"Shiny Happy People" is a song by the American rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their seventh studio album, Out of Time (1991).

Its music video, directed by Katherine Dieckmann, was inspired by the 1948 movie Letter From an Unknown Woman.

performed the song with Pierson on a season 17 episode of Saturday Night Live on April 13, 1991.

[7][8][9] It contains waltz-time strings, "rippling" guitars and "hippy" lyrics,[10] and guest vocals from Kate Pierson.

's lead singer, Michael Stipe, described "Shiny Happy People" as a "really fruity, kind of bubblegum song".

"[15] According to some reports, the phrase "shiny happy people" was taken from Chinese propaganda posters used after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

[7] Richard Wagamese of the Calgary Herald felt Stipe "sounds almost ebullient on the bouncy 'Shiny Happy People' and that alone is radical.

"[17] The Drogheda Independent declared it "unbelievably catchy",[18] while Scottish Dundee Courier described it as "sardonic but delicious disposable pop".

[20] Liverpool Echo felt 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".

[24] Terry Staunton from NME complimented it as "a lilting waltz before breaking into a sun-drenched pop anthem, a warm and welcome blood relative to the B-52s' own 'Love Shack'.

[8] Mark Frith from Smash Hits remarked that the song is "very summery, optimistic and has some fine vocals" from Pierson.

[26] The Sunday Tribune felt that it "waltzes joyfully" with the added vocal attraction of Pierson,[27] and noted the "joyous" and "celebratory" noises, calling it "one of 1991's pure pop highlights".

[5] She was asked by the band to direct the video, and drew some inspiration from a scene in the 1948 movie Letter From an Unknown Woman by German director Max Ophuls.

Rotating landscape backdrops roll past their "window", and eventually we learn they're propelled by an old man pedaling a stationary bicycle behind the scenes.

Dieckmann wanted to re-create this situation, using a large children's painting for the moving mural.

Stipe suggested her to contact a friend that was schoolteacher, having her fifth-grade class create the backdrop.

"[35] All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise stated.