4 Timeless Cyndi Lauper Songs That Propelled Her Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour wraps up on August 30, 2025, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. As a pop icon and social activist, the 71-year-old singer will say goodbye to the stage in the same year of her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Lauper was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens. Before she became a pop star, she worked odd jobs, including as an IHOP waitress and singing in a cover band. Inspired by the feminist art of Yoko Ono, Lauper eventually found her voice as a singer and songwriter.

There’s no one like her, and the songs below highlight why she’s heading to the Hall of Fame.

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun”

“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” kick-started Cyndi Lauper’s solo career in 1983. The bubblegum hook and iconic music video helped define the decade’s vivid pop by mixing new wave and art rock. The song was written by Robert Hazard, whose original rock version had a male perspective. However, Lauper changed some of the lyrics, and her recording became a hit and a feminist anthem. Brandi Carlile named her annual Lilith Fair-inspired music festival after Lauper’s song.  

“Time After Time”

Cyndi Lauper co-wrote her first number-one hit with Rob Hyman, who plays keys and sings on the track. The recording features drummer Anton Fig from David Letterman’s house band, led by Paul Shaffer. Also, Hyman’s bandmate in The Hooters, guitarist Eric Bazilian, gives a masterclass on jangly 80s guitar textures. “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” may be Lauper’s defining hit, but “Time After Time” is a masterpiece of a love song.

“True Colors”

The title track to Cyndi Lauper’s second album remains one of her signature tunes. “True Colors” became her second and final single to top the Billboard Hot 100. Songwriter Billy Steinberg said the demo sounded like a traditional gospel ballad. But Lauper’s arrangement went in a different direction. It has all the hallmarks of an 80s pop ballad: synthesizer, drum machine, and glossy guitars.

“All Through The Night”

Jules Shear wrote and recorded “All Through The Night” for his 1983 album Watch Dog. But Shear was surprised to hear Cyndi Lauper’s pop version the same year.

“I sort of thought it was a folk song, and she thought it was a drum machine and techno thing,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Not that I don’t love it—it bought me my apartment in New York, and I love her version very much.”

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