I'm Livin' in Shame

"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.[1][2]

"I'm Livin' in Shame"
Single by Diana Ross & the Supremes
from the album Let the Sunshine In
B-side"I'm So Glad I Got Somebody (Like You Around)"
ReleasedJanuary 6, 1969
GenrePsychedelic pop, psychedelic soul
Length2:57
LabelMotown
M 1139
Songwriter(s)Frank Wilson, Pam Sawyer, R. Dean Taylor, Deke Richards
Producer(s)The Clan
(R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson, Pam Sawyer, Deke Richards)
Diana Ross & the Supremes singles chronology
"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"
(1968)		 "I'm Livin' in Shame"
(1969)		 "I'll Try Something New"
(1969)
Audio sample
"I'm Livin' in Shame"
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Alternative cover

Background and release

Inspired by the plot of Douglas Sirk's 1959 film Imitation of Life,[3] 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,[4] 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 Supreme's earlier single "Love Child."[5]

Personnel

Track listing
  • 7" single (6 January 1969) (North America/United Kingdom/Netherlands)
  1. "I'm Livin' in Shame" – 2:57
  2. "I'm So Glad I Got Somebody (Like You Around)" – 2:58

Charts
Chart (1969) Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set)[6] 28
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 33
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 12
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn)[9] 27
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[11] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 14
UK R&B (Record Mirror)[13] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 10
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 8
US Cashbox Top 100[16] 8
US Cashbox R&B[17] 8
US Record World 100 Top Pops[18] 8
US Record World Top 50 R&B[19] 7

References
  1. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 81, no. 11. Nielsen Company. 1969. p. 68. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  2. Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2007). Diana Ross: A Biography. New York City: Kensington Books. p. 500. ISBN 978-0-8065-2849-6.
  3. Ribowsky, Mark (2009). The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. p. 341. ISBN 978-0-306-81586-7.
  4. "Diana Ross & the Supremes, Rodney Dangerfield, Johnny Mathis, Henry Mancini". The Ed Sullivan Show. Season 22. Episode 12. 5 January 1969. CBS. WCBS.
  5. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. January 25, 1969. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  6. "Go-Sets National Top 40". Go-Set. 9 April 1969. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  7. "Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1969". Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5936." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  9. "Lesbók Morgunblaðsins - 23. tölublað (22.06.1969)". Lesbók Morgunblaðsins (in Icelandic). 22 June 1969. p. 15. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Supremes". Irish Singles Chart.
  11. "Diana Ross & The Supremes - I'm Livin' In Shame | Top 40". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  12. "Supremes: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  13. "R&B SINGLES" (PDF). Record Mirror. May 10, 1969. p. 11. Retrieved January 27, 2022 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  14. "The Supremes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. "The Supremes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  16. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. March 1, 1969. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  17. "The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B Locations". Cashbox. March 9, 1969. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  18. "100 TOP POPS: Week of February 22, 1969" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. February 22, 1969. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  19. "TOP 50 R&B: Week of February 22, 1969" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. February 22, 1969. p. 83. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
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