He's So Shy

"He's So Shy"is a song by the American girl groupPointer Sistersfrom their seventh studio album,Special Things(1980). Written, originally as "She's So Shy" and intended forLeo Sayer,in December 1979 byTom SnowandCynthia Weil,"He's So Shy" was released as thelead singlefromSpecial Thingson July 23, 1980, through thePlanetlabel.

"He's So Shy"
SinglebyPointer Sisters
from the albumSpecial Things
B-side	"Movin' On"
Released	July 23, 1980(1980-07-23)
Recorded	1980
Studio	Studio 55 (Los Angeles)
Genre	R&B pop soul post-disco new wave synth-pop
Length	3:37
Label	Planet
Songwriter(s)	Tom Snow Cynthia Weil
Producer(s)	Richard Perry
Pointer Sisterssingles chronology
"Who Do You Love" (1979) "He's So Shy" (1980) "Could I Be Dreaming" (1980)
Music video
"He's So Shy"onYouTube

The song's fusion of classicgirl grouppop,new wave-styleddance musicandR&Bproved the right combination to effect a Top 10 comeback for the group, reaching position number three on the USBillboardHot 100in October 1980 (it would hold that position during the same three weeks thatBarbra Streisand's "Woman in Love"held the number-one spot)." He's So Shy "set the prototype of the trademark Pointer Sisters sound which would afford the group its career peak in 1983–1984 with theirBreak Outalbum.

Record Worldmagazine said that "June Pointersteps out onleadwhile an irresistiblekeyboardriffand snappypercussiondrive this hit. "

The Pointer Sisters made theirmusic videodebut with a promotional clip for "He's So Shy", described byRuth Pointeras "a primitive affair, just the three of us dancing andlip-synchingto the song inside theBradbury BuildinginDowntown Los Angeles.Lots of stairs and elevators, but we made it work. "

Background and recording

Tom Snowwould recall of "He's So Shy": "It was the first time I'd actually written amelodythat I knew in my heart was a smash, "and that it had been at theBMI Awardsbanquet where he was honored for the success of his composition "You"that Snow had metlyricistCynthia Weilwho with her husbandBarry Mannformed the iconic Mann/Weil songwriting team. Weil and Mann being in attendance at the banquet: Snow – "I did something I'm not prone to doing because I'm not a real self-promoter. I 'ginned-up' the courage, went over and introduced myself."After checking out Snow's output and being favorably impressed, Weil had agreed to collaborate with him, the inaugural Snow/Weil composition "Holdin' Out for Love"being recorded byCherfor her 1979 albumPrisoner(an eventualR&Bhit forAngela Bofillin 1982, "Holdin' Out for Love" was also recorded bythe Pointer Sistersas a non-album cut utilized as theB-sideof their 1981hit"Slow Hand").

On hiswebsite,Snow recalls that the song was written very quickly after an extended period of struggling to come up with a hit:

"This one originated with the music and a working title, 'She's So Shy'. I had been plugging away for weeks trying to find a 'hit'hook.Everything I came up with sounded like derivative, melodic babble. Reduced to desperation one night I went into my studio after dinner and a few glasses of wine, set theRoland TR-808to 120 beats per minute and started playingG minorarpeggioson myProphet-5synth. At least that was some viable form of music! That did the trick. Not having the pressure anymore of trying to come up with a smash hit, the vault opened up and within 30 minutes I had the melody, chord changes and a working title 'She's So Shy'. I knew immediately that I had come up with something very, very commercial. The feeling was intense. I remember leaving the studio three hours later after playing the tune hundreds of times and feeling like I was walking two inches above the floor. Not taking any chances I called Cynthia the next day and asked her to write the lyric. We both thought the song would be a smash and our instincts were right. 'He's So Shy' sold 1.5 million copies. I will be forever indebted to those G minor arpeggios. "

ProducerRichard Perryon "He's So Shy"
"I thought it much more powerful sung by a girl: guys are deceptively shy, often more so than girls. I heard it as a cross between 'He's So Fine' and 'The Shoop Shoop Song'. I didn't [tactically] jump on the 'What a Fool Believes' bandwagon "– admitting stylistic similarity to the influentialDoobie Brothers1979 number-one hit – "but [that style was already] enmeshed in ['He's So Shy'.]"

Although the title recalls the girl group classic "He's So Fine"bythe Chiffons,"He's So Shy" was in fact conceived by its composer as "She's So Shy" and was originally intended forLeo Sayer– Snow had co-written four songs for Sayer's 1977 albumThunder in My Heart(including theTop 40title cut hit) and an additional four for Sayer's 1978 albumLeo Sayer,both of which were produced byRichard Perry.By this time, however, Perry was no longer producing Sayer (subsequent to theLeo Sayeralbum) but "She's So Shy" came to his attention because Snow had signed with Perry's Braintree Music publishing firm in 1977,and Perry saw the potential of a gender-adjusted version of the song as a track for the Pointer Sisters,who'd inaugurated Perry's ownPlanetlabel with the 1978–1979 worldwide hit "Fire".

According toRuth Pointer,Perry's assigning thelead vocalon "He's So Shy" toJune Pointerwas a disappointment toAnita Pointer,who Ruth says "wanted that song badly":Ruth has stated that Perry had recorded "He's So Shy" with Anita on lead but then opined: "I think I want June to record this [as lead]."

Live performances

The Pointer Sisters performed "He's So Shy" onThe Love Boatepisode broadcast February 7, 1981. They 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 Pointer Sisters to be his background singers for a performance of the song. His plan backfires when the record executive praises the background singers and signs them to arecord deal.

Personnel

Pointer Sisters

• June Pointer– lead and backing vocals
• Anita Pointer– backing vocals
• Ruth Pointer– backing vocals

Musicians

• Tom Snow– keyboards, synthesizers
• Tim May – guitars
• Nathan Watts– bass
• James Gadson– drums
• Paulinho da Costa– percussion

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980–1981)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	11
Belgium (Flemish Region)	20
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	14
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	1
USBillboardHot 100	3
USAdult Contemporary(Billboard)	13
USDisco Top 100(Billboard)	26
USHot Soul Singles(Billboard)	10
USCash BoxTop 100	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1980)	Rank position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	58
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	98
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	31
USCash BoxTop 100	36