Shame (Stabbing Westward song)

"Shame" is a song by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the second and final single from the band's 1996 album Wither Blister Burn & Peel.

"Shame"
Single by Stabbing Westward
from the album Wither Blister Burn & Peel
Released1996
Recorded1995 in New York City
Length4:54 (album version)
4:09 (edit)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Walter Flakus, Christopher Hall, Andy Kubiszewski, Jim Sellers
Producer(s)John Fryer
Stabbing Westward singles chronology
"What Do I Have to Do?"
(1996)		 "Shame"
(1996)		 "Sometimes It Hurts"
(1998)

Background

In a 2020 interview with Songfacts, lead singer Christopher Hall said:

"Shame" was very much me asking the simple question, "How can I keep going?" I had lost someone – a divorce from my first wife - after we had gone on tour forever and ever. It was just, "How can I exist without you? How am I supposed to continue to keep living when all I can think about is you and you not being here?" I tend to come back to that theme quite often.[1]

Reception

In a retrospective overview of the band, Kyle Anderson of MTV said the song "remains a pretty solid anthem." Anderson also praised the video, saying it "is more clever than it has any right to be."[2]

Music video

The video begins with a woman (Julie) running around and dancing in her living room. Her phone rings and the caller is her ex-boyfriend (Nick), who just escaped from a mental institution. Going to Julie's, Nick runs into a cop who he promptly kills. As Julie tries to run away and take the elevator, the officer's body falls on her before she continues running. Nick chases her to the building's roof, where he jumps at her and misses, falling to his death. The video is inter-cut with shots of the band performing the song in a room, leaving one by one before Hall is the only one left. The other members leave to see the movie, which is the Nick and Julie story.

Actors
  • Christopher Hall as himself
  • Walter Flakus as himself
  • Andy Kubiszewski as himself
  • Mark Eliopulos as himself
  • Jim Sellers as himself
  • Clint Curtis as Nick[3]
  • Unknown as Julie

Track listing
US single
No.TitleLength
1."Shame" (radio edit)4:02
2."Shame" (LP version)4:54
Total length:8:56
Australian single
No.TitleLength
1."Shame" (Radio Edit)4:02
2."Shame" (On You Mix)6:23
3."Shame" (It Up Mix)6:38
4."Shame" (LP Version)4:54
Total length:22:57
Austrian single
No.TitleLength
1."Shame" (Album Version)4:54
2."Shame" (On You Mix)6:25
3."Shame" (It Up Mix)6:40
4."Drowning"3:47
12" single
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Shame" (On You Mix)6:22
2."Shame" (It Up Mix)6:39
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Falls Apart" (Powdered Cat Mix)5:27
2."Slipping Away" (Suicide Mix)7:03

Charts
Chart Peak
position
US Hot 100 Airplay[4] 69
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[5] 14
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[6] 7

Personnel

References
  1. Prato, Greg (June 1, 2020). "Christopher Hall of Stabbing Westward". Songfacts. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  2. Anderson, Kyle (March 3, 2011). "And Now A Few Thoughts About Stabbing Westward". MTV. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  3. "Clint Curtis". IMDb.
  4. "Stabbing Westward - Chart History: Radio Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  5. "Stabbing Westward - Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  6. "Stabbing Westward - Chart History: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
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