"Shiny" is a song in the 2016 Disney animated feature film Moana.
Summary
It is sung by Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement) as he arrogantly flaunts what he believes to be his most beautiful qualities, particularly his shiny shell. Moana kicks off the song as a distraction to buy Maui time to reclaim his fish hook, but Tamatoa eventually discovers this, setting off a battle between the two titans. During the climax of the song, Tamatoa reveals himself to be bioluminescent.
Lyrics
Well, Tamatoa hasn't always been this glam
I was a drab little crab once
Now I know I can be happy as a clam
Because I'm beautiful, baby
Did your granny say listen to your heart?
Be who you are on the inside?
I need three words to tear her argument apart
Your granny lied
I'd rather be SHINY!
Like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck
Scrub the deck and make it look
SHINY!
I will sparkle like a wealthy woman's neck!
Just a sec...
Don't you know?
Fish are dumb, dumb, dumb!
They chase anything that glitters!
Beginners...
Oh, and here they come, come, come!
To the brightest thing that...glitters!
Mmm, fish dinners!
I just love free food...
And you look like seafood...
(Seaafoood!)
Well, well, well!
Little Maui's having trouble with his look...
You little semi-demi-mini-god
Ouch! What a terrible performance!
Get the hook! (Get it?)
You don't swing it like you used to, man...
Yet I have to give you credit for my start!
And your tattoos on the outside...
For just like you I made myself a work of art!
I'll never hide, I can't! I'm too
SHINY!
Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough
Strut my stuff, my stuff is so
Shiny
Send your armies but they'll never be enough
My shell's too tough, Maui man
You could try, try, try!
But you can't expect a demigod...
To beat a decapod! (look it up)
You will die, die, die!
Now it's time for me to take apart...
Your aching heart.
Far from the ones who abandoned you
Chasing the love of
These humans who made you feel wanted...
You tried to be tough
But your armor's just not hard enough!!
Maui!
Now it's time to kick your HEINIE!
Ever seen someone so...
SHINY!?
Soak it in, cause it's the last you'll ever see
C'est la vie mon ami!
I'm so...
SHINY!
Now I'll eat you so prepare your final plea!
Just for me...
You'll never be quite as SHINY...
You wish you were nice n'....
SHINYYYYYYYY!!!!
Trivia
- Artist David Bowie served as inspiration for the song, specifically in Jemaine's theatrical performance and vocals.[1]
- "C'est la vie, mon ami" is French for "That's life, my friend."
- In the demo version of the song, Tui was the relative that Tamatoa mocked, instead of Gramma Tala.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda jokingly subtitled the song "Sebastian's Revenge", describing it as "Les Poissons" from The Little Mermaid in reverse as the latter song features a human trying to eat a crab, while the former features a crab trying to eat a human.[2]
- The song is referenced in Ralph Breaks the Internet as Moana's casual outfit has the words #SHINY and a picture of Tamatoa on it.
- The song serves as a dark foil for Moana's journey of self-acceptance as it praises outer beauty and even mocks the purpose of Moana's journey.
- Along with that, it also foreshadows how Maui was abandoned by his parents and his desire to be favored by humans.
References
- ↑ Clement, Jemaine (November 12, 2016). "It was written by @Lin_Manuel and definitely a Bowie influence. #Moana #movieplug". Twitter.
- ↑ Snetiker, Marc (January 11, 2017). "10 fun facts about Moana that will make you say 'Wow, what a fun Moana fact'". Entertainment Weekly.
External links
Shiny on Moana Wiki
