"Too Shy" is a song written and recorded by the British band

Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo ( ) were an English Pop music, pop band. They are best known for their 1983 hit single "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 in numerous other countries. History Beginnings (1978–1982) Formed ...

, released in January 1983. The first single from their debut album ''

White Feathers ''White Feathers'' is the debut studio album by the English new wave band Kajagoogoo, released on 18 April 1983 by EMI Records. The album contains their most successful single, "Too Shy", a UK No. 1 hit in February 1983, as well as two other UK ...

'', the song was an immediate hit and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It was also very successful in other European countries and Japan, spending five weeks at number one in Germany, also reaching number one in Belgium and Ireland, as well as reaching number two in France and Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. In the UK, it became the 13th best-selling single of 1983. Assisted by heavy rotation on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, the song later became a success in the United States, peaking at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Too Shy" is Kajagoogoo's only significant hit in the US, where the band is widely regarded as a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with ...

. In the UK, Kajagoogoo had further hits, including two more top 10 singles: "

Ooh to Be Ah "Ooh to Be Ah" is a song by English band Kajagoogoo, released in 1983 as the second single from their debut album ''White Feathers'', and was produced by Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes and producer Colin Thurston. It was the band's second bi ...

" and "

Big Apple "The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sportswriter for the '' New York Morning Telegraph''. Its popularity since the 1970s is due in part to a promotional campaign by t ...

", both in 1983.

Production

"Too Shy" was written by Kajagoogoo and produced by

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

keyboardist

Nick Rhodes Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates; 8 June 1962) is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member and the keyboardist of the band Duran Duran. He has also been the only constant member of the group since their 1978 ...

and

Colin Thurston Colin Thurston (b. 1947 – 15 January 2007) was an English recording engineer and record producer, known for his work with David Bowie, Duran Duran and The Human League. Early life Born in Singapore in 1947, Thurston was a guitarist in se ...

, the latter of whom had produced Duran Duran's first two albums. In 2006, "Too Shy" was ranked number 27 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's ''100 Greatest Songs of the 80's'' and number 9 on VH1's ''100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s''.

Music video

The music video directed by Simon Milne, cast model Carolyn Espley (later wife of

Dennis Miller Dennis Michael Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American political commentator, stand-up comedian, talk show host, writer, actor and former sportscaster. Miller was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' fro ...

) as a waitress cleaning up a nightclub at the end of the night. As the band performs the song on the club stage, she has visions of dancers from different eras populating the dance floo

Chart performance

The song was an immediate hit, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It spent five weeks at number one in Germany, and reaching number two in Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. The song was also a top 10 hit in the United States during the summer of 1983. The 12" maxi single's B-side, "Take Another View", a non-album track, often performed live, was included on the 2004 re-issue of ''White Feathers'', which contained several bonus tracks, including the instrumental version of "Too Shy", originally featured on the B-sides of both the 7" and 12" singles.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Appearances

The extended version of the song, titled "Midnight Mix", can be heard in the Rockstar Games, Rockstar video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'', played on the in-game radio station Wave 103. It also appears as a collectable cassette tape in '' Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain''. A

Simlish Simlish is a constructed language devised by game designer Will Wright for the '' Sims'' game series developed by Electronic Arts. During the development of '' SimCopter'' (1996), Wright sought to avoid real-world languages, believing that pla ...

version of the song is also featured in ''

The Sims 2 ''The Sims 2'' is a 2004 social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major title in ''The Sims'' series, and is the sequel to ''The Sims''. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on ...

'' expansion pack, '' The Sims 2: Open for Business''. The song also features in the ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...

'' interactive film '' Bandersnatch'' on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. It can also be heard in the 1998 film ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells th ...

'' during the engagement party scene.

References

{{Authority control 1983 songs 1983 debut singles 1992 singles EMI America Records singles EMI Records singles Bellaphon Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Kajagoogoo songs Number-one singles in Germany Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles Song recordings produced by Colin Thurston UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles