Shy Guy

This article is about the song by Diana King. For the Mario series characters, see Shy Guy (Mario). For the song by Tinashe, see 333 (Tinashe album).

"Shy Guy"
Artwork for European release
Single by Diana King
from the album Tougher Than Love and Bad Boys: Music from the Motion Picture
Released14 March 1995 (1995-03-14)
Genre
Length
  • 4:20 (album version)
  • 3:40 (single version)
LabelWork
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Andy Marvel
Diana King singles chronology
"Stir It Up"
(1994) 		"Shy Guy"
(1995) 		"Ain't Nobody"
(1995)
Music video
"Shy Guy" on YouTube

"Shy Guy" is a song by Jamaican recording artist and songwriter Diana King for the movie soundtrack album Bad Boys. It also appeared on King's debut studio album, Tougher Than Love (1995). The song was written by King, Kingsley Gardner and Andy Marvel, who produced the song as well. It was released by Sony Music worldwide in March 1995 as the lead single from Tougher Than Love. The song contains a sample from "School Boy Crush" by Average White Band.

The song received positive reviews from music critics, with many saying it was a definite highlight of the album and calling it one of the best reggae fusion songs of its time. AllMusic said the song was a highlight of both the soundtrack and King's debut album.[1][2] "Shy Guy" also received chart success. The song peaked at number thirteen in the United States and went to number two in the United Kingdom. It topped the charts in Finland, Sweden and Zimbabwe and became a top-five hit in several other countries, including Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway. Two music videos were produced for the song, directed by Marcus Nispel and Michael Bay.

Critical reception

Devon Jackson from Entertainment Weekly named "Shy Guy" a standout on the Bad Boys soundtrack, complimenting it as "a seamless merging of Anita Baker and dancehall reggae."[3] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report stated that King's artistry "will be discovered by the masses who hear this song via the airwaves and the soundtrack of the new Will Smith and Martin Lawrence film, Bad Boys. Hot tune, hot movie and a lot of airplay—that'll work!"[4] Bianca Gracie from Idolator ranked it one of the 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995, noting that "the breezy mid-tempo dance tune features sassy lyrics that are peppered with patois inflections that urge women everywhere to realize they deserve more than what these f*ck boys are offering."[5] A reviewer from Music & Media said that "Miss [Mx] King provides prospect for the no-hopers. Move over fly guys, Diana wants a shy guy. Within the context of a mix of ragga and swingbeat, she [they] joyfully sing[s] and rap[s] about the timid type."[6] Stephen Meade from The Network Forty wrote that "reggae flava with ultra-smooth vocals lead us to a hook we can't forget."[7] Rune Slyngstad from Norwegian Nordlandsposten described the song as "pulsating and catchy".[8]

Chart performance

"Shy Guy" was released as the lead single on both King's album and the soundtrack of Bad Boys. The song received charting success worldwide. The song debuted at number thirty-five on the Australian Singles Chart and later peaked at number three, staying at the position for three consecutive weeks. The song later debuted at number twenty-eight on the New Zealand Singles Chart. After seventeen weeks, it peaked at number three for one week. The song peaked at number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over 500,000 copies in the US.

The song also had success in Europe. It debuted at number six on the Swiss Singles Chart, then peaked at number five for three consecutive weeks. It debuted at number thirty on the Austrian Singles Chart, and rose to number six for one week. The song later debuted at number twenty-seven on the French Singles Chart and rose to peak at number four, staying there for two consecutive weeks. The song was certified silver in France, selling over 125,000 copies there. The song reached number one on two charts. It debuted at number twenty-seven in Sweden before rising to number one for one week, while in Finland, the song remained at number one for four non-consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number two in Norway, staying there for seven consecutive weeks. The song debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart, then peaked at number two. It was certified Silver in the United Kingdom.

Music videos

Two music videos were made: one in black and white, directed by German film director and producer Marcus Nispel,[9] for the Tougher Than Love album; the other, directed by American film director and producer Michael Bay,[10] for the Bad Boys soundtrack with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence appearing in it. That video features King dancing and singing to the song in a very cold-looking environment, but through the chorus they are seen dancing on a runway looking stage.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[43] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[59] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[60] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[61] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[64] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Europe 14 March 1995 CD Work [11]
Japan 21 July 1995 Mini-CD Sony [65]

Covers and samples

In 1998, a cover version of the song called Jeito Sexy became the first hit of Brazilian band Fat Family.[66]

Aswad and former Eternal singer Easther Bennett recorded a version of the song in 2002.[67]

In December 2008, Mýa recorded a cover version of "Shy Guy" with the words in English rather than in the patois that King's version was recorded in. This was included on Mýa's 2008 Japan-only album Sugar & Spice but was not released as a single.

In 2016, Belgian singer Unicq released her own bilingual French / English version under the title "Mercy (Shy Guy)". The single reached number 76 on the SNEP chart, the French official singles chart.[68]

The chorus of the 2016 song "Don't Hurt Me" by DJ Mustard and Nicki Minaj contains an interpolation of "Shy Guy".

References

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  4. ^ Sholin, Dave (10 March 1995). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2045. p. 62. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  5. ^ Gracie, Bianca (9 December 2015). "The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1995 (Featuring New Interviews With Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Kylie Minogue, Monica, Ace Of Base & More!)". Idolator. Retrieved 6 April 2020.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 20. 20 May 1995. p. 13. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  7. ^ Meade, Stephen (24 February 1995). "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 26. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
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