Such a Shame
A song prompted by The Dice Man: number one in Switzerland, with a bass line played on Webb's lap with a screwdriver.
Talk Talk, from It's My Life (1984)
- Written by
- Mark Hollis
- Released
- 26 March 1984
- Length
- 5:42
- Album
- It's My Life
Such a Shame was written by Hollis and released on 26 March 1984 as the second single from It's My Life. It was inspired by Luke Rhinehart's novel The Dice Man. Asked about it, Hollis replied "A good book, not a lifestyle I'd recommend." Richard Cook of the NME described the song as "faceless regret coaxed from lurex trashcan."
It was a hit in continental Europe in 1984 and 1985, a top-ten single in several countries and number one in Switzerland. In the United States it entered the Billboard Hot 100 and was a top-twenty hit on the dance club chart. It reached forty-nine in Britain. It appeared in a European television commercial for the Peugeot 205. The single was reissued in November 1990 to promote Natural History, and after Hollis's death in 2019 it reached five on the French digital song sales chart. Sandra covered it in 2002 and An Pierlé in 2013.
Covers and versions
- Sandra (2002) The Wheel of Time, Germany 76
- An Pierlé (2013) Strange Days
More songs by Talk Talk
It's My Life, Life's What You Make It, I Don't Believe in You, I Believe in You, Myrrhman, Ascension Day, Talk Talk, Today, Living in Another World
Sources
- Such a Shame, Wikipedia
- Mark Hollis, Talk Talk reluctant pop star who redefined rock, The Guardian (2019-02-26)