Recorded 1995 Label Sony | Length 4:20 | |
Released 7 March 1995 (CD, LP)
14 March 1995 (cassette) Format 7" single, 12" single, Cassette single, CD maxi-single Genre Reggae fusion, Dancehall | ||
"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. The song also received charting success, mostly known as a one hit wonder. The song had peaked at number thirteen on the United States and also went to number two in the UK. The song had also topped the charts in Finland and Sweden.
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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. 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, for the Tougher Than Love album; the other, directed by Michael Bay, 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.
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.