Album: 2nd Time Around (1970)

Charted: 20 14

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• It's a shame
  The way you mess around with your man
  It's a shame the way you hurt me
  It's a shame
  The way you mess around with your man
  I'm sitting all alone, by the telephone
  Waiting for your call, when you don't call at all
  
  It's a shame (shame)
  The way you mess around with your man
  It's a shame (shame)
  The way you play with my emotions
  It's a shame (shame)
  The way you mess around with your man
  You're like a child at play, on a sunny day
  But you play with love, and then you throw it away
  
  Why do you use me, try to confuse me?
  How can you stand to be so cruel?
  Why don't you free me, from this prison
  Where I serve my time as your fool?
  
  It's a shame (shame)
  The way you mess around with your man
  It's a shame (shame)
  The way you hurt me
  It's a shame (shame)
  The way you mess around with your man
  I try to stay with you, show you love so true
  But you won't appreciate, the love we try to make
  
  Oh, it's got to be a shame
  
  Uh
  Why do you use me, try to confuse me?
  How can you stand to be so cruel?
  Why don't you free me, from this prison
  Served my time as your fool?
  
  Got to be a (shame) shame
  The way you mess around with your man
  Oh, it's a (shame) shame
  The way you hurt me
  Oh, it's a shame (shame) baby, baby
  The way you mess around with your man
  You've got my heart in chains, and I must complain
  I just can't be confined, oh, and I can't find the time
  Oh, oh-oh
  (Shame)
  It's a shame (shame)
  It's a shame the way you hurt me, yeah
  Oh (shame)
  Gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta be a shame, oh, yeah Writer/s: Lee Garrett, Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Third Side Music Inc., Wixen Music Publishing
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 17

• June from DetroitThe intro to "It's A Shame" is the the most joyful, upbeat guitar riff in musical history. I hear it and I'm transported to 1970. I'm trying to see if it was Dennis Coffey or Eddie Willis or both.
• Luca.sDid Beverly Dewitt Yancey have any contribution to the writing of this song?
  
• Tom H from Oxford I don’t think it’s fair to say Phillipe sang most of the leads. Bobby Smith probably sang more leads and he and Phillipe sometimes shared lead vocals. They had similar voices in parts of their respective ranges and I’d say Bobby was more mistaken for Phillipe than the other way around. Bobby was a great singer…as was Phillipe. Check out the big Atlantic hits on YouTube and you’ll see who sang what. There’s also a good Spinners documentary on there
• Karen from 99082It's a shame... to have too much swag... - Karen B. Smith
• Darryl Smith from 63301I understand that Stevie Wonder played the bass on this song . Am I right.
• Arvis L Perry from Detroit, MiI remember hearing "It's a shame" in 69 while living in Chicago. Was it possibly released early there?
• Mr.horton from Memphis TnMan that Stevie Wonder a genius way ahead of his time I salute you sir
• Richard Murphy from NewyorkI have heard a lot of singers that have sang this number but not steve wonder
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 3rd 1970, the Spinners performed "It's a Shame" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
  At the time the song was at #15 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eight days later on October 11 it would peak at #14 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 15 weeks...
  It reached #4 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
  Between 1961 and 1995 the Detroit quintet had twenty nine Top 100 records; six made the Top 10 with their two biggest hits both peaking at #2, "The Rubberband Man" for 3 weeks in 1976 and "Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl" for 2 weeks in 1980...
  And on Billboard's R&B Singles chart they had six #1 records between 1972 and 1976.
• Camille from Toronto, OhOne more incredible song that doesn't get enough airplay on the radio these days. The opening guitar, such a distinct sound, the voices, the instrumentation with the horns blowing to emphasize the emotions; it's just great. I love listening to this on my ipod with my earbuds. Never knew Stevie Wonder wrote it, but can definitely hear his 'sound' come thru.
• Jim from New York, NyThe group was actually always known simply as The Spinners in the US. They were billed as The Detroit Spinners only in the UK, as there already existed a British group called The Spinners at the time of their first release there.
  
  Jeremiah, according to Volume 10 of The Complete Motown Singles, James Jamerson is indeed playing the bass on this track. Other musicians include Dennis Coffey and Robert White on guitar, Jack Ashford on tambourine and Pistol Allen on the drums. (Although Stevie Wonder overdubbed a second drum part that he played himself after he couldn't quite get the rhythm he wanted out of Allen.)
  
  Annabelle, I don't know that Stevie Wonder ever recorded his own version of the song. If he did, it's still in the vaults somewhere!
• Claire from Miller's, MdEven though I'm not big into Motown I absolutley LOVE this song:)
• John from Nashville, TnWhen the Spinners left Motown for Atlantic, GC Cameron couldn't come along because he was signed to Motown as a solo act before he joined the Spinners.
• Mark from Los Angeles, CaThis song may have been about his break up with Syreeta, however, Aisha's mother is Yolanda Simmons. Her name is actually in the lyric of "Isn't She Lovely"
  "Londi it could have not been done
  Without you who conceived the one"
• Lisa from Long Island, NyI love the Spinners. This was a great song.
• Jeremiah from Cebu, Otherim really interested if the bass player for this song is james jamerson. please answer me base on facts. d1stlove@yahoo.com- jeremiah from the philippines
• Annabelle from Eugene, OrI wonder if Stevie Wonder ever released a recording of this song. If so, where can I find it?

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