Cyndi Lauper burst onto the music scene in the 1980s with a voice that could shatter glass and a personality that shattered expectations. Her unique blend of punk attitude, operatic vocal range, and pop sensibility created a sound that was entirely her own. From anthems of female empowerment to heart-wrenching ballads, Lauper’s catalog represents some of the most distinctive and enduring music of the past four decades. Her ability to infuse every performance with raw emotion and theatrical flair has cemented her status as one of music’s true originals, and her influence continues to resonate with artists across genres today.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
The song that defined a generation and launched Lauper into superstardom remains as infectious today as it was in 1983. This anthem of female liberation transformed Robert Hazard’s original demo into something far more powerful—a declaration of independence wrapped in irresistible new wave production. Lauper’s playful delivery masks the song’s deeper feminist message, creating a perfect pop confection that works on multiple levels. The iconic music video, featuring Lauper’s mother and a parade of colorful characters dancing through New York City streets, became an MTV staple and helped establish the visual language of 1980s pop culture.
Time After Time
Perhaps Lauper’s most emotionally resonant composition, this ballad showcases her remarkable vocal control and ability to convey vulnerability without sacrificing strength. Co-written with Rob Hyman, the song’s clock imagery and themes of patience in love struck a universal chord that transcends its 1980s production. Lauper’s performance builds from whispered intimacy to soaring declarations, demonstrating her classical training and innate understanding of dynamics. The track has been covered by countless artists across genres, but none have matched the original’s delicate balance of hope and heartache, making it a timeless standard that continues to soundtrack romantic moments decades later.
True Colors
Written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, this song became Lauper’s signature statement of acceptance and compassion when she released it in 1986. Her interpretation transformed what could have been a simple pop song into an anthem for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider, and it has since been adopted by the LGBTQ+ community as a powerful message of self-acceptance. Lauper’s vocal performance is restrained yet deeply affecting, allowing the lyrics’ emotional weight to shine through without overwhelming them with unnecessary embellishment. The song’s enduring relevance speaks to its universal message—one that Lauper has continued to champion throughout her career through both her music and activism.
She Bop
Lauper broke taboos with this cheeky celebration of female sexuality that somehow made it onto mainstream radio despite its unmistakable subject matter. The production features layers of synthesizers, a driving bassline, and Lauper’s trademark vocal acrobatics that dance around the lyrics’ suggestive content with knowing winks. The song’s playful approach to a topic that was rarely discussed openly in 1980s pop music demonstrated Lauper’s fearlessness and willingness to push boundaries while keeping things fun and accessible. Its commercial success proved that audiences were ready for more honest conversations about sexuality, wrapped in an irresistible pop package that made the medicine go down smooth.
All Through the Night
This Jules Shear cover from “She’s So Unusual” revealed Lauper’s ability to inhabit someone else’s song and make it entirely her own. The atmospheric production creates a nocturnal soundscape that perfectly complements the lyrics’ themes of romantic devotion and late-night intimacy. Lauper’s vocal delivery here is more subdued than on her uptempo hits, showcasing her versatility and emotional range as an interpreter. The layered harmonies and synthesizer textures create a dreamy quality that transports listeners into the song’s private world, making it a favorite among fans who appreciate Lauper’s more introspective moments.
Money Changes Everything
Originally by The Brains, Lauper’s version of this cynical examination of how financial concerns corrupt relationships became one of her signature rockers. Her aggressive vocal delivery and the song’s driving guitar riffs showed that she could rock as hard as any of her male contemporaries while bringing a unique feminine perspective to the material. The production maintains the song’s garage band energy while adding polish that made it radio-ready, and Lauper’s performance captures both the anger and sadness inherent in the lyrics. This track demonstrated early on that Lauper refused to be pigeonholed as just another pop princess, establishing her as an artist with genuine rock credibility.
