Shiny Happy People

"Shiny Happy People" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their seventh studio album, Out of Time (1991). The song features guest vocals by Kate Pierson of fellow Athens, Georgia band the B-52's, who also appears in the music video. The lyrics for the song were, according to the singer, written as a satirical translation of the Chinese government's propaganda used after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.[5] The song was released as a single in May 1991 in the United Kingdom, but did not go on sale in the United States until four months later.

For the Angel episode, see Shiny Happy People (Angel).

"Shiny Happy People"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Out of Time
B-side"Forty Second Song"
ReleasedMay 6, 1991 (1991-05-06)[1]
RecordedSeptember–October 1990
Genre
Length
  • 3:45
  • 3:12 (radio edit)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Losing My Religion"
(1991)		 "Shiny Happy People"
(1991)		 "Near Wild Heaven"
(1991)
Music video
"Shiny Happy People" on YouTube

"Shiny Happy People" peaked at No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the fourth and last R.E.M. single to reach the top 10. It also peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the first R.E.M. song to reach the top 10 in the UK and the only one to reach the top 10 in both countries. It is R.E.M.'s most successful song in Ireland, where it reached No. 2, and in Germany, where it peaked at No. 10. The band was ambivalent about being known for a pop song that lacked gravitas. Singer Michael Stipe said in 2016: "It's a fruity pop song written for children ... If there was one song that was sent into outer space to represent R.E.M. for the rest of time, I would not want it to be 'Shiny Happy People'".[3]

R.E.M. performed the song with Pierson on Saturday Night Live on April 13, 1991.[6] It was used as the theme song to the unaired pilot for the sitcom Friends, known at that time as Friends Like Us. It was replaced by the Rembrandts' "I'll Be There for You," but it was later briefly used in the first season's 10th episode, "The One with the Monkey".

Critical reception

Justin Chadwick from Albumism described the song as "buoyant" and R.E.M.'s "most unabashedly pop-fueled composition of their career". He added further, "Regardless of the song's true inspirations or whether you care for the song or not, I suspect most can agree that the soaring backing vocals supplied by Kate Pierson, of R.E.M.'s fellow Athens based comrades The B-52's, are the unequivocal highlight."[7] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Ace guitarist Peter Buck drives alternative band further into the mainstream on this commercially accessible, hook-driven pop tune." He stated that Pierson "contributes splendid vocal harmonies on infectious, sing-along chorus."[8] The Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen said it is the song "that dared to show a new side of R.E.M. - a, well, happy side. Who woulda thunk it? The song is a tad cornball, but is infectiously catchy, nonetheless."[9] Irish newspaper Drogheda Independent declared it as "unbelievably catchy",[10] while Scottish newspaper Dundee Courier described it as "sardonic but delicious disposable pop".[11] A reviewer from Evening Herald deemed it a "gilt-edged" pop hit.[12]

Liverpool Echo commented that the song "comes at you concealed as bubble gum pop in the guise of an opening string arrangement even Kylie Minogue wouldn't thank you for—before it throws off the cloak of conformity and gets down to a more resonant rendition of power pop".[13] Music & Media called it "heaven on earth",[14] adding that Pierson's voice is "as prominent as it was" on Iggy Pop's song, "Candy".[15] Terry Staunton from NME described it as "bubbly", noting that it "opens with a lilting waltz before breaking into a sun-drenched pop anthem, a warm and welcome blood relative to the B-52s' own 'Love Shack'."[16] People Magazine stated that the guest singer "add some spark".[17] Mark Frith from Smash Hits noted that the song is "very summery, optimistic and has some fine vocals" from Pierson. He added, "It's so good that it will make you too want to go around and give the world a great big hug. Summer's here and everything's groovy."[18] Sunday Tribune stated that it "waltzes joyfully with the added vocal attraction" of the B-52's singer.[19] The newspaper also noted the "joyous" and "celebratory" noises of "Shiny Happy People", calling it "one of 1991's pure pop highlights."[20]

Impact and legacy

In its 2006 "Song of the Summer" countdown, CBC Radio's Freestyle named "Shiny Happy People" 1991's "Song of the Summer".[21][22] By contrast, in 2006, the song received the No. 1 position on AOL Music's list of the "111 Wussiest Songs of All Time".[23] Blender magazine also ranked the song No. 35 on its list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever",[24] and Q magazine included it in a list of "Ten Terrible Records by Great Artists" in 2005.[25]

When Michael Stipe made an appearance on Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1995, after Space Ghost asks him to sing the “Shiny Shiny People” song, he simply states "I hate that song, Space Ghost." Due to the band's dislike of the song, it was one of their few Warner-released singles not included on their 2003 greatest hits album In Time, and they have since refused to play it live throughout their career save for their performance for it on Saturday Night Live in 1991.[2] It was, however, included on their 2011 greatest hits album Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.

The song was featured in the beginning of the 2008 film Marley & Me during the main titles starting when John & Jenny decided to move to South Florida on their wedding day in Michigan because of a spring blizzard and shows aerial shots of South Florida leading up to when Jenny dropped off John for his job interview at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise stated.

