Do You Believe in Shame?

"Do You Believe In Shame?" is the nineteenth single by Duran Duran. Released 10 April, 1989 it was the third and final single from the Big Thing album. Lyricist Simon Le Bon has said it one of his favourite songs that he has written, and he was severely disappointed by its failure to chart well.

About the song
The song was dedicated to three of the band's fallen friends: record producer Alex Sadkin, artist Andy Warhol, and Simon Le Bon's childhood friend David Miles. Le Bon has since said that "Shame" is the first part of a trilogy of songs written as a tribute to Miles, the other songs being "Ordinary World" and "Out Of My Mind".

There was a successful legal challenge over the close resemblance of the melody of "Do You Believe In Shame?" to that of the Dale Hawkins classic "Suzie Q" (more famously covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Rolling Stones). The writing credits were changed accordingly. The members of Duran Duran have always denied that they intentionally copied any other works, and that the similarity of the two songs was based on what they described as a "basic blues progression".

Single release
"Do You Believe In Shame?" was released to coincide with the band's Electric Theatre Tour which kicked off in Newcastle on 15 April 1989. As such, the 7" triple pack issued by EMI in the UK featured tour dates in the artwork.

The song's first week of release was complicated by the fact that the original CD single was discovered to have an overlong playing time that disqualified it from some of the sales charts. The CD single was recalled two days after its release, and reissued a few days later, but for several days during the song's initial promotion, the CD was unavailable in shops.

Music video
The lyrical video for "Do You Believe In Shame?" was filmed by Chinese director Chen Kaige, who was later to direct acclaimed films such as Farewell My Concubine. It was set in New York City, and shows the three members of Duran Duran in separate storylines. Nick Rhodes appears to be mourning a friend; he attends an auction and bids on a snow globe, which he later discards along with other mementos. John Taylor appears to be searching for faith and connection; he attends a Catholic church, and then a birthday party for a little girl. While singing, Simon Le Bon seems to be watching the world around him, observing people on the streets, including a little girl who drops her crutches in order to hop up a flight of stairs and a blind man who confidently crosses the street in front of oncoming traffic.

The Roosevelt Island Tramway is featured halfway through the video.

John Taylor appears dreadfully pale and thin in this video (and other promotional appearances at the time), and fans speculated that he was struggling with his long-term cocaine addiction. The solemn final scene of the video, where Rhodes, Taylor and Le Bon gaze silently at each other across a room filled with a collapsing pattern of dominoes, reflects an exchange of love and an acceptance of loss, which seemed ominous to fans who were concerned about Taylor's health.

B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes
EMI really went to town on the amount of material for this release. In lieu of a remix of the single track, they issued a wealth of bonus material across a number of formats - triple 7" pack, 3" CD and limited edition numbered 10" single.

"The Krush Brothers LSD edit", a previously promo-only edit of "Lake Shore Driving" and "The Edge Of America" finally had its commercial debut, as did the original Daniel Abraham mix of "Drug". John Taylor believed in this mix of "Drug" so vehemently, he's since said he almost quit the band over the mishandling of the track.

Other gems include an edit of Big Thing album track "Palomino" and a live version of "Notorious" recorded in Rotterdam which was previously from the promo-only 12" EP Duran Goes Dutch.

Also included in the pack were two spoken word pieces by Simon LeBon - "God (London)" and "This Is How A Road Gets Made". They featured during the tour as intros to the band coming on stage. "God (London)" was released in two versions, censored and non-censored.

Chart positions
Despite the amazing collectibility of this release, it could reach no higher in the charts than #30 in the UK and #72 in the US. It also reached #14 in Italy.

7" Triple Pack (UK)
EMI DDA 12


 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:23)
 * 2) "The Krush Brothers LSD edit" (3:30)
 * Simon LeBon picture sleeve

EMI DDB 12
 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:23)
 * 2) "God (London)" (1:36)
 * 3) "This Is How A Road Gets Made" (0:47)
 * 4) "Palomino [Edit]" (3:30)
 * Nick Rhodes picture sleeve

EMI DDC 12


 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:23)
 * 2) "Drug [Original Version]" (4:20)
 * John Taylor picture sleeve

10": EMI 10 DD 12 (UK)

 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:23)
 * 2) "The Krush Brothers LSD edit" (3:30)
 * 3) "Notorious (live) [from the Ahoy, Rotterdam 1987]" (4:06)
 * Initial copies are numbered

12": Capitol V-15456 (US)

 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:23)
 * 2) "The Krush Brothers LSD edit" (3:30)
 * 3) "Notorious (live) [from the Ahoy, Rotterdam 1987]" (4:06)
 * 4) "Drug [Original Version]" (4:20)

CD3: EMI CD DD 12 (UK)

 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:25)
 * 2) "The Krush Brothers LSD edit" (3:32)
 * 3) "Notorious (live) [from the Ahoy, Rotterdam 1987]" (4:16)
 * 4) "God (London)" (1:40)
 * 5) "This Is How A Road Gets Made" (0:49)
 * released on 3" CD like the other two Big Thing singles
 * contains the censored version of "God (London)", bleeping the profanity
 * the same tracks also appeared on a US 3" CD C3-44337-2 (includes the uncensored "God (London)")

CD: part of "Singles Box Set 1986-1995" boxset

 * 1) "Do You Believe In Shame?" (4:25)
 * 2) "The Krush Brothers LSD edit" (3:32)
 * 3) "God (London)" (1:40)
 * 4) "This Is How A Road Gets Made" (0:49)
 * 5) "Palomino [Edit]" (3:30)
 * 6) "Drug [Original Version]" (4:20)
 * 7) "Notorious (live) [from the Ahoy, Rotterdam 1987]" (4:16)

Other appearances
Apart from the single, "Do You Believe in Shame?" has also appeared on:

Albums:
 * Big Thing (1988)
 * Tequila Sunrise OST (1988)
 * Singles Box Set 1986-1995 (2004)

Perhaps due to its lacklustre charting, "Do You Believe In Shame?" was one of a handful of singles left off the 1989 Decade and 1998 Greatest compilations.

Personnel
Duran Duran are:
 * Simon Le Bon - vocals
 * Nick Rhodes - keyboards
 * John Taylor - bass guitar

With:
 * Warren Cuccurullo - guitar
 * Steve Ferrone - drums
 * Daniel Abraham - primitive guitar

Also credited:
 * Jonathan Elias - co-producer
 * Daniel Abraham - co-producer and mixer