He's So Shy
| "He's So Shy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Pointer Sisters | ||||
| from the album Special Things | ||||
| B-side | Movin' On | |||
| Released | 21 May 1980 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | R&B, synthpop, post-disco, funk | |||
| Length | 3:38 | |||
| Label | Planet | |||
| Writer(s) | Tom Snow, Cynthia Weil | |||
| Producer(s) | Richard Perry | |||
| Certification | Gold | |||
| The Pointer Sisters singles chronology | ||||
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"He's So Shy" is a song written by Tom Snow and lyricist Cynthia Weil which in 1980 became a top ten pop hit for The Pointer Sisters.
Background
Although the song's title recalls the girl group classic "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons, "He's So Shy" was in fact conceived by its composers as a song for Leo Sayer to record as "She's So Shy". The song was pitched to Richard Perry who'd produced Sayer's biggest hits; Perry was no longer working with Sayer but saw the song's potential as a track for the Pointer Sisters, who'd inaugurated Perry's own Planet label with the 1978 #2 hit "Fire". According to Ruth Pointer, Perry's assigning the lead vocal on "He's So Shy" to June Pointer was a disappointment to Anita Pointer who Ruth says "wanted that song badly."[1]
Impact
Released in May 1980 as the lead single from the album Special Things, "He's So Shy"'s fusion of classic girl group pop, new-wave styled dance music and R&B proved the right combination to effect a Top Ten comeback for the Pointer Sisters, the track reaching a Billboard Hot 100 peak of #3 (R&B #10) that October. "He's So Shy" set the prototype of the trademark Pointer Sisters sound which would afford the group its career peak in 1983-84 with the Break Out album.
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 11 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 14 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 14 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| US Billboard R&B Singles | 10 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 26 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 3 |
| Preceded by "Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder |
New Zealand RIANZ Top 40 number one single November 28, 1980 - December 12, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Shaddap You Face" by Joe Dolce |
The Love Boat
The Pointer Sisters performed "He's So Shy" on The Love Boat episode broadcast 7 February 1981. The siblings portrayed members of the ship's housekeeping staff; when a record executive boards the ship, Isaac the bartender (Ted Lange) sees it as his chance to be discovered as a singer and recruits the Pointers to be his background singers for a performance of the song. His plan backfires when the record exec praises the background singers and signs them to a record contract.
Credits
- Lead vocals by June Pointer
- Background vocals by June Pointer, Ruth Pointer and Anita Pointer
- Composed by Tom Snow and Cynthia Weil
- Produced by Richard Perry
References
External links
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