Cyndi Lauper's 10 best songs ever, ranked

30 December 2021, 19:33 | Updated: 25 January 2024, 10:53

Cyndi Lauper is one of the most iconic artists of her generation, thanks to her distinctive image, amazing vocal range and songwriting talents.

We've picked just a few songs from her back catalogue to make a perfect Cyndi Lauper playlist:

1. She Bop

   

   Cyndi Lauper - She Bop (Official HD Video)

   This rather risqué song was so controversial for its day that it was one of the songs that led to the introduction of the Parental Advisory sticker.

   It was Cyndi's third biggest single after 'Time After Time' and 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'.

2. At Last

   

   Cyndi Lauper - At Last

   In 2003, Cyndi recorded the covers album At Last, featuring various classic jazz and easy listening standards that worked perfectly with her voice.

   The highlight was the title track, originally made famous by Etta James and is now a wedding dance favourite the world over.

3. Money Changes Everything

   

   Cyndi Lauper - Money Changes Everything (Live)

   Rock band The Brains first recorded this song in 1978, before Cyndi made a cover version for her debut album.

   The song deals with how money interferes with relationships, and it gave Cyndi one of her first hits in 1984.

4. The Goonies R Good Enough

   

   Cyndi Lauper - The Goonies 'r' Good Enough

   Steven Spielberg made Cyndi the musical director for the soundtrack of adventure movie The Goonies. For this, she sought out new bands to be included on the project including her friends, the Bangles.

   Cyndi recorded this song for the film, originally titled simply 'Good Enough', but it was changed by Warner Bros, who wanted the title of the film to be part of the song title.

5. Change of Heart

   

   Cyndi Lauper - Change Of Heart (Video)

   This track was featured on Cyndi's second album True Colors, and it remains one of her favourite songs to perform live.

   Fun fact: The Bangles provided backing vocals on the song!

6. All Through the Night

   

   Cyndi Lauper-All through the night

   Taken from Cyndi's debut album, Jules Shear wrote this song as a folk-rock track for his 1983 album Watch Dog. After The Cars recorded their own version, which they didn't use on any of their albums, Cyndi decided to cover it.

   Although she initially intended to do a straight cover of Shear's version, she transformed it into a pop ballad instead.

7. I Drove All Night

   

   Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night (Video)

   Also written by Steinberg and Kelly, this pop-rock classic was originally offered to Roy Orbison, who recorded it 1987. However, his version wasn't released until 1992.

   Before this, Cyndi scored a hit with the track. She said she wanted to do it because she liked the idea "of a woman driving, of a woman in control."

   Celine Dion later scored a hit with the song in the 2000s.

8. True Colours

   

   Cyndi Lauper - True Colors (Official HD Video)

   This was the lead single from Cyndi's second album in 1986. Billy Steinberg originally wrote the song about his own mother, before Tom Kelly altered the first verse and submitted the song to Anne Murray, who passed on recording it, and then to Cyndi.

   The song has also become a standard in the gay community. Cyndi has said that the song had resonated with her because of the recent death of her friend, Gregory Natal, from HIV/AIDS.

9. Girls Just Want to Have Fun

   

   Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Official Video)

   Amazingly, this song was originally written from the male perspective about women in the bedroom by Robert Hazard in 1979.

   Four years later, Cyndi's version carried a totally different feminist attitude, portraying that all women really wanted was to have the same experience that men could have. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of the 1980s.

   It's impossible not to sing and dance along to this when it's played at the next 80s cheese night.

10. Time After Time

    

    Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time (Official HD Video)

    This was one of Cyndi's first-ever singles, and was written with Rob Hyman of the band The Hooters. It has become known as one of the best love songs of the 1980s.

    • The Story of... 'Time After Time'

    The inspiration for the song came after both songwriters were going through similar situations in their own relationships: he was coming out of a relationship, while she was having issues with her boyfriend at the time, David Wolff.