"Shame and Scandal in the Family", also known as "Shame & Scandal" for short, is a song written by calypso singer

Sir Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...

for the movie ''

I Walked with a Zombie ''I Walked with a Zombie'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. It stars James Ellison (actor), James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who trave ...

'' in 1943 and originally titled "Fort Holland Calypso Song". Retrieved on 22 June 2009. Sir Lancelot issued his recording of it in the late 1940s. The Sir Lancelot version was covered by folksingers

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

and

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

. In 1962,

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

calypsonian

Lord Melody Lord Melody (1926 – 26 September 1988)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', backbeat Books, , p.154-155 was a popular Trinidadian calypsonian, best known for singles such as " Boo Boo Man", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", "Sh ...

wrote new lyrics for the verses while keeping the melody and the chorus. The Historical Museum of Southern Florida said of Lord Melody's version that "No calypso has been more extensively recorded".

Lyrical content

In Sir Lancelot's version, the lyric reports gossip about a prominent family on a Caribbean island named San Sebastian. In Lord Melody's 1960s version the story follows a young Puerto Rican man in search of a wife. In each of the verses, the young man asks his father for permission to marry a different woman, only to be told he can not marry the girl as "The girl is your sister, but your mamma don't know". However, the tables are turned during the last verse, where the young man's mother tells him that "Your daddy ain't your daddy, but your daddy don't know", clearing the path for him to marry any of the girls. The story in Lord Melody's version is identical to that narrated in

Robert William Service Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a British-Canadian poet and writer, often called "the Bard of the Yukon". The middle name 'William' was in honour of a rich uncle. When that uncle neglected to provide for hi ...

's poem, ''Madame La Marquise'', from the 1940 collection ''Bar-Room Ballads''. The young French aristocratic Hongray de la Glaciere asks his Papa, the Marquis de la Glaciere, permission to marry Mirabelle de Veau, only to find out that Mirabelle is the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis, and so the marriage between the two young ones would be an incestuous one. Years later, Hongray seeks permission to marry Raymonde de la Veal: but again, Papa reveals that Raymonde is also his illegitimate daughter, and the relationship between the two would be incestuous. Finally, the Mother, the Marquise de la Glaciere, approaches her son in his private room, and she reveals that he may marry either Mirabelle de Veau or Raymonde de la Veal, as Papa the Marquis is not his legitimate father.

Famous covers

*In 1962, the

calypsonian

used Sir Lancelot's song as the basis of his song "Shame and Scandal", although he titled it "Wau, Wau". Melody's version used the same chorus and tune as the original 1943 song but with different verses. *In 1964, Shawn Elliott released it as a single *Also in 1964,

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and ...

included a live performance of the song (retitled "Ah Woe, Ah Me!") on their last Capitol Records album ''Back in Town''. *In 1965, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

comedy actor,

Lance Percival John Lancelot Blades Percival (26 July 1933 – 6 January 2015), known as Lance Percival, was an English actor, comedian and singer, best known for his appearances in satirical comedy television shows of the early 1960s and his ability to impro ...

, reached number 37 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

with his

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

, under the expanded title of "Shame and Scandal in the Family". *In the mid 1960s, Jamaica's Kingston Hilton Hotel resident

mento Mento is a style of Music of Jamaica, Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It is a fusion of African rhythmic elements and European elements, which reached peak popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

band, The Hiltonaires, also recorded it as "Shame and Scandal". *In 1965, a ska cover version was recorded in Jamaica by

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963� ...

and

The Wailers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

on vocals, backed by the

Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...

and released on the Studio One label. *Also in 1965

Los 3 Sudamericanos LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

released a cover in Spanish: "''Qué familia más original''". *In 1966, French-Italian singer

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...

recorded the song as ''Un grosso scandalo'' (with Italian lyrics by

Luciano Beretta Luciano is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese given name and surname. It is derived from Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of ''Lucius'' ("Light"). The French form is ''Lucien'', while the Basque form is ''Luken''. Single name * Luciano (rapper) ...

) for one of her Italian-language LPs on

Barclay Records Barclay is a French record company and label founded by Eddie Barclay in 1953. Eddie Barclay was a bandleader, pianist, producer, and nightclub owner. With his wife, Nicole, who was the vocalist in his band, he started Barclay. The catalogue inc ...

. *In 1969, Odetta performed the song live as a duet with

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

on ''

The Johnny Cash Show ''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The ...

''. *In 1970, Trinidadian singer

Lord Creator Lord Creator (born Kentrick Patrick, circa 1940, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago)Walters, Basil (2012)A New Day – Songs heralding JA’s Independence, ''Jamaica Observer'', 3 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012. is a calypso, R&B, ska and rock ...

recorded a cover version on his album ''Big Bamboo''. *In 1972, Australian singer,

Johnny Chester John Howard Chester (born 26 December 1941) is an Australian singer-songwriter, who started his career in October 1959 with group The Jaywoods singing rock music and in 1969 changed to country music. He toured nationally with the Beatles, Roy ...

's version with Jigsaw called "Shame And Scandal (In the Family)" peaked at No. 13 on ''

Go-Set ''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...

