Music
Plus One
The 11 Best Cyndi Lauper songs
Why have a Top 10 when you can have one more? Ahead of her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour 2025, we celebrate Cyndi Lauper's greatest tracks
Activist. Feminist. Purveyor of magical hairstyles. Yes, Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (AKA, Cyndi Lauper) is a worldwide treasure.
With her distinctive singing style, wild dress sense and undying dedication to fans, marginalised women and the LGBTQ+ community across the globe, she’s long been Brooklyn’s finest daughter – plus, with 50 million records sold worldwide, she’s a bona fide music legend too.
To celebrate her forthcoming Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour, we take a look back at some of her best ever tracks. Grab your prom dress. Hold onto your bangles. Let’s have fun…
11. ‘Sally’s Pigeons‘
(Hat Full Of Stars, 1993)
Inspired by a childhood friend who died as the result of a botched abortion, this is Lauper at her most tender and insightful. A song recorded later in her career, it’s starkly different from the fluffiness of her 80s back catalogue, yet the signature Cyndi vocal rings through – only on ‘Sally’s Pigeons’ it sounds vulnerable and reflective. Despite the tragic subject matter, ‘Sally’s Pigeons’ is really quite beautiful.
10. ‘She Bop‘
(She’s So Unusual, 1983)
The third single to be released from She’s So Unusual, ‘She Bop’ caused some controversy as it alludes to *gasp* masturbation (imagine the 80s mothers clasping their pearls in horror as their Lauper-obsessed teens be-bopped around singing about gay porno mags), with CL even admitting that she recorded the lyrics in the nude. Aside from that, ‘She Bop’ is a great little piece of pop perfection. It’s also super fun to dance to.
9. ‘When You Were Mine‘
(She’s So Unusual, 1983)
Originally written and released by Prince on his 1980 album Dirty Mind, Lauper recorded her own take for She’s So Unusual. Synthy and lollipop-cute, Lauper’s Brooklyn swagger holds fast during her many yips, laughs and wooos throughout the track. A solid cover of the purple genius’s work, for sure.
8. ‘If You Go Away‘
(At Last, 2003)
Lauper’s take on the classic ballad ‘If You Go Away’ (an adaptation of the 1959 Jacques Brel song ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’) taken from her collection of jazz covers is a suitably stunning rendition, and one that suits her breathy, lyrical style. While there are many great renditions on At Last, this is the one that genuinely holds up, simply because Lauper’s voice sounds unreal. Impassioned and arresting, listen if you haven’t already.
7. ‘Change Of Heart‘
(True Colours, 1986)
The second single to be released from True Colours, ‘Change Of Heart’ always feels iconic because it features fellow cult 80s females The Bangles on backing harmonies. Fusing a power rock melody with synthy guitars, this track was something of a departure from Lauper’s signature tongue-in-cheek sound. Plus, it has The Bangles on it. Case closed.
6. ‘The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough‘
(The Goonies O.S.T, 1985)
Despite Lauper reportedly hating this track (what?), ‘The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough’ will always be so special for the generation of 80s kids that grew up loving the movie. Most of us had it on a crap VHS (taped directly from the TV – hands up who had a Dad that liked to try and ‘edit out the adverts using a combination of quick reflexes and Superking cigs) that had been watched to absolute death, and Cyndi’s song (and cameo) was obviously a massive part of this obsession.
5. ‘Money Changes Everything‘
(She’s So Unusual, 1983)
Released as the fifth US single from She’s So Unusual, ‘Money Changes Everything’ is a cover of a 1978 track by American band The Brains – however, Lauper’s recording proved to be a much bigger hit than the original, and has since become a mainstay of her live show. At this point, Lauper was already being recognised for her spiky yet fresh take on the world, so the delivery of this track (and its denouncement of capitalism) must have sounded like a breath of fresh air.
4. ‘I Drove All Night‘
(A Night To Remember, 1989)
Originally written and intended for Roy Orbison, ‘I Drove All Night’ was recorded by Lauper for her third solo album, A Night To Remember. While Orbison’s 1992 version (released posthumously) was a huge hit, Lauper’s original recording (in this writer’s opinion) is infinitely better. The slick string arrangement and powerful chord changes suit Lauper’s penchant for the romantic, while that soaring chorus takes the track into classic rock territory. If Thelma & Louise had a Spotify Radio Station, this track would be top billing. Unsurprisingly, ‘I Drove All Night’ also sounds absolutely amazing live, so sack off the lads, grab your bestie and get ready to roar along accordingly.
3. ‘True Colours‘
(True Colours, 1986)
The sparse vocal on ‘True Colours’ is ironically what makes it one of the most powerful tracks in Cyndi’s arsenal. Adopted as an anthem by the LGBTQ+ community, the song can leave you in absolute tatters when used in the context of feeling excluded – and the beauty of it bringing people together (especially when played live) is something quite magical to behold. Even now, the breathy: ‘can’t remember when I last saw you laugh’ reduces this writer to tears. A stunning, stunning track that probably would have taken top spot based on feels alone.
2. ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun‘
(She’s So Unusual, 1983)
There was a point during the mid-90s when this writer will fully admit that she couldn’t stand ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Re-released in 1994 to celebrate a greatest hits compilation, it felt like the track was everywhere and gave the women in my family an excuse to take to the dancefloor at any gathering and jump about like idiots (as a teen, I was obviously mortified). Four decades on from the track’s original release, my opinion has changed. Sure, it’s frothy and fun, yet I can’t help but feel how important this song must have sounded to the women of the 80s. A battle cry in honour of creative and sexual liberation, a ‘feminist anthem’, Lauper’s first major single is the one that defined her activism, her aesthetic and her prowess as a pop star. Sure, it’s bona fide shit hen party material, but who cares? Girls really DO just want to have fun, and that message is just as important now as it ever was.
1. ‘Time After Time‘
(She’s So Unusual, 1983)
Often hailed as one of the greatest pop songs of all time, ‘Time After Time’ is arguably the track that set Lauper above her contemporaries – i.e. no one has written an 80s ballad that has quite the same clout or longevity. A mainstay on the late Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs, ‘Time After Time’ is the literal definition of a musical masterpiece; touching without being too cloying, popular without ever feeling overplayed. Doesn’t matter where you are – garden centre, supermarket bakery aisle, or simply having a 2am existential crisis in the back of an Uber, ‘Time After Time’ will never fail to bring you gently back down to Earth.
