Shaggy – GFY

“Unsurprisingly, this is not the lead single.”

Tom: We heard this when we were in Norway; Shaggy’s now actually released his new album and is doing the press tours rather than the “anyone who’ll pay” tours. Unsurprisingly, this is not the lead single.

Tom: Which is a shame, because it’s really catchy — more than the actual single — and the fact it’s sweary will help it stand out, too. And in a world where Cee-Lo can have an international hit with something in the same profane-but-uplifting genre, I reckon this could have done very well in the UK.

Tim: Oh yes. I’d wager, though, that not even Shaggy himself predicted the success he’d get with I Need Your Love, mind, so it’s easy. But yes, I can certainly see it happening, for reasons varying from the style itself, the singalongability and the general message.

Tom: Listen to that middle eight! You’ll remember the crowd, hearing this song for the first time, singing along to those na-na-na-hey bits. This is exactly the sort of not-quite-novelty song that’d do very well in clubs when the DJ isn’t being too serious, and it’d grab enough attention, if given airplay, to get itself nicely in the Top 40. It won’t get that airplay, and that’s a shame.

Tim: I don’t know – this could still be a second single, because you’re very right. In fact, I remember the crowd singing along to the second half of the first chorus, and you’re right, this is the perfect song for people wanting to shout up at their boss, and who doesn’t?