Kajagoogoo’s “Too Shy” Lyrics Meaning
“Too Shy” came to us via an era in music industry history where titles tended to be more revealing in terms of what the lyrics are actually about. And accordingly in this case, what the vocalist is contending with is in fact a romantic interest, i.e. the addressee, whom he considers to be “too shy” for her own good.
Or let’s say that more to the point, she is overly bashful for his liking, i.e. appearing a bit apprehensive in terms of truly wanting to go there with the vocalist at the time.
That said, even though it may be easily ascertainable to determine what this song is about based on the title/chorus, the verses themselves are more challenging to decipher. Well in the first verse, it does seem as if the vocalist is trying to get the addressee to open up – coming off a bit, shall we say overly aggressive in the process.
But the second verse is a bit more out there. However, all things considered, Limahl may, in that case, be talking about having resorted to drugs in the name of making the apple of his eye more malleable. But still, it seems as if she’s proving to be a difficult nut for him to crack.
And at the end of the day yes, it may be determined by some analysts that the words of this piece come off as being a bit rapey. But this is our first time researching Kajagoogoo, and as such we don’t make such an assertion without being more familiar with their artistry in general. But either way, even if the lyrics themselves aren’t overtly off-putting, there is this underlying tone of the vocalist refusing to no for an answer though, as implied earlier, in an artistic kind of way.
When was “Too Shy” released?
“Too Shy” is a song released as the first single from the album, “White Feathers” by the band, Kajagoogoo. The song was released in January of 1983.
This song was very successful in Europe. Upon its release, it quickly gained popularity in the UK, remaining at No.1 for two weeks on the UK Singles Chart. It occupied the number 1 position in Germany for five weeks.
The story was quite different in the US as it took a lot of back to back play on MTV to achieve the desired attention of American music lovers. It eventually gained popularity and peaked at No.5 in the US. “Too Shy” will become the band’s only song that achieved success in the US.
The song made it to top-10 in the following countries:
- Switzerland (2)
- Sweden (4)
- New Zealand (2)
- Japan (1)
- Ireland (1)
- France (2)
- Belgium (1)
- Austria (4)
- Australia (6)
Credits for “Too Shy”
The song was composed by the following members of Kajagoogoo:
- Steve Askew
- Stuart Neale
- Limahl
- Nick Beggs
- Jez Strode
It was produced by English musician and record producer, Nick Rhodes. Nick was assisted by fellow Englishman, Colin Thurston.
Notable Movie/TV Appearances
“American Horror Story”, an American horror TV series by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk had the song featured in episodes 3, 7 and 8 of season 9.
The comedy drama series, “Gilmore Girls” by Amy Sherman-Palladino featured the song in episode 21 of season 4.
It also featured in Frank Coraci’s 1998 romantic comedy, “The Wedding Singer”.
Popular Covers of “Too Shy”
Here are some known covers of “Too Shy”:
- Springbok (1983)
- Rio Reiser (1999)
- Physics ft. Limahl (2008)
- Humming Kitchen and Tra-Jam (2005)
- DeeJay A.N.D.Y. ft. Pit Bailay (2017)
The “White Feathers” Album
“White Feathers” is Kajagoogoo’s debut studio album. It was released on April 18 of 1983 by courtesy of Universal Music Group’s EMI Records.
After the release of “Too Shy” as the first single, the following songs were also put out as singles prior to the official release of the album:
- “Ooh to Be Ah” (Released on March 21 of 1983)
- “Hang on Now” (Released on May 21 of 1983)
The album peaked at number 5 in the UK, 3 in Finland, 7 in Germany and Sweden. It peaked at number one in Japan.
