"Shy Girl" by Stacey Q

Song#:  3089
Date:  04/11/1987
Debut:  90
Peak:  89
Weeks:  11
Genre:  Dance-Pop, Synthpop



Pop Bits:  Stacey Q's full-length debut album Better Than Heaven would be a gold seller thanks to the #3 hit "Two of Hearts." A follow-up single, "We Connect," would crack the Top 40 at #35. Two other singles would be released, but neither would reach the Pop chart. She wouldn't reach the chart again with new material until March of '88. In the meantime, it seemed her previous record company, On the Spot, decided to capitalize on Stacey Q's newfound major label popularity and began to recirculate her very first single, "Shy Girl."  It was originally released in 1985 and although it didn't chart then, it did help her get signed to Atlantic Records. On its second go around, the indie single was able to reach the Pop chart and hung around the bottom for nearly three months. The length of time on the chart for a song peaking at #89 was highly unusual. It was most likely due to the indie nature of the single, its slow spread to various regions, and possibly a lack of product. Had it got reissued by Atlantic, the song might have done better on the chart.

ReduxReview:  This tune takes a little bit to get going, but once it does it's not too bad. It has a little Madonna smell to it, yet there is enough Stacey Q here to keep it from being a flat out imitation. The guitar is a nice add and for an 80s indie recording, the production is slightly above par. It was definitely not as hooky as "Two of Hearts," but it might have gained a bigger audience if she had re-recorded it for Atlantic and pushed it out as a one-off single. It did well in certain parts of the US since it hung out on the chart for eleven weeks.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  This song was from Stacey Q's 1985 self-titled debut EP. The release consisted of five songs and was only available on cassette. In addition to this single, the EP featured her first version of "Two of Hearts." That song and another track on the EP, "Dancing Nowhere," would be re-recorded for her Atlantic debut LP. The EP track "Hard Machine" would later be re-recorded and serve as the title track to her second Atlantic album. Also on the EP was "Dancing in the Dark." It was a remake of a Kim Wilde song that appeared on her 1983 album Catch As Catch Can. Wilde's original version was released as a single in Europe and it made the Top 10 in a few countries including Denmark and Finland.

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