US and UK 7-inch and cassette single

  1. "Shiny Happy People" – 3:45
  2. "Forty Second Song" – 1:20

US 12-inch

  1. "Shiny Happy People" (Music Mix) – 4:45
  2. "Shiny Happy People" (Pop Mix) – 4:04
  3. "Shiny Happy People" (Hip Mix) – 3:33
  4. "Shiny Happy People" (Master Chief Mix) – 3:60

UK CD and 12-inch

  1. "Shiny Happy People" – 3:45
  2. "Forty Second Song" – 1:20
  3. "Losing My Religion" (live acoustic version, recorded on Rockline, April 1, 1991.) – 4:36

UK "Collectors' Edition" CD

  1. "Shiny Happy People" – 3:45
  2. "I Remember California" (live, from Tourfilm) – 5:42
  3. "Get Up" (live, from Tourfilm) – 3:15
  4. "Pop Song '89" (live, from Tourfilm) – 3:30

Personnel

R.E.M.

Additional musicians

  • David Arenz – violin
  • Ellie Arenz – violin
  • Mark Bingham – string arrangements
  • David Braitberg – violin
  • Andrew Cox – cello
  • Reid Harris – viola
  • Peter Holsapple – acoustic guitar
  • Ralph Jones – double bass
  • Dave Kempers – violin
  • Elizabeth Murphy – cello
  • Paul Murphy – lead viola
  • Kate Pierson – vocals

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[52] Gold 35,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Gold 400,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

Soon after its release, Denis Leary commented: “..And I also don’t go for this other thing now, with MTV being so big where you get a band that gets a hit video, and all of the sudden they think that they’re like icons and they can tell us how to feel about environmental issues and how to vote and stuff. You know what I’m talking about? Like R.E.M. "Shiny Happy People” “Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey! Pull that bus over to the side of the pretentiousness turnpike, alright!? I want everybody off the bus. I want the shiny people over here, and the happy people over here, okay! I represent angry gun-toting meat-eating fucking people, alright!” Sit down and shut the fuck up, Michael!"

Despite R.E.M's dislike of the song, they created a parody called "Furry Happy Monsters" in 1999, and performed it on Sesame Street with a Muppet version of Kate Pierson singing backing vocals, voiced by Stephanie D'Abruzzo of Avenue Q. The monsters from the Monsters in Day Care segments (and the Two-Headed Monster) were also featured in this video.

Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded a cover of the song as a playable track for their 2007 video game. The song has also been covered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, but without the lyrics.[54]

A cover version of the song is featured on the 2004 video game Donkey Konga 2.

The Fatima Mansions recorded an obscene version of the song, with R.E.M.'s members credited as the authors. It appeared on the EPs Bertie's Brochures and Tima Mansió Dumps the Dead and used only a sample of the main title line, otherwise the music and the verse lyrics were totally changed.

The song appears in the Space Pirates episode "Music To Paint To".

"Shiny Happy People" is one of several anachronistic songs that appear in the 2013 video game BioShock Infinite, which is set in 1912. This version of the song is performed as an Al Jolson-esque big band piece by Tony Babino (vocals), Scott Bradlee (arrangement and piano), Adam Kubota, Allan Mednard, and Tom Abbott.[55][56][57]

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 4, 1991. p. 31. Misprinted as May 7 on source.
  2. O'Neal, Sean (January 29, 2015). ""Shiny Happy People" and a young man's blossoming into cynicism". Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  3. Andrew Marr (November 20, 2016). REM Talk Donald Trump on Andrew Marr show, Michael Stipe Mike Mills. YouTube. The Andrew Marr Show. BBC. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  4. "In Defense of… R.E.M.'s 'Shiny Happy People'".
  5. "I Hate My Hit! 10 Songs Disowned by the People Who Made Them Famous". spinner.com. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010.
  6. Saturday Night Live - Season 16, Episode 17: Catherine O'Hara/R.E.M. - TV.com
  7. Chadwick, Justin (March 10, 2016). "R.E.M.'s 'Out of Time' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  8. Flick, Larry (July 27, 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 67. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  9. Thelen, Christopher (July 5, 1998). "Out Of Time – R.E.M." The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  10. Drogheda Independent. July 16, 1999. p.19. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  11. "OUT OF TIME". Dundee Courier. March 28, 1991. p. 18. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  12. "R.E.M. rocking with Monsters". Evening Herald. September 23, 1994. p.16. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  13. "Near miss". Liverpool Echo. April 15, 1991. p. 30. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  14. "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. March 30, 1991. p. 12. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  15. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. June 8, 1991. p. 12. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  16. Staunton, Terry. "REM – Out Of Time". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
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  18. Frith, Mark (May 15, 1991). "Review: Singles". Smash Hits. p. 44. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  19. "Zombies and Elvis Presley Wine". Sunday Tribune. March 10, 1991. p.26. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  20. "TOP TEN DUBUN MOVIES". Sunday Tribune. October 11, 1992. p.28. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  21. "Pursuit Of Happiness - Love & Happiness Tips". Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  22. "How To Reach The Happiness".
  23. "The 111 Wussiest Songs of All Time (No. 1)". AOL Music. Archived from the original on August 26, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2006.
  24. Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever! from Blender.com. Retrieved on May 3, 2008. Archived April 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  25. Kirby, Terry (December 11, 2006). "If you're happy and you know it, listen to Lily. If not, it's The Verve". The Independent.
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  31. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
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  45. U.S. Cash Box Chart Entries - 1990 - 1996
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  52. "Italian single certifications – R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved August 30, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Shiny Happy People" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  53. "British single certifications – REM – Shiny Happy People". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  54. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Shiny Happy People on YouTube, May 5, 2008
  55. Scott Bradlee at IMDb
  56. Bradlee, Scott (September 13, 2013). "My Music in Bioshock Infinite". Post Modern Jukebox. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  57. Pinchefsky, Carol (April 5, 2013). "Irrational Games Makes Serious Misstep with 'BioShock: Infinite' Soundtrack Offering". Forbes. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
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