I Drove All Night
Roy Orbison originally recorded this song, but Lauper’s 1989 version became the definitive interpretation for many listeners. Her vocal performance is a tour de force of sustained power and emotional intensity, perfectly capturing the desperation and desire described in the lyrics. The production, helmed by Lauper herself alongside Lennie Petze, features pounding drums and atmospheric keyboards that create a sense of urgent forward motion mirroring the song’s narrative of a long-night drive fueled by longing. The track’s success proved that Lauper could compete in the late 1980s pop landscape dominated by big ballads and power vocals, reasserting her relevance as the decade drew to a close.
Change of Heart
This sophisticated pop gem from “True Colors” showcased Lauper’s growth as an artist and her ability to craft mature, nuanced songs about complex emotional situations. The production features lush arrangements with prominent saxophone and keyboard work that create a warm, inviting sonic palette. Lauper’s vocal performance balances sweetness with a knowing edge, perfectly capturing the bittersweet realization described in the lyrics about recognizing when a relationship has run its course. The song’s commercial performance may not have matched her biggest hits, but it remains a fan favorite for those who appreciate Lauper’s more sophisticated songwriting and arrangements.
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough
Lauper created this exuberant celebration of friendship and adventure for the beloved 1985 film “The Goonies,” delivering a song that perfectly captured the movie’s spirit. The track features a kitchen-sink production approach with multiple sections, tempo changes, and guest appearances that create a sense of organized chaos mirroring the film’s plot. Lauper’s playful vocal delivery and the song’s infectious energy made it a hit independent of the movie, though the elaborate multi-part music video featuring various WWF wrestlers and celebrities became legendary in its own right. The song demonstrates Lauper’s willingness to experiment with structure and take creative risks that most pop artists wouldn’t attempt.
What’s Going On
Lauper delivered a powerful interpretation of this Marvin Gaye classic that honors the original while bringing her own perspective to its social commentary. Her vocal approach emphasizes the song’s questioning nature and underlying frustration with injustice, proving that she could tackle socially conscious material with the same conviction she brought to her pop hits. The arrangement updates the production for 1980s sensibilities while maintaining the song’s soul foundation, and Lauper’s performance reminds listeners that the issues Gaye addressed remain painfully relevant. This cover demonstrated Lauper’s musical breadth and her commitment to using her platform to highlight important social issues.
Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)
From “A Night to Remember,” this upbeat track features Lauper’s trademark vocal gymnastics over a bright, keyboard-driven arrangement. The song’s geographical metaphor for emotional devastation is delivered with enough playfulness to keep things from becoming too heavy, showcasing Lauper’s ability to find lightness even in painful subjects. The production incorporates world music influences that were trendy in the late 1980s while maintaining Lauper’s distinctive sonic identity. Though not as commercially successful as her earlier work, the song represents her continued evolution as an artist willing to explore new sounds and production techniques while staying true to her core identity.
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Into the Nightlife
This 2008 dance-pop anthem proved that Lauper could adapt to contemporary production trends while maintaining her artistic integrity. Co-written with The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, the song features pulsing electronic beats and soaring melodies that work perfectly for both club play and emotional connection. Lauper’s vocal performance demonstrates that her voice lost none of its power or distinctiveness over the decades, and her delivery captures the excitement and liberation of nighttime escapism. The track’s success on dance charts introduced Lauper to a new generation of fans while reminding longtime admirers why they fell in love with her music in the first place.
Sally’s Pigeons
From “Hat Full of Stars,” this introspective ballad showcases Lauper’s storytelling abilities and willingness to tackle darker subject matter. The sparse production allows her voice to take center stage as she inhabits the character of someone reflecting on difficult circumstances and finding small moments of beauty amid hardship. The song’s literary quality and emotional depth demonstrated Lauper’s artistic growth and her refusal to simply repeat the formula that brought her initial success. Though the album didn’t achieve the commercial heights of her earlier work, tracks like this earned critical praise for their maturity and sophistication, proving Lauper’s commitment to artistic evolution over commercial calculation.
