Shy Guy

"Shy Guy"
Single by Diana King
from the album Tougher Than Love and Bad Boys soundtrack
Released	7 March 1995 (CD, LP) 14 March 1995 (cassette)
Format	7" single, 12" single, Cassette single, CD maxi-single
Recorded	1995
Genre	Reggae fusion, Dancehall
Length	4:20
Label	Sony
Writer(s)	Diana King Andy Marvel Kingsley Gardner
Producer(s)	Andy Marvel
Diana King singles chronology
"Stir It Up" (1994) "Shy Guy" (1995) "Ain't Nobody" (1995)

"Shy Guy" is a song by Jamaican recording artist and songwriter Diana King, for the movie soundtrack album Bad Boys and her debut studio album Tougher Than Love (1995). The song was written by King herself, with the help of Andy Marvel and Kingsley Gardner, while it was produced by Marvel. The song was released in 1995 as the lead single by Sony Music worldwide. The song received positive reviews from music critics, with many saying it was a definite highlight through the album and some saying it was one of the best reggae fusion songs then. Allmusic had highlighted the song as both highlighted through the soundtrack and her debut album.^[1][2] The song also received charting success, mostly known as a one hit wonder. The song had peaked at number thirteen on the U.S., and also went to number two in the UK. The song had also topped the charts in Finland and Sweden.

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 had debuted at number thirty-five on the Australian Singles Chart, but later peaked at number three there, staying there for three consecutive weeks on the charts. The song later debuted at number twenty-eight on the New Zealand Singles Chart, but after seventeen weeks, it peaked at number three for a sole week. It is currently the 75th Best Selling Single in New Zealand History.^[3] The song had peaked at number thirteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-one on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), shipping over 500,000 copies there.

The song also had success in Europe at the time as well. The song debuted at number six on the Swiss Singles Chart, then peaked at number five for three consecutive weeks there. It debuted at number thirty on the Austrian Singles Chart, and rose to peak at number six for a sole 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, shipping over 125,000 copies there. The song also had two number ones, debuting at number twenty-seven in Sweden, then rose to peak at number one for a sole week, while in Finland, the song was at number one for four non-consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number two in Norway, staying there for seven consecutive weeks. The song had debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart, then peaked at number two, until descending down the way. It was certified Silver in the United Kingdom.

Music videos

Two music videos were made: one in black and white, directed by Marcus Nispel,^[4] for the Tougher Than Love album; the other, directed by Michael Bay,^[5] 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 area, but through the chorus she is seen dancing on a runway looking stage.

Cover versions

In 1998, a cover version of this song as Jeito Sexy became the first hit of Brazilian band Fat Family.^[6]

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 her 2008 Japan-only album Sugar & Spice but was not released as a single.

It was sung by Lyric McFarland in the Blind Auditions for Season 2 of The Voice Australia. It earned her a mentorship from Joel Madden.

It was sung by DTwinz in the Blind Auditions for series 4 of the UK series The Voice UK. They managed to turn 3-chairs and chose Rita Ora as their coach.

In 2016, the Belgian singer Unicq released her own bilingual French / Engliush version under the title "Mercy (Shy Guy)". The single reached number 76 on the SNEP chart, the French official singles chart.^[7]

Track listings

CD Single "Shy Guy" (radio edit) — 3:39 "Shy Guy" (darpe mix) — 3:41 CD maxi "Shy Guy" (radio edit) — 3:39 "Shy Guy" (darpe mix) — 3:41 "Shy Guy" (randB mix) — 3:36 "Shy Guy" (dancehall mix) — 5:00 "Shy Guy" (dancehall dub) — 4:54

7" single "Shy Guy" (radio edit) — 3:39 "Shy Guy" (darpe mix) — 3:41 12" single "Shy Guy" (radio edit) — 3:39 "Shy Guy" (darpe mix) — 3:41 "Shy Guy" (randB mix) — 3:36 "Shy Guy" (dancehall mix) — 5:00 "Shy Guy" (dancehall dub) — 4:54

Charts and sales

Peak positions Chart (1995) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[8] 6 Australia (ARIA)[9] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[11] 2 Canada Dance (RPM) 20 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 39 Eurochart Hot 100 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 1 France (SNEP)[14] 4 Germany (Media Control AG)[15] 6 Ireland (IRMA)[16] 4 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 2 New Zealand (RIANZ)[18] 3 Norway (VG-lista)[19] 2 Spain (Los 40 Principales) 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 5 UK Singles Chart (The Official Charts Company)[22] 2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[23] 13 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[23] 21 U.S. Billboard Dance Music/Maxi Single Sales[23] 20 U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40[23] 8 U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[23] 15

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Australian Singles Chart[24] 25 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[25] 52 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[26] 12 Dutch Top 40[17] 17 French Singles Chart[27] 14 Swiss Singles Chart[28] 23 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[29] 43 Certifications Country Certification Date Sales certified France[30] Silver 9 November 1995 125,000 Germany[31] Gold 1995 250,000 UK[32] Silver 1 July 1995 200,000 U.S.[33] Gold 5 July 1995 500,000

Chart successions

References

1. http://www.allmusic.com/album/bad-boys-r209391
2. http://www.allmusic.com/album/tougher-than-love-r217562
3. Best Of All Time - Singles 12 December 2011.
4. http://www.mtv.com/videos/diana-king/976811/shy-guy.jhtml
5. http://www.mtv.com/videos/diana-king/976809/shy-guy.jhtml
6. CliqueMusic - Fat Family (in Portuguese) Cliquemusic. UOL Retrieved 10 March 2016.
7. LesCharts.com: Unicq - "Mercy (Shy Guy)" page
8. austriancharts.at. Austria Top 40. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
9. australian-charts.com. Australian Charts. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
10. ultratop.be. Belgian Charts. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
11. ultratop.be. Belgian Charts. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
12. Canadian Top Singles peak
13. finnishcharts.com. Finnish Charts. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
14. lescharts.com. lescharts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
15. "Diana King singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
16. Irishcharts.ie Irish chart (Retrieved 4 October 2008)
17. "Single top 100 over 1995" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
18. charts.org.nz. New Zealand RIANZ Charts. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
19. norwegiancharts.com. Norwegian Charts. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
20. swedishcharts.com. swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
21. swisscharts.com. The Official Swiss Charts. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
22. everyHit.com. UK Top 40 Hit Database. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
23. allmusic.com Billboard charts Retrieved 4 October 2008.
24. 1995 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved 4 October 2008)
25. 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved 4 October 2008)
26. 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved 4 October 2008)
27. 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved 30 January 2009)
28. 1995 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 4 October 2008)
29. "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
30. French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved 4 October 2008)
31. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Shy+Guy')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
32. UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved 3 October 2008)
33. U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved 4 October 2008)

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics