What a Crying Shame

What a Crying Shame
What a Crying Shame
Studio album by The Mavericks
Released	February 1, 1994
Recorded	April–August 1993
Genres	Americana; neotraditional country; Tex-Mex; western swing;
Length	39:44
Label	MCA Nashville
Producer	Don Cook
The Mavericks chronology
Singles from O What a Crying Shame
	"What a Crying Shame"; Released: November 13, 1993; "O What a Thrill"; Released: May 14, 1994; "There Goes My Heart"; Released: October 1, 1994; "I Should Have Been True"; Released: January 28, 1995; "All That Heaven Will Allow"; Released: April 25, 1995;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	^[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+^[4]
Los Angeles Times	^[5]
Music Week	^[6]
Rolling Stone	^[7]
Spin	^[8]

What a Crying Shame is the third studio album by American country music band The Mavericks. The album was released on February 1, 1994, by MCA Nashville. It includes the singles "What a Crying Shame", "O What a Thrill", "There Goes My Heart", "I Should Have Been True" and "All That Heaven Will Allow". In order, these singles reached numbers 25, 18, 20, 30 and 49 on the Billboard Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) chart. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and 2× Platinum by the CRIA.

"All That Heaven Will Allow" was previously recorded by Bruce Springsteen on his album Tunnel of Love as was "O What a Thrill" by James House on his self-titled debut album.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"There Goes My Heart"	Kostas, Raul Malo	3:20
2.	"What a Crying Shame"	Kostas, Malo	3:50
3.	"Pretend"	Kostas, Malo	3:37
4.	"I Should Have Been True"	Stan Lynch, Malo	5:14
5.	"The Things You Said to Me"	Al Anderson, Malo	3:31
6.	"Just a Memory"	Kostas, Malo	2:24
7.	"All That Heaven Will Allow"	Bruce Springsteen	3:34
8.	"Neon Blue"	Pete Anderson, Kostas	3:56
9.	"O What a Thrill"	Jesse Winchester	3:13
10.	"Ain't Found Nobody"	Harlan Howard, Kostas	3:18
11.	"The Losing Side of Me"	Malo	3:51

Production

Produced by Don Cook
Mixed and engineered by Mike Bradley

Personnel

The Mavericks

Paul Deakin – drums
Raul Malo – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Robert Reynolds – bass guitar
Nick Kane – (electric guitar) appears on the album cover, and is credited as a member of the band, but joined the group after the album was recorded and does not play on this record.

Additional musicians

Bruce Bouton – steel guitar
Dennis Burnside – string arrangements
Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
Rob Hajacos – fiddle
James House – backing vocals on "O What a Thrill"
John Barlow Jarvis – piano, organ
Stan Lynch – cabasa, claves, congas, tambourine, triangle
Brent Mason – electric guitar
John Wesley Ryles – backing vocals
Joy Lynn White – backing vocals on "Just a Memory"
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Glenn Worf – bass guitar, double bass
Trisha Yearwood – backing vocals on "Neon Blue"
Nashville String Machine – strings

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (RPM)	45
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)	4
US Billboard 200^[9]	54
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[10]	6
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[11]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[12]	29
Chart (1995)	Position
US Billboard 200^[13]	155
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[14]	22

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[15]	2× Platinum	200,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[16]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

↑ Mark Deming. "What a Crying Shame Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
↑ Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). "The Mavericks: What a Crying Shame". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.
↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
↑ Nash, Alanna (February 4, 1994). "What a Crying Shame". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
↑ Lewis, Randy (February 13, 1994). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
↑ Ian Nicolson (September 10, 1994). "Market Preview: Pick of the Week: The Mavericks: "What a Crying Shame" (MCA MCD 10961)" (PDF). Music Week. Gwent: Pensord Press Ltd. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.
↑ Evans, Paul. "The Mavericks: What a Crying Shame". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
↑ Corcoran, Michael (March 1994). "The Mavericks: What a Crying Shame". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. p. 78.
↑ "The Mavericks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "The Mavericks Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "The Mavericks Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
↑ "Canadian album certifications – The Mavericks – What a Crying Shame". Music Canada. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
↑ "American album certifications – The Mavericks – What a Crying Shame". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 30, 2026.

[1] Mark Deming. "What a Crying Shame Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 25, 2016.

[2] Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). "The Mavericks: What a Crying Shame". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.

[3] Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.

[4] Nash, Alanna (February 4, 1994). "What a Crying Shame". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2018.

[5] Lewis, Randy (February 13, 1994). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

[mw_rev-6] Ian Nicolson (September 10, 1994). "Market Preview: Pick of the Week: The Mavericks: "What a Crying Shame" (MCA MCD 10961)" (PDF). Music Week. Gwent: Pensord Press Ltd. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.

[7] Evans, Paul. "The Mavericks: What a Crying Shame". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

[8] Corcoran, Michael (March 1994). "The Mavericks: What a Crying Shame". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. p. 78.

[ac_Billboard200_The_Mavericks-9] "The Mavericks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[ac_BillboardCountry_The_Mavericks-10] "The Mavericks Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[ac_BillboardHeatseekers_The_Mavericks-11] "The Mavericks Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[12] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[13] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[14] "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[CanadaThe_MavericksWhat_a_Crying_ShamealbumCertRef-15] "Canadian album certifications – The Mavericks – What a Crying Shame". Music Canada. Retrieved April 30, 2026.

[United_StatesThe_MavericksWhat_a_Crying_ShamealbumCertRef-16] "American album certifications – The Mavericks – What a Crying Shame". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 30, 2026.

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v t e The Mavericks
David Lee Holt Raul Malo Eddie Perez
Studio albums	The Mavericks From Hell to Paradise What a Crying Shame Music for All Occasions Trampoline The Mavericks In Time Mono Brand New Day
Compilation albums	Super Colossal Smash Hits of the 90's: The Best of The Mavericks
Notable singles	"Hey, Good Lookin'" "What a Crying Shame" "O What a Thrill" "There Goes My Heart" "Here Comes the Rain" "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" "Dance the Night Away" "Here Comes My Baby" "The Air That I Breathe"
Related articles	Discography Michael Guerra Hanna–McEuen