It's a Shame About Ray (song)

"It's a Shame About Ray" is a 1992 song by alternative rock band the Lemonheads for their album of the same name. Written by frontman Evan Dando and his friend and occasional songwriting partner Tom Morgan, the song was inspired by a headline in an Australian newspaper.

"It's a Shame About Ray"
Single by The Lemonheads
from the album It's a Shame About Ray
Released	October 1992
Recorded	1991–1992
Genre	Alternative rock
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Evan Dando, Tom Morgan
Producer(s)	The Robb Brothers
The Lemonheads singles chronology
"Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" (1991) "It's a Shame About Ray" (1992) "Mrs. Robinson" (1992)

The song was released as a single in October 1992, charting in the UK. It has since received positive reception from critics.

Background

"It's a Shame About Ray" was written by Evan Dando with friend Tom Morgan while in Australia. The song title came from when they saw the line, "It's a shame about Ray," in a Sydney newspaper article about TV presenter Ray Martin losing his hosting job. Dando recalled:

We came across a newspaper article that said, "It's a Shame About Ray," and we just liked that phrase. From there, I had the music and I just wrote it really quickly—about half an hour or an hour—and then we had it. We brought it down to our friend's record store and played it for him, and we were all excited about it. That was the first song we had written together.[1]

Dando said of the song's ambiguous lyrics, "It's spooky. It's about a disappearing person. It's a very open-ended, grey sort of song. I think it's one of those things, like The Trouble with Harry. Like a mysterious sort of song."[1]

Release

"It's a Shame About Ray" was released on the album of the same name in 1992. The song was released as the debut single from the album, with "Shakey Ground" on the B-side. The single became a major chart hit, reaching number 31 in the UK[2] and number 68 in Australia.[3][4] The song also reached number five on the US modern rock charts.[5]

A music video for the song was filmed, featuring Johnny Depp in a starring role.[6] The song has also appeared on the compilation The Best of The Lemonheads: The Atlantic Years.

Reception

"It's a Shame About Ray" has generally seen positive reception from critics. Len Comaratta of Consequence of Sound wrote that the song was "among the best releases of the decade (if not beyond),"[7] while Michael Gallucci of Diffuser.fm praised the song as "a ringing '90s power-pop tune laced with Dando's sleepy-stoner delivery and a sprinkling of indie-rock spice."[8] Bill Janovitz of AllMusic described the track as "a wistful, melodic singalong song that has an underlying element of melancholy [that] is delightfully vague in its message" and praised the song's melody and production.[9]

References

1. Prato, Greg. "Evan Dando of the Lemonheads : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
2. "LEMONHEADS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
3. Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
   • Top 50 peaks: "Australian positions". australiancharts.com. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
   • Top 100 peaks between January 1990 and December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
4. "The Lemonheads Australian position" (PDF). pandora.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
5. "Billboard single positions". billboard.com. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
6. Deusner, Stephen M. "The Lemonheads: It's a Shame About Ray [Collector's Edition]". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
7. Comaratta, Len (6 July 2013). "Dusting 'Em Off: The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
8. Gallucci, Michael. "21 Years Ago: The Lemonheads' 'It's a Shame About Ray' Album Released". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
9. Janovitz, Bill. "It's a Shame About Ray - The Lemonheads | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 September 2020.