I'm Livin' in Shame

{{Infobox song

| name = I'm Livin' in Shame

| image = Im livin in shame diana ross the supremes UK single solid centre.png

| alt = side-A label

| caption = Solid center variant of the UK single

| type = single

| artist = Diana Ross & the Supremes

| album = Let the Sunshine In

| B-side = I'm So Glad I Got Somebody (Like You Around)

| released = January 6, 1969

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Psychedelic pop, psychedelic soul

| length = 2:57

| label = Motown
M 1139

| writer = Frank Wilson, Pam Sawyer, R. Dean Taylor, Deke Richards

| producer = The Clan
(R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson, Pam Sawyer, Deke Richards)

| prev_title = I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

| prev_year = 1968

| next_title = I'll Try Something New

| next_year = 1969

}}

"I'm Livin' in Shame" is a 1969 song released for Diana Ross & the Supremes on the Motown label. The sequel to the Supremes' number-one hit, "Love Child," the song peaked in the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop chart at #10 and the top 20 in the UK at #14 in April and May 1969.{{cite magazine |year=1969 |title=Billboard Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |volume=81 |issue=11 |pages=68 |publisher=Nielsen Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zygEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 |access-date=10 May 2011 }}{{cite book |title=Diana Ross: A Biography |last=Taraborrelli |first=J. Randy |author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli |year=2007 |publisher=Kensington Books |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-8065-2849-6 |page=500 }}

Background and release

Inspired by the plot of Douglas Sirk's 1959 film Imitation of Life,{{cite book |title=The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal |last=Ribowsky |first=Mark |year=2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-306-81586-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/supremessagaofmo00ribo/page/341 341] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/supremessagaofmo00ribo/page/341 }} The Clan composed "I'm Livin' in Shame" as a sequel to the Supremes' number-one hit single, "Love Child." The song explores the quest of the 'love child' to shun both her impoverished childhood and her mother, and pass herself off to her friends and new husband as the daughter of a rich family. The woman's mother ends up dying without ever seeing her daughter as an adult, or ever meeting her two-year-old grandson, to the child's regret and chagrin.

The girl group debuted the single live on the Sunday, January 5, 1969 episode of the popular CBS variety program, The Ed Sullivan Show,{{Cite episode |title=Diana Ross & the Supremes, Rodney Dangerfield, Johnny Mathis, Henry Mancini |url=http://www.tv.com/the-ed-sullivan-show/january-5-1969-diana-ross-and-the-supremes-rodney-dangerfield-johnny-mathis-henry-mancini/episode/106891/summary.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918045444/http://www.tv.com/the-ed-sullivan-show/january-5-1969-diana-ross-and-the-supremes-rodney-dangerfield-johnny-mathis-henry-mancini/episode/106891/summary.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2012 |series=The Ed Sullivan Show |series-link=The Ed Sullivan Show |network=CBS |station=WCBS |airdate=5 January 1969 |season=22 |number=12 }} peaking at number 10 on the American pop chart and at 14 on the UK singles chart in late winter and early spring of 1969. The recorded release is without the backing vocals of Mary Wilson or Cindy Birdsong (as with many singles released under this group's billing, session singers The Andantes appear on the record).

Cash Box described it as a "spectacular performance and another standout song" that continues the story of the Supremes earlier single "Love Child."{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=January 25, 1969|page=20|accessdate=2021-12-08|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1969/CB-1969-01-25.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}}

Personnel

Lead vocals by Diana Ross
Background vocals by the Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps
Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers

Track listing

7" single (6 January 1969) (North America/United Kingdom/Netherlands)

"I'm Livin' in Shame" – 2:57
"I'm So Glad I Got Somebody (Like You Around)" – 2:58

