"Ain't That a Shame" is a song written by

Fats Domino Antoine Caliste Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New Orl ...

and

Dave Bartholomew David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arrangement, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century ...

. Domino's recording of the song, originally stated as "Ain't It a Shame", released by Imperial Records in 1955, was a hit, eventually selling a million copies. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 10 on the pop chart. The song is ranked number 438 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. This recording was included in the debut Fats Domino album '' Rock and Rollin' with Fats Domino'' (1956) and next in the compilation ''Fats Domino Swings (12,000,000 Records)'' (1958). Later in 1963, the recording was overdubbed by vocal chorus for the album ''Let's Dance with Domino'' (1963). In 1983, Fats Domino re-recorded the song; it was included in his last album ''Alive and Kickin (2006) under the title "Ain't That a Shame 2000". The song gained national fame after being covered by

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

. Domino's version soon became more popular, bringing his music to the mass market a half-dozen years after his first recording, " The Fat Man". The song was also covered by the Four Seasons in 1963, Hank Williams Jr. in 1971, and

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

in 1978, among others.

Pat Boone cover

recorded the song in May 1955, just after the release of Fats Domino's single. This recording was released in the same month on single under the title "Ain't That a Shame" and was included in his debut album ''

'' (1956). According to some sources, Boone suggested changing the title and lyrics to "Isn't That a Shame" to make it more appealing to a broader audience, but was dissuaded by his producers.Cavallo, Dominick (1999). ''A Fiction of the Past: The Sixties in American History''. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 151. . Nevertheless, Boone's recording of the song was his first ''

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'' number-one single, spending two weeks as number one on the ''Billboard'' "Most Played in Jukeboxes" charts. Domino complimented Boone's cover of the song. Boone liked to tell a story about a concert at which Domino invited Boone on stage, showed a big gold ring, and said: "Pat Boone bought me this ring," since Domino and Bartholomew, as the song's writers, received royalties on it from record sales or radio airplay of other performers' cover versions of their song."Biography"
Pat Boone website. .

Cheap Trick cover

's version charted at number 35 after being released on their 1978 live album ''

Cheap Trick at Budokan ''Cheap Trick at Budokan'' (or simply ''At Budokan'') is the first live album by American rock band Cheap Trick, and their best-selling recording. Recorded at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, the album was first released in Japan on October 8, 1978 ...

''. ''

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'' described it as a "superb rave-up of the Fats Domino classic." Reportedly, this was Fats Domino's favorite cover. Domino also gave Cheap Trick his gold record for his 1955 single, which is held by guitarist Rick Nielsen. Another live version of the song, recorded in 1999, was released on the 2001 album ''

Silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

''. ''Classic Rock'' critic Malcolm Dome rated it as Cheap Trick's 4th greatest song, saying that even though it's a cover, "the band effectively made it their own." ''Classic Rock History'' critic Michael Quinn rated it Cheap Trick's 8th best song, saying that it "starts off with more Bun E Carlos magic...then moves to a showcase of Rick Nielsen’s smarmy guitar work." Cheap Trick performed the song live as the finale of the 2016

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

induction ceremony. They were joined by Robert Lamm, James Pankow, Lee Loughnane, and Walter Parazaider of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes of

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

, Steve Miller,

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

, Grace Potter,

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

, Rob Thomas, and

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and comedian who served as David Letterman's musical director, bandleader, and sidekick on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1993) and ''Late Show with D ...

Chart history

Other cover versions

A version of the song by the Four Seasons reached number 22 on the ''Billboard'' charts in 1963. It was included in their 1963 studio album '' Ain't That A Shame and 11 Others''. ''

'' described it as "a raunchy, medium-paced, multi-dance romancer." Other artists who have covered Domino's original version include Hank Williams, Jr. with the Mike Curb Congregation (1971). It reached number 16 in Canada.

References

{{authority control Fats Domino songs The Four Seasons (band) songs Songs about New Orleans 1955 singles 1963 singles 1979 singles Live singles Pat Boone songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Dave Bartholomew Cheap Trick songs Vee-Jay Records singles Epic Records singles Dot Records singles Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe Imperial Records singles 1955 songs Songs written by Fats Domino

Pat Boone cover

Cheap Trick cover

Chart history

Other cover versions

See also

References