'' National Top 40. *In 1977, American vocal group

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...

released a cover version titled "Shame and Scandal in the Family" from their album, ''Sun & Soul''. The single reached #87 on the

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. *In 1983,

Clint Eastwood & General Saint Clint Eastwood & General Saint were a reggae deejay duo of the early 1980s, consisting of Clint Eastwood (born Robert Anthony Brammer) and General Saint (born Winston Hislop). Eastwood was already an established solo deejay who had recorded sev ...

released a reggae cover version. *In 1993, Skatalà released a cover version titled "Skandol Dub" in the album "Borinot, Borinot". *In 2003, David Lindley and

Wally Ingram Wally Ingram is an American drummer and musician. He is most famous as a member of the band, Timbuk 3. In recent years, he has toured with the multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, and released several records with him: * 2000 : ''Twango Bango D ...

recorded a version of "Shame and Scandal" on their album "Twango Bango III". Lindley had previously performed the song a few times in the 80s with his band El Rayo-X. *In 2012, the South African band Dr Victor & the Rasta Rebels released a cover titled "Shame and Scandal" featuring South African singer

Kurt Darren Kurt Johan van Heerden (born 19 February 1970), better known as Kurt Darren, is a South African singer, songwriter and television presenter, who won seven South African Music Awards (SAMA) from 2007 to 2011. He has also appeared in a number of ...

. There are known versions by

Trini Lopez Trinidad López III (May 15, 1937 – August 11, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and actor. His first album included a cover version of Pete Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer", which earned a Golden Disc for him. His other hits included ...

, De Maskers, King Bravo with Baba Brooks & his band, Bobby Aitken and Blue Beat, Odetta, Freddie McGregor, Laurel Aitken. Instrumental versions were also popular, most famously by

Caravelli Caravelli (born Claude Vasori; 12 September 1930, Paris, France – 1 April 2019, Cannet, France) was a French orchestra leader, composer and arranger of orchestral music. Biography The son of an Italian father and a French mother, Vasori was ...

and by

Franck Pourcel Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music. Biography Early life Born in Marseille, France, Pourcel started learning the violin at the age of six. Later, ...

and his Grand Orchestre.

Language versions

The song has been translated to a number of major foreign languages: *French: "Scandale dans la famille" performed by

, by

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, "Scoubidou", ...

and by Les Surfs in three separate versions all in 1965. French translated lyrics were by Maurice Tézé *German: "Schande Unserer Familie" performed by Harry & Ronny in 1965 *Italian: "Un Grosso Scandalo" performed by

and by

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giovann ...

*Portuguese: "O Escândalo" performed by the Brazilian band Renato e Seus Blue Caps in 1965 and later on by The Supersonics. *Spanish: "Escandalo en la Familia" *Hungarian: "Szégyen és gyalázat a családban" performed by

Iván Darvas Iván Darvas (born ''Szilárd Darvas''; 14 June 1925 in Behynce ( hu, Beje, german: Behintz; now part of Tornaľa, Revúca District, Banská Bystrica Region) – 3 June 2007 in Budapest, Hungary) was a Hungarian actor. Early life Born as ...

*Polish: "Skandal w rodzinie (Co za skandal, gdy tata dowie się)" performed by Chochoły *Estonian: "Skandaal perekonnas" performed by

Ivo Linna Ivo Linna (born 12 June 1949 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian singer. Eurovision Song Contest and Eesti Laul He represented Estonia alongside Maarja Liis Ilus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 in Oslo with the song " Kaelakee Hääl" (The Sound ...

and Rock Hotel *Slovak: "Nervózna família" performed by Jozef Krištof, later band Ventil RG *Greek: "Τι ντροπή" (Ti dropi) (What a shame), performed by

Dakis Dakis Joannou (Leonidas Ioannou; el, Δάκης Ιωάννου; born December 30, 1939) is a Greek Cypriot industrialist and art collector. He is considered to be one of the leading collectors of contemporary art in the world and is famous for ac ...

*Hebrew: "Tsarot Ba'Mishpacha" (Troubles in the family), written and performed by

Shmulik Kraus Shmuel "Shmulik" Kraus ( he, שמוליק קראוס; July 1, 1935 – February 17, 2013) was an Israeli pop-rock singer, composer, and actor. Kraus, one of the pioneers of Israeli music, underwent various personal crises in the course of his care ...

Madness version

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

/ pop band

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

covered the song having previously covered several Prince Buster ska recordings, including the songs "Madness", and "One Step Beyond". The band began performing the song at a series of low-key performances as 'The Dangermen' in 2005. Madness later recorded the song for their cover album '' The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1'',Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. and released it as a single later that year. ;Formats and track listings These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Shame & Scandal". *7" single #"Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52 #"Shame & Scandal ub (Lord/Pinard) - 2:56 #"Shame & Scandal" (Peter Touch (Tosh) and The Wailers) - 3:03 *CD single #"Shame & Scandal" (Lord/Pinard) - 2:52 #"Skylarking" (

Hinds Hinds may refer to: Deer, especially does *Deer People with the surname Hinds: *Hinds (surname) In places: *Hinds, New Zealand, a small town *Hinds County, Mississippi, a US county *Hinds Lake, a lake in Minnesota *Hinds River, a river that flows ...

) - 3:02 #"Dreader Than Dread" (Galnek) - 3:04 ;Chart performance The Madness release did not fare well in the UK, only spending two weeks in the charts, peaking at number 38. However, the song did better in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where it peaked at number 12 and spent 19 weeks in the charts. The song also made an appearance on the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

Singles Top 100, spending 8 weeks in the charts and reaching a high of number 69, and just made the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Singles Top 100, hitting number 100 and remaining in the chart for a single week. Retrieved on 26 August 2007.

References

External links

*
Odetta and Johnny Cash sing "Shame and Scandal in the Family" on YouTube (from 1969)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shame and Scandal 1943 songs 1965 singles 1972 singles 1977 singles 2005 singles The Stylistics songs Madness (band) songs V2 Records singles