BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983
“Too Shy” is a song written and recorded by English band Kajagoogoo, released January 22, 1983. The first single from their debut album White Feathers, 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, spending five weeks at number one in Germany, and reaching number two in Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands.
Assisted by heavy rotation on MTV, 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. In the UK, however, Kajagoogoo had further hits, including two more top 10 singles: “Ooh to Be Ah” and “Big Apple”, both in 1983.
“Too Shy” was written by Kajagoogoo and produced by Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes and Colin Thurston, the latter of whom had produced Duran Duran’s first two albums. In 2006, “Too Shy” was ranked number 27 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 80’s and number 9 on VH1’s “100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.”
There are two different versions of the “Midnight Mix” one is the “American Midnight Mix” 5:47 which was issued after the single was released in North America making it the second mix. The original “Midnight Mix” 5:23 was issued in Europe upon the single’s initial release. I have included it here as a bonus track which I lifted from the UK 12″.
SIDE A:
Too Shy (American Midnight Mix) 5:47
Producer – Colin Thurston, Nick Rhodes
Remix [Uncredited] – Mark Kamins
SIDE B:
Take Another View 4:32
Producer – Femi Jiya
BONUS TRACK:
Too Shy (Midight Mix) 5:23
Producer – Colin Thurston, Nick Rhodes
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Too Shy | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #5 |
1983 | Too Shy | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | #23 |
1983 | Too Shy | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #25 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI America – 75036
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Canada
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Bass Guitar, Vocals [Additional] – Nick Beggs
Cover – Cream (7), Nick Beggs
Drums, Programmed By [Electronic Programming] – Jez Strode
E-bow, Guitar – Steve Askew (2)
Engineer – Colin Thurston
Lead Vocals – Limahl
Lyrics By – Limahl, Nick Beggs (tracks: A)
Management – Paul Ryan (2)
Other [Hair By] – Toni And Guy
Other [Special Thanks To] – P.G.
Photography By [Cover Shots] – Sheila Rock, Steve Hickey
Synth, Vocals [Additional] – Stuart Croxford Neale
Written-By, Arranged By – Kajagoogoo
NOTES:
Track A From the LP – “WHITE FEATHERS”
Recorded in England.
Find the 12″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Great Track …. Many Thanks
thanks again paul,
great choices this week.
never knew about the other version,
learn something new every day, even with old stuff.
later
-1
Didn’t know there were two Midnight Mixes Paul. Another BTG education. 🙂
A nice treat to see this classic posted. I liked both Midnight mixes personally, also liked the bassline on this too.
Thanks Paul 🙂
Thank You again Paul. I didn’t know there was a difference between the US and UK versions. Your extensive record knowledge does not cease to impress. I always thought this song had more of a Culture Club sound rather than DuranDuran.
thanks. i think this is awesome one, the instrumental part is fantastic, thank you Paul for this post, oh, do u have the 12″ in which is the instrumetal or the dub version? very rare right? if you have it, please post it, would be very appreciated, thanks , bye.
An 80s iconic tune. Always liked the U.K. midnight mix more.
I prefer the “American Midnight Mix” because it uses the full vocal the U.K. mix was more like a dub 🙂
Are the two mixes very different, Paul? I’ve not heard the US version, but was always disappointed that the other was mostly intrumental. I’m hoping for a Talk Talk It’s My Life style makeover!
Yes they are different SimonP the US version has more vocal.
Oh how you take me back Paul to the time when this “new music” heralded a brand new turning point for me. I loved disco, but when New Wave hit the scene, it always had the “edge” I was always looking for. Such a great record and, although I never had the official 12-inch, my friend did, so I was treated to an extended bliss of a song!! Love the fact that Mark Kamins did the remix. I love these tidbits Paul. I wish the current music scene was as thrilling as this time period. So much experimentation and musicianship.… Read more »
You’re welcome Jeff always liked Mark Kamins. I agree that there is nothing really exciting or innovative about today’s music. The 80s were brilliant.
Hugs be safe 🙂
Hi, Paul, the bonus track is misspelt (misspelled, A.E.) “(Midight Mix)”.
Kind regards, Christian
Thank you Christian I have fixed the mis-spelling and re-uploaded the files if you want to download them again.
Lol yeah i noticed that too should’ve informed you!
Never knew of a second 12″ version… Until now! Many thanks. Amazed you haven’t posted this gem before.
It wouldn’t be an 80s blog without this classic 🙂
Cheers! I’ll check this out. 🙂
Enjoy! 🙂