Cyndi Lauper is usually trapped in a fluorescent-colored box. People see the orange hair, hear the hiccuping giggle from 1983, and immediately start humming about girls wanting to have fun. It’s a great song. Iconic, even. But if you think the list of Cyndi Lauper songs ends with a few MTV staples and a Goonies soundtrack appearance, you’re missing the actual artist.
Honestly, Cyndi is a shapeshifter. She’s moved from rockabilly and New Wave to soul, electronica, and even country. Most fans know the hits, but the real grit of her career is buried in the albums that didn't go quadruple platinum. We’re talking about a woman who out-sang almost everyone in the 80s and then decided to just do whatever she wanted.
The Blockbusters Everyone Knows
You can't talk about her without the "Big Four" from She’s So Unusual. Released in late 1983, this record made her the first female artist to have four top-five hits from a debut.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is the obvious one. But did you know it was originally written by a guy named Robert Hazard? He wrote it as a "boys will be boys" kind of anthem. Cyndi flipped the script, turned it into a feminist rallying cry, and basically changed pop history with a wink and a shrug.
Then there is "Time After Time." It's a perfect song. Miles Davis covered it. It’s been played at every prom for forty years. It’s the kind of track that feels like it’s always existed in the atmosphere.
Rounding out the early hits:
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- "She Bop" – A cheeky, synth-heavy track about... well, self-pleasure. It got her on the PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen" list, which only made it cooler.
- "All Through the Night" – A Jules Shear cover that Cyndi made entirely her own with those ethereal, soaring vocals.
- "Money Changes Everything" – The opening track of her debut. It’s raw, it’s angry, and it’s way more "punk" than people remember.
The True Colors Era and Beyond
By 1986, the neon was fading a bit, but the music got deeper. "True Colors" became more than just a song; it became an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community and anyone feeling like an outsider. It’s quiet. It’s sparse. It’s beautiful.
But look at "Change of Heart." It’s got this driving, percussive beat—thanks in part to The Bangles singing backup—that feels like a bridge between the 80s and the more experimental 90s.
Then came "I Drove All Night." Most people associate it with Celine Dion or Roy Orbison, but Cyndi’s 1989 version is the definitive one for many. It’s desperate. It’s loud. It’s got that signature Lauper "yelp" that no one else can replicate.
The Deep Cuts You’ve Probably Skipped
This is where the list of Cyndi Lauper songs gets interesting. If you only listen to the radio, you’ve never heard "Sally’s Pigeons." It’s a devastating story about a childhood friend who died after a back-alley abortion. It’s haunting, social commentary dressed up in a folk-pop melody.
And then there's "Hat Full of Stars." The title track of her 1993 album is a masterclass in songwriting. It’s about being poor but having an inner life that’s rich. It’s also where she started experimenting with different sounds, moving away from the "pop princess" label that never really fit her anyway.
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Ever heard "Sisters of Avalon"? It sounds like it belongs in a misty forest. It’s witchy, feminist, and features a lot of zither. Yes, a zither.
Essential Deep Cuts for Your Playlist:
- "Witness" – A reggae-tinged track from her debut that sounds like The Police if they had more soul.
- "911" – A weird, frantic song from True Colors that features a cameo by Pee-wee Herman. Seriously.
- "Who Let In The Rain" – A 1993 ballad that should have been a massive hit. It’s heartbreakingly simple.
- "Into the Nightlife" – Cyndi’s 2008 foray into pure club music. It went to #1 on the dance charts because Cyndi knows how to throw a party.
The Broadway and Genre Pivots
Most artists get comfortable. Cyndi got bored. She wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway smash "Kinky Boots," winning a Tony Award in the process. Songs like "Not My Father's Son" and "The Sex Is in the Heel" proved she could write for characters just as well as she could write for herself.
In 2010, she released Memphis Blues. It wasn't a "pop star does blues" gimmick. She went to Memphis, worked with legends like Allen Toussaint and B.B. King, and turned in one of the best blues albums of the decade. Tracks like "Crossroads" and "Early in the Mornin'" show off a grit in her voice that you don't hear on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."
She even did a country album called Detour in 2016. Her cover of "Funnel of Love" is a psychobilly trip that sounds like it was recorded in a smoky dive bar in 1955.
Why We Are Still Talking About Her
Cyndi Lauper isn't a legacy act. She’s a songwriter’s songwriter. The sheer variety in the list of Cyndi Lauper songs is staggering when you actually look at the credits. She co-wrote almost all of her best work.
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She wasn't just a face; she was the architect.
When you listen to her today, you’re hearing the blueprint for artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Billie Eilish. She taught them that you can be weird, you can be loud, and you can change your mind about what kind of music you want to make.
If you want to truly understand her, stop listening to the greatest hits on repeat. Dig into the middle of A Night to Remember or the back half of Bring Ya to the Brink. You'll find a woman who was never "unusual" just for the sake of it—she was just being herself.
Actionable Next Steps:
To get a full sense of her range, create a "Bridge Playlist" that connects her eras. Start with the punk-energy of "Money Changes Everything," move into the soulful "Who Let In The Rain," and finish with the house-music thumps of "Same Ol' Story." Seeing the evolution in one sitting makes the 40-year career make a lot more sense.