It's a Shame (The Spinners song)

"It's a Shame" is a song co-written by Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett and produced by Wonder as a single for the Spinners on Motown's V.I.P. Records label. The single became the Detroit-reared group's biggest single on the Motown Records company since they had signed with the company in 1964 and also their biggest hit in a decade.

"It's a Shame"
Single by the Spinners
from the album 2nd Time Around
B-side	"Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music" (1st ver.)
Released	June 11, 1970
Recorded	1969–1970
Studio	Golden World (Studio B) (Detroit, Michigan)
Genre	Soul
Length	3:12
Label	V.I.P. V-25057
Songwriter(s)	Stevie Wonder Lee Garrett Syreeta Wright
Producer(s)	Stevie Wonder
The Spinners singles chronology
"Message from a Black Man" (1970) "It's a Shame" (1970) "We'll Have It Made" (1971)
Official audio
"It's a Shame" on YouTube

The lineup of the Spinners include original members Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson and Bobby Smith and lead vocalist G. C. Cameron. The quintet recorded the single in 1970.

The song, which is about a man who complains about a lover's "messin' around" on him, became a huge hit for the group peaking at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 17, 1970 and number three on the R&B singles chart,^[1] making it one of their biggest hits to date. The song was the first song Wonder produced for another act by himself.

Beverly Dewitt Yancey, the father of hip-hop producer J Dilla, claims to have ghostwritten the song and sold it to Motown, but the song’s attributed writers dispute this.^[2]

Personnel

• Lead vocals by G. C. Cameron
• Background vocals by Bobby Smith, Pervis Jackson, Henry Fambrough and Billy Henderson
• Instrumentation by Stevie Wonder and the Funk Brothers
• Arranged by Paul Riser

Chart performance

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "It's a Shame" Chart (1970) Peak position Canada RPM 36 UK Singles Chart[3] 20 US Billboard Hot 100[4] 14 US Cashbox Top 100 15 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[5] 4

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "It's a Shame" Chart (1970) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[6] 76 US R&B (Billboard)[7] 13 US Cashbox Top 100[8] 87

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.