Born in Queens, New York to Swiss German-American Fred Lauper and Sicilian Italian-American Catrine Dominique, she began her career in a cover band, but soon began performing her own songs (though she almost quit singing altogether due to strained vocal chords in 1977). By 1980 she'd released a rockabilly album on Polydor with the band Blue Angel. Despite much critical acclaim, the album "went lead," as Lauper says, and the band split as Lauper filed for bankruptcy.
In 1983 she started dating her manager David Wolff with whom she released She's So Unusual, a worldwide hit album which made Lauper a household name. A mixture of teen-friendly pop-rock and edgier, almost punky sounds, the album's biggest hit, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, quickly established itself as a female anthem. Lauper won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984 for her work on the album. Lauper was the first female artist to have four consecutive Hot 100 Top 5 hits from one album.
Subsequent albums (such as True Colors, A Night to Remember, Hat Full of Stars) did not sell as well, but Lauper remains active to the present day and still retains a very strong fan base.
Lauper's latest album Memphis Blues was released in June 2011, premiering at #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart where it remained for 14 consecutive weeks. The album also reached #26 on the Billboard Top 200, and was later named the Billboard Blues Album of the year, also earning Lauper a Grammy nomination. This brought her total Grammy nominations to 13 with one win.
Hey Now
Cyndi Lauper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now
Come on
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I come home in the morning light
My mother says, "When you gonna live your life right"
Oh mommy dear, we're not the fortunate ones
And girls, they wanna have fun
Oh, girls they wanna have
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you
Girls just wanna have fun now
Come on
The phone rings in the middle of the night
My father yells, "Whatchu gonna do with your life?"
Oh daddy dear, you know you're still number one
But girls they wanna have fun,
Oh, girls they wanna have
That's all they really want, some fun
When the working day is done
You know girls they wanna have fun
Come on
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now
Come on
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now
And the boys they wanna have fun
And the girls they wanna have fun
And the boys they wanna have fun
And the girls they wanna have
Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now
Come on
Hey now, hey now (when the working day is done)
What's the matter with you? (You know girls)
Girls just wanna have fun now (they wanna have fun)
(come on, come on)
And the boys they wanna have fun
And the girls they wanna have fun (What's the matter with you?)
And the boys they wanna have fun (Girls just wanna have fun now)
And the girls they wanna have fun
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Come on (fun now)
And the boys they wanna have fun
And the girls they wanna have fun (Wanna have fun now)
And the boys they wanna have fun (Come on, come on)
And the girls they wanna have
Hey now, hey now (oh)
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now (come on)
Come on (come on)
Hey now, hey now (Oh mommy dear we're )
What's the matter with you? (not the fortunate ones))
Girls just wanna have fun now
You know girls they wanna have fun, come on
Hey now, hey now
What's the matter with you?
Girls just wanna have fun now
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is a song by Cyndi Lauper, released in 1983 as the lead single from her debut album, She's So Unusual. The song became an instant pop-culture classic with its upbeat melody, playful lyrics, and empowering message of female liberation.
The lyrics of the song describe a girl's desire to live a carefree life full of fun and enjoyment, free from any judgments or restrictions imposed by society or family. The opening lines "I come home in the morning light, my mother says when you gonna live your life right?" suggest the girl is returning home at a time her family deems inappropriate, but she's determined to live her life the way she wants. The chorus "Girls just wanna have fun" is a direct declaration of female empowerment and a call to action for women everywhere to live their lives on their own terms.
The second verse describes a similar scenario, but this time, with the girl's father questioning her about her future plans. She brushes off his question, stating that while he may be number one in her life, having fun is something she and all girls need. The bridge emphasizes the idea that everyone, including boys, deserves to have fun in life.
Overall, the song's message is clear: women just want to have fun and be free to live their lives the way they see fit. It's an anthem that resonated with women around the world, inspiring a generation of women to take control of their lives and demand equality.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey now, hey now
The singer is trying to get the attention of someone.
What's the matter with you?
The singer is wondering about the person's problem.
Girls just wanna have fun now
Girls only want to have a good time.
Come on
The singer is encouraging the person to loosen up.
I come home in the morning light
The singer comes home early in the morning.
My mother says, "When you gonna live your life right"
The singer's mother is trying to get the singer to make better choices in life.
Oh mommy dear, we're not the fortunate ones
The singer acknowledges that they are not lucky and have less opportunities than others.
And girls, they wanna have fun
Girls just want to have a good time.
Oh, girls they wanna have
Girls want to have fun and enjoy life.
The phone rings in the middle of the night
The singer's phone rings during the night.
My father yells, "Whatchu gonna do with your life?"
The singer's father is asking them about their future.
Oh daddy dear, you know you're still number one
The singer reassures their father that they appreciate him.
But girls they wanna have fun,
Girls want to enjoy life.
That's all they really want, some fun
Girls only desire to have a good time.
When the working day is done
After work hours, girls want to enjoy free time.
You know girls they wanna have fun
Girls want to savor life's moments.
And the boys they wanna have fun
Boys too, desire to have a good time.
And the girls they wanna have fun
Girls want to have fun too.
Some boys take a beautiful girl, and hide her away from the rest of the world
Some boys may isolate a girl they like from others.
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun
The singer wants to be their own self and enjoy life's opportunities.
And the boys they wanna have fun, and the girls they wanna have fun
Both boys and girls want to enjoy life.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This is an expression of excitement.
You know girls they wanna have fun, come on
The singer is encouraging everyone to have fun and enjoy life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert Hazard, Lolly Vegas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rayo4847
29 years later and this song still rocks! Cyndi Lauper is brilliant! â€ïž
@larryd1344
44 years later (40 if you count the cover by Cyndi).
@roseakarosiehweinstein3216
You go woman showing her love for the LGBTQIA community
@SpaceCattttt
I honestly can't decide which version of the song is the better. They're both utterly fantastic.
@Liamf986
Watch this one but live
@redmr2na
I kind of like this one better. The original us awesome as well, but this a jewel for being more serious.
@sonsonic6204
The Robert Hazard version is better than this
@otumpalesc
For me this is the best, with this version I got to know the song and it brings back beautiful memories of my adolescence
@matthewdonovan1240
I'm a big fan of the first version but this is still amazing. I heard the Robert Hazard original yesterday and it isn't a patch on this.
@cakes3958
This makes me emotional. Positive representation of LGBT back when it was still very dangerous.