The Newspaper Article That Led to “It’s A Shame About Ray” by The Lemonheads

Like many indie bands, The Lemonheads emerged from obscurity thanks to college radio airplay. The Boston trio formed in 1986 but wouldn’t find mainstream success until they released their 1992 album, It’s A Shame About Ray.

Led by Evan Dando, The Lemonheads’ slacker grunge features bubblegum hooks and jangly guitars. The title track to their breakthrough album was co-written by Dando and Australian musician Tom Morgan. It catapulted The Lemonheads, and Dando in particular, into stardom. And it all began with a troubled Australian kid who was infamous for his bad behavior—not unlike Dando.

Who’s Ray?

While living in Sydney, Dando came across a newspaper article about a high school dropout named Ray. In the article, Dando read a sentence that became the title of The Lemonheads’ fifth studio album: “It’s a shame about Ray.”

Ray’s brief fame from the newspaper article struck Dando. In the song, he describes a kid who vanishes beneath a neglected gravestone. But in Dando’s reading, perhaps Ray was already disappearing even while he was alive.  

It’s a shame about Ray,
In the stone, under the dust, his name is still engraved.
Some things need to go away,
It’s a shame about Ray.

“Mrs. Robinson” and an Unlikely Hit

The Lemonheads are best known for their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”. It didn’t initially appear on It’s A Shame About Ray. But after becoming a surprise hit, the album was reissued with the song added to the track list.

“It’s A Shame About Ray” also became a modern rock hit. It documents an abandoned teen, and Dando may have seen a part of himself in the titular character. The singer openly struggled with addiction and often found himself in the headlines. Though unlike Ray, Dando survived.

If I make it through today,
I’ll know tomorrow not to leave my feelings out on display.
I’ll put the cobwebs back in place,
I’ve never been too good with names, but I remember faces.

Evan Dando was once written off for his pinup-boy looks and epic partying. But his songs have aged well, and if you’ve written him or his band off, well, that’s a shame, too.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc