I know it’s a stereotype, but some guys have trouble expressing their feelings. I know cuz I sure do. That's why I wrote “She's Shiny“.

It’s one of the things I love about characters in Firefly. I relate far too well with Malcolm Reynolds’ relationship with Inara.

The crew all knows he likes her. We all know he likes her. He either doesn’t know he likes her OR he lies to himself that he doesn’t like her… in that way. 

She's shiny! Oh so shiny!
Don't say a word. I'm in love with that girl
She's shiny! Oh so shiny!
She keeps me spinning round and round in a whirl

A big part of what inspired me to write “She’s Shiny” was recognizing my own fear of expressing myself.

Joss Whedon beautifully captured that idea. I used several scenes from Firefly to tell the story of my song. The most notable episode is Shindig in the second verse. That’s the one that where I really set you up to know I’m talking about Mal’s love for Inara.

However, the toughest part of the song was the last verse.

You see, the song comes from Malcolm Reynolds’ perspective. He’s the guy who lies to himself about what he truly feels. He lies so much that we learn that he’s actually singing about his ship, Serenity.

Not only did I have to wrap the song up with THAT bow, I had to make sure every verse could be about Inara AND Serenity. It took a little wordsmithying.

I love the result. This is my favorite song from my second Firefly CD, As Long As I’m Flyin’. 

I’d love to know if you face similar emotional challenges. Let me know by email or over on the YouTube video comments. (Your comments help with video popularity)

I hope you enjoy the song.

PS. If you enjoy this song, make sure you subscribe to In the ‘Verse: Song Crafting for the Firefly Universe. Mikey Mason and I are writing songs inspired by Firefly.