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.
Who Let in the Rain
Cyndi Lauper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can always take a little time
I always thought
We'd be together down the line
We start to fight
And can't get over what was said
'Cause you see black and white
And I see red
And I wonder who let in the rain
You know without you
I'm not the same
When love gets strong
People get weak
Sometimes they lose control
And wind up in too deep
They fall like rain
Who let in the rain
I make the bed and cover
Where you used to sleep
I'm smoothing over promises
Made in these sheets
I envy lovers passing by
Out on the street
'Cause what they have
I couldn't keep
And I wonder who let in the rain
You know without you
I'm not the same
When love gets strong
People gets weak
Sometimes they lose control
And wind up in too deep
They fall like rain
Who let in the rain...
In Cyndi Lauper's song "Who Let in the Rain," the lyrics deal with the aftermath of a relationship falling apart. The song's speaker begins the first verse by lamenting the fact that relationships can take time and eventually start to fall apart. They thought that they would be together down the line, but instead, they start to fight and can't move past the hurtful things that were said. The singer sees things in shades of black and white, while their partner sees red, indicating a clash of perspective.
In the chorus, the singer wonders who let in the rain, which could be seen as a metaphor for the emotional turmoil of the relationship falling apart. Without their partner, the singer says they are not the same, indicating that they were heavily invested in the relationship. The following lines in the chorus suggest that strong love can make people act surprisingly weak and lose control, resulting in getting too emotionally invested in the relationship, leading to the eventual break-up that feels like falling like rain.
In the second verse, the singer's emotions are heightened. They feel lonely and envy the lovers they see passing them by on the street. The singer is covering their bed and smoothing over the promises made in the sheets, indicating that the relationship has ended. To add salt to the wound, they also suggest being unable to remain in the committed relationship, highlighting their insufficiency.
Line by Line Meaning
Things like this
Situations like this one
Can always take a little time
Often require a patience to resolve
I always thought
I had believed
We'd be together down the line
Our relationship would last into the future
We start to fight
We enter into conflict
And can't get over what was said
Are unable to move past the hurtful things we said
'Cause you see black and white
Because you see things in a simplistic manner
And I see red
And I become very angry
And I wonder who let in the rain
And I ponder who or what caused our relationship to fail
You know without you
I am aware that in your absence
I'm not the same
I am no longer the person I once was
When love gets strong
As love intensifies
People get weak
Individuals become vulnerable
Sometimes they lose control
At times they lack the ability to manage their emotions
And wind up in too deep
And find themselves in a situation that is difficult to escape from
They fall like rain
They come crashing down like a deluge of water
I make the bed and cover
I prepare the sleeping area
Where you used to sleep
Where you once rested
I'm smoothing over promises
I'm attempting to cover the broken commitments
Made in these sheets
That we made while we were in bed together
I envy lovers passing by
I am envious of those who appear to have successful relationships
Out on the street
In the public eye
'Cause what they have
Because the love they share
I couldn't keep
I was unable to maintain
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: CYNDI LAUPER, A WILLIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gyorgykarady8028
This is all true, only if we take into account the singing skills, the diversity of the sound, the range of sounds, then it is above not only Madonna, but the other singers!
27
Lane Barker
Lane Barker
2 éve
The timing of Madonna's arrival, and less than stellar promotion overshadowed Cyndi. Her range, lyrical skills, and connection with her audiences was, and is worthy of an icon. To me and millions globally she is just that, an icon.
40
GHOSTbirdnatureLOVER
GHOSTbirdnatureLOVER
2 éve
wait seriously? where did you get those numbers?
1
Erik A
Erik A
6 hónapja
Her stuff stopped being commercial. This has more of an "adult contemporary" feel to it, albeit with some weird synth stuff thrown in, whereas Madonna never stopped riding trends and putting pop music out.
KebabMusicLtd
KebabMusicLtd
4 hónapja
I can never understand why people need to keep regurgitating the same old Madonna vs Cindi trope. There were similarities in style in 1983 but after that each girls direction followed a different trajectory. Both made enough money from their respective careers to allow them to live comfortably for the rest of their natural, thank you very much. I can listen to tracks from both these women without considering whether it pleased one or the others bank manager.
6
88feji
88feji
4 hónapja
+KebabMusicLtd
Both Cyndi Lauper and Madonna's song appeal are just about equal in my opinion, Madonna of course has been more popular for longer periods of time but despite Cyndi's lack of sales, she's consistently been making great songs long after her popularity has waned, her catalogue of great songs are just as long as Madonna's.
Even over the last decade, I managed to find some really amazing songs in Cyndi's relatively recent efforts and I would recommend people listen to her later efforts like Echo, Rocking Chair, Into The Nightlife and even a lovely surreal cover of The Beatles's Across The Universe ...
I really do enjoy Madonna's songs too, although a lot of her hits from the 80s and 90s does not seem to stand the test of time as much as Cyndi's ... songs like La Isla Bonita, Open Your Heart, Papa Don't Preach,Who's That Girl etc does not seem to stand up to repeat listening.. But there are still a lot of Madonna gems to be had ...ironically a lot of lesser known Madonna songs are quite great ...
