Ain't That a Shame: History and Key Facts

"Ain't That a Shame" is a song written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. 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 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. 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, John Lennon in 1975, and Cheap Trick in 1978, among others.

Source and attribution

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