You Don’t Know
This rockabilly-influenced track from “Sisters of Avalon” found Lauper exploring roots music influences while maintaining her contemporary edge. The song’s driving rhythm and Lauper’s assertive vocal delivery create an infectious energy that demands attention, and the lyrics’ themes of self-assertion and refusing to be defined by others’ perceptions fit perfectly with her lifelong artistic stance. The production incorporates elements of country, rock, and pop without feeling forced or calculated, demonstrating Lauper’s natural ability to move between genres. The track exemplifies the artistic freedom Lauper embraced in the mid-1990s, creating music that satisfied her creative impulses rather than chasing trends or radio formats.
I Don’t Want to Be Your Friend
Another standout from “A Night to Remember,” this song captures the awkwardness and honesty of realizing a friendship might become something more. Lauper’s vocal performance walks the line between playful and serious, perfectly matching the lyrics’ emotional ambiguity and nervous energy. The production features shimmering keyboards and a propulsive rhythm section that create an atmosphere of possibility and anticipation. While not released as a single in most markets, the song has become a deep-cut favorite among Lauper devotees who appreciate her ability to capture complex emotional situations in deceptively simple pop songs that reward repeated listening.
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The Faraway Nearby
This haunting ballad from “True Colors” demonstrates Lauper’s ability to convey longing and distance through both her vocal performance and the song’s atmospheric production. The spacious arrangement creates a sense of emotional remove that perfectly mirrors the lyrics’ themes, while Lauper’s restrained delivery allows subtle emotional shifts to register powerfully. The song’s sophisticated construction and mature perspective showed that Lauper could deliver adult pop that resonated emotionally without relying on obvious hooks or bombastic production. Though overshadowed by the album’s bigger hits, this track reveals depths that reward patient, attentive listening.
Unconditional Love
Lauper brought her distinctive interpretation to this song that appears on “A Night to Remember,” infusing it with both tenderness and strength. Her vocal performance emphasizes the transformative power of acceptance while avoiding sentimentality through her natural vocal grit and emotional honesty. The production creates a warm, enveloping soundscape that supports the lyrics’ message without overwhelming it, allowing Lauper’s voice to remain the emotional center. The track exemplifies her ability to take potentially saccharine subject matter and ground it in real feeling through authentic delivery and production choices that prioritize emotional truth over commercial calculation.
When You Were Mine
Lauper’s cover of this Prince composition showcased her ability to reinterpret material from one of pop’s most distinctive voices and make it her own. Her take emphasizes the song’s emotional vulnerability while maintaining its new wave energy, with production that bridges the original’s Minneapolis sound and Lauper’s New York sensibility. The vocal performance finds her matching Prince’s melodic invention with her own improvisational flair, creating a version that honors the original while standing as a distinct artistic statement. This track demonstrated Lauper’s musical catholicity and her willingness to engage with her peers’ work rather than staying safely within her established sonic territory.
Sisters of Avalon
The title track from her 1996 album found Lauper embracing a more organic, rock-oriented sound while maintaining the lyrical depth that defined her best work. The song’s mystical imagery and themes of female solidarity connected to both ancient mythology and contemporary feminism, showing Lauper’s continued engagement with meaningful subject matter. Her vocal performance combines power and nuance, driving the song forward while allowing space for its more contemplative moments. The production eschews the glossy pop sheen of her 1980s work for a grittier, more guitar-driven approach that reflected both the alternative rock era’s influence and Lauper’s artistic restlessness.
For those wanting to explore the full breadth of influential artists like Lauper, our curated collection of songs offers extensive coverage of music’s greatest performers across decades and genres.