Personality wise I'll alway prefer Cyndi Lauper .. Madonna comes across kind of arrogant and too strong ... maybe thats why Madonna attracts more attention and the attentions helps to sell her albums as people are more curious about her .
@franko6677
Cyndi was incredibly under-appreciated at this time in her career. The “Hat Full of Stars” album was fantastic but I don’t remember ever hearing any of the songs on the radio. It was ignored. I’m glad that in recent years she has gotten more appreciation and the icon status she deserves.
@mycats63
This is one of the best vocal performances of the 90s, and it was buried in obscurity... it's just criminal!
@lanecampbell8049
The timing of Madonna's arrival, and less than stellar promotion overshadowed Cyndi. Her range, lyrical skills, and connection with her audiences was, and is worthy of an icon. To me and millions globally she is just that, an icon.
@GHOSTbirdnatureLOVER
wait seriously? where did you get those numbers?
@erika9763
Her stuff stopped being commercial. This has more of an "adult contemporary" feel to it, albeit with some weird synth stuff thrown in, whereas Madonna never stopped riding trends and putting pop music out.
@KebabMusicLtd
I can never understand why people need to keep regurgitating the same old Madonna vs Cindi trope. There were similarities in style in 1983 but after that each girls direction followed a different trajectory. Both made enough money from their respective careers to allow them to live comfortably for the rest of their natural, thank you very much. I can listen to tracks from both these women without considering whether it pleased one or the others bank manager.
@88feji
+KebabMusicLtd
Both Cyndi Lauper and Madonna's song appeal are just about equal in my opinion, Madonna of course has been more popular for longer periods of time but despite Cyndi's lack of sales, she's consistently been making great songs long after her popularity has waned, her catalogue of great songs are just as long as Madonna's.
Even over the last decade, I managed to find some really amazing songs in Cyndi's relatively recent efforts and I would recommend people listen to her later efforts like Echo, Rocking Chair, Into The Nightlife and even a lovely surreal cover of The Beatles's Across The Universe ...
I really do enjoy Madonna's songs too, although a lot of her hits from the 80s and 90s does not seem to stand the test of time as much as Cyndi's ... songs like La Isla Bonita, Open Your Heart, Papa Don't Preach,Who's That Girl etc does not seem to stand up to repeat listening.. But there are still a lot of Madonna gems to be had ...ironically a lot of lesser known Madonna songs are quite great ...
Personality wise I'll alway prefer Cyndi Lauper .. Madonna comes across kind of arrogant and too strong ... maybe thats why Madonna attracts more attention and the attentions helps to sell her albums as people are more curious about her ...
@gyorgykarady8028
This is all true, only if we take into account the singing skills, the diversity of the sound, the range of sounds, then it is above not only Madonna, but the other singers!
27
Lane Barker
Lane Barker
2 éve
The timing of Madonna's arrival, and less than stellar promotion overshadowed Cyndi. Her range, lyrical skills, and connection with her audiences was, and is worthy of an icon. To me and millions globally she is just that, an icon.
40
GHOSTbirdnatureLOVER
GHOSTbirdnatureLOVER
2 éve
wait seriously? where did you get those numbers?
1
Erik A
Erik A
6 hónapja
Her stuff stopped being commercial. This has more of an "adult contemporary" feel to it, albeit with some weird synth stuff thrown in, whereas Madonna never stopped riding trends and putting pop music out.
KebabMusicLtd
KebabMusicLtd
4 hónapja
I can never understand why people need to keep regurgitating the same old Madonna vs Cindi trope. There were similarities in style in 1983 but after that each girls direction followed a different trajectory. Both made enough money from their respective careers to allow them to live comfortably for the rest of their natural, thank you very much. I can listen to tracks from both these women without considering whether it pleased one or the others bank manager.
6
88feji
88feji
4 hónapja
+KebabMusicLtd
Both Cyndi Lauper and Madonna's song appeal are just about equal in my opinion, Madonna of course has been more popular for longer periods of time but despite Cyndi's lack of sales, she's consistently been making great songs long after her popularity has waned, her catalogue of great songs are just as long as Madonna's.
Even over the last decade, I managed to find some really amazing songs in Cyndi's relatively recent efforts and I would recommend people listen to her later efforts like Echo, Rocking Chair, Into The Nightlife and even a lovely surreal cover of The Beatles's Across The Universe ...
I really do enjoy Madonna's songs too, although a lot of her hits from the 80s and 90s does not seem to stand the test of time as much as Cyndi's ... songs like La Isla Bonita, Open Your Heart, Papa Don't Preach,Who's That Girl etc does not seem to stand up to repeat listening.. But there are still a lot of Madonna gems to be had ...ironically a lot of lesser known Madonna songs are quite great ...
Personality wise I'll alway prefer Cyndi Lauper .. Madonna comes across kind of arrogant and too strong ... maybe thats why Madonna attracts more attention and the attentions helps to sell her albums as people are more curious about her .
@shawnwolff1211
Cyndi is such a true and powerful voice. Her lyrics tap directly into my soul.
@ovetuverud7044
Incredible song and a really underrated album. Her best!!