THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

411-Diana Ross & the Supremes-I’m Living in Shame.

1969-Number 14 single.

Best Bit-At 2.25. Thankfully not all Pop songs are about boy meets girl, they fall in love, and live happily ever after. Some have much deeper meanings.

‘I’m Living in Shame’ was inspired by plot of the 1959 American drama film ‘Imitation of Life.’ The song was also written as a sequel to the Supremes 1968 Billboard Number 1 single ‘Love Child.’

‘I’m Living in Shame’ tells the story of a woman who was born in to poverty, and being ashamed of her hard working mother since being a child. She grows up and leaves home, and lies about her past in order to move up in to higher society. She marries a man who is well off, and tells him that her mother died in Spain. After giving birth to her first child, she doesn’t tell her mother that she is now a grandmother. One day she receives a telegram saying that her mother has died, and now she feels extremely sad and guilty.

‘I’m Living in Shame’ was written by the team of writers assembled by Motown supremo Berry Gordy to replace the recently departed Holland Dozier Holland (see also best songs 969-823-650-553-411 and 212.) The four writers of this song were known as ‘The Clan’ and were active as a unit between 1967-1969. The consisted of Frank Wilson, (1940-2012) (see also best songs 1001-491 and 97) Pam Sawyer,(see also best songs 519) R. Dean Taylor,(1939-2022) (see also best songs 911) and Deke Richards (1944-2013.) (see also best songs 365 and 137)The Clan were also responsible for writing ‘Love Child.’By 1969 the Supremes line up was now Diana Ross,(see also best songs (900-519-183- and 28) Mary Wilson, (1944-2021) and Cindy Birdsong, but like many of the Supremes (see also best songs 1001-212 and 148) recordings from around that period Wilson, and Birdsong did not perform on record, because Berry Gordy chose to use Motown’s in house female session singers ‘The Andantes’ instead. The songs instrumentation was provided by Motown’s in house group of session musicians ‘The Funk Brothers.’ Here is the list of songs in this countdown that The Andantes,(see best songs 650-414 and 28) and The Funk Brothers (see best songs 948-650-569-414-382-212-148 and 28) can by heard on.

‘I’m Living in Shame’ was taken from ‘Let the Sunshine In,’ the 16th studio Album by Diana Ross & the Supremes, there would be two more studio Albums before Diana Ross would depart for her solo career in 1970. In total the Supremes under various line ups released 29 studio Albums between 1962-1976. There were also 66 singles released, of which 12 became Billboard Number 1 songs.

‘Mom was cooking bread, she wore a dirty raggerty scarf around her head. Always had her stockings low, rolled to her feet, she just didn’t know.’