He’s So Unusual
While less commercially prominent than her other work, this track from “She’s So Unusual” showcases Lauper’s playful side and her ability to create character-driven pop songs. The quirky production and Lauper’s animated vocal delivery create a vivid portrait of romantic fascination and the complications it brings. The song’s theatrical quality hints at Lauper’s later success on Broadway and her natural affinity for performance that goes beyond simply singing into a microphone. Though often overlooked in favor of the album’s massive hits, this track captures the creative fearlessness and willingness to be weird that made Lauper stand out in an era of increasingly polished and calculated pop music.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cyndi Lauper’s biggest hit song?
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” stands as Lauper’s biggest commercial success and cultural impact moment, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a defining anthem of 1980s pop culture. The song’s combination of feminist messaging, infectious melody, and colorful visual presentation made it an instant classic that transcended its era. While “Time After Time” achieved greater longevity as a ballad standard and may be more universally recognized across generations, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” remains the song most immediately associated with Lauper’s name and image. Its influence extends beyond chart performance to cultural significance, having been embraced by feminist movements and covered by countless artists across genres.
How many number one hits did Cyndi Lauper have?
Cyndi Lauper never achieved a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, despite having multiple songs reach the top five. “Time After Time” peaked at number one on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and she topped the Dance Club Songs chart multiple times throughout her career. This statistical quirk doesn’t diminish her impact or success—her debut album “She’s So Unusual” made her the first female artist to have four top-five hits from a single album. Her influence on pop music and culture far exceeds what chart positions alone might suggest, and her songs have achieved a lasting presence in popular consciousness that many actual number one hits never attained.
What album is considered Cyndi Lauper’s best work?
“She’s So Unusual” (1983) is widely regarded as Lauper’s masterpiece and one of the defining albums of 1980s pop music. The album’s combination of massive hits, deep cuts, and Lauper’s distinctive artistic personality created a cohesive statement that balanced commercial appeal with genuine artistic vision. Its success was both immediate and enduring, earning Lauper Grammy recognition including Best New Artist and continuing to influence pop artists decades later. While “True Colors” (1986) shows artistic growth and contains several beloved tracks, and later albums like “Hat Full of Stars” earned critical praise for their maturity, none matched the cultural impact and perfect storm of timing, talent, and material that “She’s So Unusual” represented.
Did Cyndi Lauper write her own songs?
Lauper co-wrote several of her most important songs, including “Time After Time,” “She Bop,” and “All Through the Night,” though she also achieved success with covers and songs written by others. Her collaborative approach to songwriting brought out the best in her partners while ensuring the final products reflected her artistic vision and vocal strengths. As her career progressed, she took greater control over her material, writing or co-writing more of her songs and eventually earning recognition as a songwriter beyond her performer identity. Her Tony Award for writing the music and lyrics for “Kinky Boots” proved her songwriting abilities extended beyond pop music into theatrical composition, cementing her status as a complete artist rather than simply an interpreter of others’ material.
What genre of music is Cyndi Lauper known for?
Lauper is primarily associated with new wave and pop music from the 1980s, though her work has always incorporated elements of rock, punk, blues, and dance music. Her artistic restlessness led her to explore country music on her Grammy-winning “Detour” album, proving her versatility and deep understanding of American musical traditions. Throughout her career, she’s resisted being confined to a single genre, incorporating influences from soul, reggae, electronic dance music, and theatrical composition into her work. This genre-fluid approach sometimes complicated her commercial trajectory but enriched her artistic legacy, making her catalog more diverse and interesting than many of her contemporaries who stayed within established pop formulas.
Is Cyndi Lauper still making music today?
Yes, Lauper continues to record and perform, though her output has become more selective and project-based rather than following traditional album cycles. Her recent work includes standards albums, collaborative projects, and theatrical compositions, showing her continued artistic evolution and refusal to simply tour on nostalgia. She remains active in live performance, bringing her catalog to audiences worldwide while supporting various charitable causes through her music. Her creative energy has extended beyond recording into activism, acting, and theatrical work, making her a multifaceted entertainer whose influence extends well beyond her recorded output from any particular era.