing to do.
  
  "I love music," she continued, "I've always loved to sing and I work really hard at it. I'm really honest in how I express myself and, for me, that's what music's about.
  
  "There are days I do get frustrated because you see people acting like idiots and they're rewarded for it. I don't think that getting people to pay attention to you for good or bad reasons qualifies as a talent – I don't think it's good for culture or society.
  
  I'm not gonna change something about myself if I think it will get me famous. That stuff comes back to bite you in the end - it's karma."
• Lissie wrote the song in February of 2011 when she had been spending lots of time in London co-writing for her Back To Forever album. She explained to Antiquiet: "When I wrote 'Shameless' I was feeling very disheartened by how much hype and frivolity surrounds what makes an artist successful or interesting. I witness people who will do anything it takes to make it, whether it's dating the right people, cozying up to the right people and using them to further their agenda or altering their appearance. You have this culture where people are famous for being famous and rewarded for vile behavior. What makes a person newsworthy isn't necessarily skill but ruthlessness."
  
  "Another gripe I have while I'm at it," she continued, "is where people are perceived as say, edgy, not for their minds and opinions but simply for their appearance. All this nonsense has nothing to do with what I think music is for... again to help folks process their emotions and life experiences."
  
  "However," she concluded, "as I was feeling all bothered, I admitted that maybe my own insecurities and how I feel about my own career led to me wanting to have a bit of an outburst and rant. It felt good to get these feelings off my chest and into a song so that I can just let it go."