Produced by Trevor Horn, it was released as the lead single from the album on 27 August 2010 in most countries worldwide and on 1 October in the United Kingdom.

"Shame" received generally favourable reviews from music critics who praised the song's sound, melody, and lyrical skills of the performers.

In the singers' native United Kingdom, it peaked at number two on the singles chart and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments of over 200,000 copies in the country.

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Vaughan Arnell in Los Angeles and premiered on 26 August 2010.

To further promote "Shame", the pair performed it on multiple occasions including on the Help for Heroes concert and Strictly Come Dancing.

In February 2010, the single was composed and written in an hour, in an empty recording studio located in Los Angeles; it was inspired by their past troubled relationship.

It was made available for digital download via the iTunes Store on 27 August 2010 in some countries, including Australia,[5] Denmark,[6] Germany[7] and Italy.

[12] Michael Cragg of The Guardian noted that the single features country music influences and an "electro-tinged" chorus, reminiscent of the works of British producer Stuart Price.

[13] Digital Spy's Mayer Nissim noted that "Shame" contains an acoustic guitar part which is similar to the one of "Blackbird", a 1968 song written by Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles.

[14] The lyrical content of "Shame" revolves around "the breakdown in the relationship" that Williams and Barlow experienced after the former left Take That.

[15] Williams starts the song with the line, "Well there's three versions of this story / Mine and yours and then the truth", whilst Barlow responds channelling his original attempt for reconciliation, "I read your mind and tried to call / My tears could fill the Albert Hall.

"[14] Sean Egan of BBC Music stated that the single, "is as good as it sounds on paper, Barlow's sumptuous melodic skills allied to a lyrical prowess we never suspected Williams had in the Take That days as the two engage in a sweetly regretful dialogue with each other about their past feuds.

"[17] A reviewer for CBBC described it as a "really sweet" and "meaningful" song that has "cheeky" sense of humour and words that can make the listener happy.

[11] USA Today's Jerry Shriver noted that "Shame" confirms Williams as a "former boy wonder" who "is in no danger of losing his mojo".

[18] Katie Boucher of The National called the single "a bouncy reconciliatory duet" with a sound more similar to Take That, rather than Williams's solo material.

"[20] MusicOMH's Nic Oliver called the collaboration "wooden musically", but noted that Williams succeeds to "turn in wry, self-deprecating lyric that bodes well for his mature years".

Birmingham Mail's Luke Beardsworth described it as a "lighthearted parody" of the film and according to him the visual depicts Williams and Barlow as young cowboys who are in love secretly.

[48] On 18 November the pair performed the song on the German reality TV programme, Popstars: Girls forever.