Shameless (Billy Joel song)
"Shameless" is a song written by American singer Billy Joel and recorded on his 1989 album Storm Front. His version peaked at No. 40 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. Two years later, the song was covered by country music artist Garth Brooks on his third studio album, 1991's Ropin' the Wind. Brooks' rendering of the song was his seventh No. 1 hit on the Billboard country charts in late 1991. It also reached No. 71 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Shameless"
"Stormfront (live)"
January 1991
1988–89
4:26
Billy Joel
"The Dance"/"Rodeo"/"The Thunder Rolls"
October 21, 1991
4:20
In 1993, on stage in Boston, Joel introduced the song by saying, "I want[ed] to write a song, like a Jimi Hendrix song, you know. Back in the sixties, he was one of my idols, Jimi Hendrix."[1] Joel also mentioned the Hendrix inspiration at a talk in Nuremberg, in 1995.[2]
Background and production[edit]
Garth Brooks version[edit]
The song features harmony vocals by Trisha Yearwood, Brooks's later wife. Brooks provided the following background information on the song in the booklet liner notes from his compilation, The Hits:
Brooks performed "Shameless" with Joel during Joel's Last Play at Shea concerts in 2008, and after Brooks performed it in his Central Park concert in 1997, Joel came out on stage and they sang a duet of "New York State of Mind." In 2011, Joel and Brooks performed the song together again when Brooks was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame by Joel.
Critical reception[edit]
Garth Brooks version[edit]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described Brooks' rendering of the song favorably in his review of the album, saying that Brooks "made his '70s rock influences more explicit" by "transform[ing] the song from a rock power ballad into contemporary country."[4]