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"\|Chart (1969) !scope="col"\|Peak position
scope="row" \| Australia (Go-Set){{cite web\|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1969/19690409.html\|title=Go-Sets National Top 40\|work=Go-Set\|date=9 April 1969\|access-date=1 January 2020}} \|align="center"\| 28
scope="row" \| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web\|url=https://www.top100singles.net/2013/02/every-amr-top-100-single-in-1969.html#show\|title=Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1969\|website=Top 100 Singles\|access-date=31 December 2020}} \|align="center"\| 33
scope="row" {{singlechart\|Canadatopsingles\|12\|artist=The Supremes\|chartid=5936}}
scope="row"\|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn){{cite news\|url=https://timarit.is/page/3292473?iabr=on#page/n14/mode/2up/search/SUPREMES\|title=Lesbók Morgunblaðsins - 23. tölublað (22.06.1969)\|newspaper=Lesbók Morgunblaðsins\|page=15\|language=is\|date=22 June 1969\|access-date=8 January 2021}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|27
scope="row" {{singlechart\|Ireland2\|6\|artist=The Supremes}}
scope="row" \| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade){{cite web\|url=https://www.top40.nl/diana-ross-the-supremes/diana-ross-the-supremes-i-m-livin-in-shame-21733\|title=Diana Ross & The Supremes - I'm Livin' In Shame {{!}} Top 40\|work=Dutch Top 40\|access-date=October 16, 2022}} \|align="center"\| 3
scope="row" {{singlechart\|UKsinglesbyname\|artistid=11282\|14\|artist=Supremes\|song=I'm Livin' in Shame}}
scope="row" \| UK R&B (Record Mirror){{cite magazine\|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/60s/69/Record-Mirror-1969-05-10.pdf#page=11\|title=R&B SINGLES\|magazine=Record Mirror\|page=11\|date=May 10, 1969\|via=worldradiohistory.com\|accessdate=January 27, 2022}} \| align="center"\| 9
scope="row" {{singlechart\|Billboardhot100\|10\|artist=The Supremes}}
scope="row" {{singlechart\|Billboardrandbhiphop\|8\|artist=The Supremes}}
scope="row" \|US Cashbox Top 100{{cite web \|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19690301.html \|title=CASH BOX Top 100 Singles\|work=Cashbox\|date=March 1, 1969\|access-date=31 December 2020}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|8
scope="row" \|US Cashbox R&B{{cite web \|url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives-r/60s_files/19690301R.html \|title=The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B Locations\|work=Cashbox\|date=March 9, 1969\|access-date=31 December 2020}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|8
scope="row" \| US Record World 100 Top Pops{{cite magazine \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/60s/69/Record-World-1969-02-22-OCR-Page-0023.pdf#search=%22supremes%20i'm%20livin%20in%20shame%22 \|title=100 TOP POPS: Week of February 22, 1969\|magazine=Record World\|publisher=worldradiohistory.com\|date=February 22, 1969\|accessdate=29 January 2021}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|8
scope="row" \| US Record World Top 50 R&B{{cite magazine \|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/60s/69/Record-World-1969-02-22-OCR-Page-0083.pdf#search=%22supremes%20i'm%20livin%20in%20shame%22 \|title=TOP 50 R&B: Week of February 22, 1969\|page=83\|magazine=Record World\|publisher=worldradiohistory.com\|date=February 22, 1969\|accessdate=29 January 2021}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|7

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Chart (1969)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

scope="row" | Australia (Go-Set){{cite web|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1969/19690409.html|title=Go-Sets National Top 40|work=Go-Set|date=9 April 1969|access-date=1 January 2020}}

|align="center"| 28

scope="row" | Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web|url=https://www.top100singles.net/2013/02/every-amr-top-100-single-in-1969.html#show|title=Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1969|website=Top 100 Singles|access-date=31 December 2020}}

|align="center"| 33

scope="row" {{singlechart|Canadatopsingles|12|artist=The Supremes|chartid=5936}}

scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn){{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/3292473?iabr=on#page/n14/mode/2up/search/SUPREMES|title=Lesbók Morgunblaðsins - 23. tölublað (22.06.1969)|newspaper=Lesbók Morgunblaðsins|page=15|language=is|date=22 June 1969|access-date=8 January 2021}}

| style="text-align:center;"|27

scope="row" {{singlechart|Ireland2|6|artist=The Supremes}}

scope="row" | Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade){{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/diana-ross-the-supremes/diana-ross-the-supremes-i-m-livin-in-shame-21733|title=Diana Ross & The Supremes - I'm Livin' In Shame {{!}} Top 40|work=Dutch Top 40|access-date=October 16, 2022}}

|align="center"| 3

scope="row" {{singlechart|UKsinglesbyname|artistid=11282|14|artist=Supremes|song=I'm Livin' in Shame}}

scope="row" | UK R&B (Record Mirror){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/60s/69/Record-Mirror-1969-05-10.pdf#page=11|title=R&B SINGLES|magazine=Record Mirror|page=11|date=May 10, 1969|via=worldradiohistory.com|accessdate=January 27, 2022}}

| align="center"| 9

scope="row" {{singlechart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=The Supremes}}

scope="row" {{singlechart|Billboardrandbhiphop|8|artist=The Supremes}}

scope="row" |US Cashbox Top 100{{cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19690301.html |title=CASH BOX Top 100 Singles|work=Cashbox|date=March 1, 1969|access-date=31 December 2020}}

| style="text-align:center;"|8

scope="row" |US Cashbox R&B{{cite web |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives-r/60s_files/19690301R.html |title=The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B Locations|work=Cashbox|date=March 9, 1969|access-date=31 December 2020}}

| style="text-align:center;"|8

scope="row" | US Record World 100 Top Pops{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/60s/69/Record-World-1969-02-22-OCR-Page-0023.pdf#search=%22supremes%20i'm%20livin%20in%20shame%22 |title=100 TOP POPS: Week of February 22, 1969|magazine=Record World|publisher=worldradiohistory.com|date=February 22, 1969|accessdate=29 January 2021}}

| style="text-align:center;"|8

scope="row" | US Record World Top 50 R&B{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/60s/69/Record-World-1969-02-22-OCR-Page-0083.pdf#search=%22supremes%20i'm%20livin%20in%20shame%22 |title=TOP 50 R&B: Week of February 22, 1969|page=83|magazine=Record World|publisher=worldradiohistory.com|date=February 22, 1969|accessdate=29 January 2021}}

| style="text-align:center;"|7

Cover Versions

In 1981, singer Clem Easterling released a cover of "Living In Shame" from her "Just in Time" LP.

References

Category:1969 singles

Category:The Supremes songs

Category:Songs written by R. Dean Taylor

Category:Motown singles

Category:Songs written by Berry Gordy

Category:Songs written by Frank Wilson (musician)

Category:Songs written by Henry Cosby

Category:Songs written by Pam Sawyer

Category:Psychedelic soul songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Frank Wilson (musician)

Category:1969 songs