Cyndi Lauper dominated the 80s and 90s with her own version of pop music. But although the sounds were definitely unique, some of Lauper’s lyrics could just as easily be a country song.
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We found four Cyndi Lauper songs with lyrics that would work well in country music.
“Time After Time”
“Time After Time” is Cyndi Lauper’s second single. Released in 1984 on her freshman She’s So Unusual album, the song is written by Lauper and Rob Hyman, “Time After Time” is a sweet love song about the beauty of commitment.
“Time After Time” says, “If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me Time after time / If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting / Time after time.”
Hyman says the song was inspired by both songwriters experiencing romantic struggles with their respective partners.
“At this point, we were both going through some personal relationships and some personal things that were both meaningful and deep for us,” Hyman tells Songfacts. “And somehow the lyrics just started to come out,”
Although it isn’t a country album, Lady A’s Charles Kelley does include “Time After Time” on his solo rock album, Songs For A New Moon, released earlier this year.
“All Though The Night”
Jules Shear wrote “All Through The Night” for Lauper, who released it as a single in 1984. The song shows the power of tenacious love, a sentiment that permeates throughout country music.
In “All Through The Night”, Lauper sings, “We have no past, we won’t reach back / Keep with me forward all through the night / And once we start the meter clicks / And it goes running all through the night / Until it ends, there is no end.”
“True Colors”
Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly wrote “True Colors”. The song, out in 1986, is the title track of Lauper’s sophomore record. The song, later covered by Phil Collins, is about loving someone for who they really are.
The No. 1, platinum-selling single says in part, “But I see your true colors / Shining through
I see your true colors / And that’s why I love you / So don’t be afraid to let them show / Your true colors / True colors / Are beautiful like a rainbow.”
“Heading West”
Lauper wrote “Heading West” with Steinberg and Kelly, including it on her 1989 A Night To Remember record. The song remains a favorite of Lauper, and her loyal fanbase, even though it wasn’t released as a single in the United States. Still, the lyric is among one of her best, a song about overcoming life’s obstacles.
“I woke up crying and no one heard / You’re looking through me like I never was real,” Lauper sings. “You say you love me, but you won’t let me feel / So I’m gonna take a chance this time / I’m gonna find myself some place where I can heal / And I’m heading west / Without a sad goodbye / And I’m heading west.”
Photo by Brittany Long/WireImage
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