On June 9, 1984, Cyndi Lauper had her first hit No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Time After Time.” The song was the second single released from her 1983 debut album, “She’s So Unusual.” The ballad was nominated for Song of the Year at the 1985 Grammys. Lauper won the Grammy that same year for Best New Artist. The beautiful and bittersweet ballad still ranks as one of the best love songs of all time.
Born Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper on June 22, 1953 in New York City, she had a tough time fitting in as a kid. Her divorced parents struggled to make ends meet and she had trouble towing the line in school. However, when she fell in love with music, she discovered her life’s passion. Lauper started writing her own songs when she was 12 years old. After joining the band Blue Angel and releasing one album with them, Lauper was ready to stage her solo career.
She took the world by storm with her aptly titled 1983 debut album, “She’s So Unusual.” “Time After Time” almost didn’t appear on the album. After spending months recording the album, producer Rick Chertoff told Lauper they could use one more song before tying a ribbon on the project. When Lauper sat down with keyboardist Rob Hyman to write a song, she leafed through the listings in TV Guide for inspiration. The 1979 Sci-Fi film “Time After Time” jumped out at her, becoming the title for Lauper’s soon-to-be blockbuster ballad. Both Lauper and Hyman used their respective relationship problems to channel the poignant song lyrics. The song’s narration is told from the perspective of a young woman who is leaving her boyfriend, but still treasures the time they were together: “If you’re lost you can look – and you will find me/time after time/if you fall I will catch you, I’ll be waiting, time after time.”
The studio loved the track and wanted to make “Time After Time” the debut single. Lauper insisted that her uptempo, playful, feminist anthem, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” was a better way to announce her pop-punk brand to the world. Also, she did not want to be immediately typecast as an “easy listening” artist. Lauper’s instincts were correct. The Grammy Award-winning music video for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” immediately grabbed the world’s attention. When she released her introspective second single, “Time After Time,” Lauper showed her range as an artist.
“She’s So Unusual” generated two other top five hits, “All Through The Night” and “She Bop.” Since starting her iconic career over three decades ago, Lauper has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Thirty-four years later, Lauper’s first No. 1 single still pulls at our heartstrings, time after time.