From the original version, which is a song praising men's loveliness, Cyndi Lauper changed the lyrics and created a classic song about every girl's heart in the 1980s.
In 1983, "hashish" singer Cyndi Lauper released her first solo album She's so Unusual and surprised music critics. Just Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, the album's first single, made Cyndi a superstar in the hearts of fans. The song reached number two on the Billboard chart, entering the Top 10 in 19 countries around the world. Rolling Stone, MTV, and VH1 in separate polls all honored Girls Just Wanna Have Fun as one of the songs with the best MVs of all time.
Cyndi Lauper began her music career with her debut album released at the age of 30.
The song opens with the image of a mother preparing breakfast, her eyes occasionally glancing at the clock in frustration. Her daughter did not return all night. God only knows where she is now. At the same time, on a long, sleepy street, Cyndi Lauper - waving her arms and legs as if she thought she was at a party, enthusiastic as if she had never been tired - was on her way home.
The mother was not satisfied at all. She was afraid that Cyndi would go the wrong way and ruin her whole life by playing all night long. Cyndi reassured her, that she was not some kind of pervert. She just wanted to have a little fun with her friends:
“… I come home in the morning light
My mother says when you gonna live your life right
Oh mother dear we're not the lucky ones
And girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just wanna have fun…”
“… I go home in the morning sunlight
Mom said: When will you live kindly?
Oh dear mother, we are not rich people
And girls, they just want to have fun
These girls just want to have fun…”
The father was equally annoyed when he was woken up in the middle of the night by his daughter's phone ringing. He was angry and scolded his son for just wandering around and playing around all day, not knowing what to think about the future. "Clumsy at rowing, skillful at fighting", Cyndi quickly "flattery" her father. In her heart, her father is still number one. She always thinks about her family and loves and respects her father immensely. But Cyndi is young and she wants to enjoy her youth while she can. A little fun with the girls doesn't hurt, especially when they've had a long, tiring day.
“… The phone rings in the middle of the night
My father yells what you gonna do with your life
Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one
But girls they want to have fun…”
“… The phone rang in the middle of the night
My father scolded: What the hell are you going to do with your life?
Oh, Dear Father, You know You are still number one to me
But girls, they want to have fun…”
It is very difficult to stand still amid the bustling music of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. You will be surprised to see how long you have been swaying and dancing to the music.
Cyndi Lauper trong MV "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".
Cyndi's voice is passionate and energetic, high-pitched and sharp as a needle - a special voice that the audience will never forget once they hear it. The special pronunciation of the word "fu-un" and the incorrect reading of "want to" as "wanna" create even more irresistible excitement in the song. Cyndi performed the song passionately, full of energy without any fuss. That's the spirit of the song, "girls just want to have fun". The song is fun and Cyndi Lauper performs it comfortably as if she's just goofing around with her friends.
It's hard to believe that when performing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper was already 30 years old. With fiery messy hair, curvy red lips and elaborate accessories, in the eyes of the audience, Cyndy Lauper forever a 17 year old "sassy girl".
“… Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls they wanna have fun…”
“… Some guys have beautiful girls
Hide her from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sunlight
Oh, girls, they just want to have fun…”
Click to hear Cyndi Lauper perform the song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
While many women cry because they haven't found someone they love, Cyndi Lauper happily enjoys her single life. Many men consider their girlfriends to be owned, forbidden, and controlled. They caress women with sentences like "Behind every successful man is the silhouette of a woman." Don't be fooled! Is it possible that a woman's position is always behind a man?
Cyndi Lauper doesn't want that. She wants to be herself, stand tall under the sun, pursue her passion, do everything she wants. In a society where women are subject to so many constraints and limitations, Cyndi Lauper's song is a rebellion. It is a shout to men and the whole world that: "Women also have the right to find their own joy."
Old-fashioned people who listen to the song will judge girls like Cyndi Lauper as spoiled and criticize Girls Just Wanna Have Fun for promoting an irresponsible lifestyle. However, that is absolutely not the case. As Cyndi Lauper herself sang: “When the working day is done - Girls, they want to have fun.” Do men have the right to hang out and drink during off hours, but women can't gather with friends, dance, and chat to relax?
Considered a women's manifesto, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was composed by a man: musician Robert Hazard. The song brags about how lucky he is to always be surrounded by girls who want to “have fun” with him. Robert himself also recorded this song in 1979, but the recording quickly went into oblivion. It wasn't until 1983 that the song reached its peak of glory through the voice of Cyndi Lauper. With a slight change in lyrics, Cyndi turned a song from praising men's loveliness into a classic song, a symbol of feminism in the 1980s.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is one of the most famous songs of all time on the topic of feminism.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun's music video features Cyndi Lauper's biological mother Catrine playing herself; Lou Albano, a famous wrestling manager, plays the father; There are also lawyers, managers, and Cyndi's brother. Unlike many MVs of famous singers that only choose people with beautiful faces, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun creates a closeness and familiarity with the audience because the people in the MV are very simple and everyday.
In her book I Want My MTV, Cyndi explains her choice: “I wanted Girls Just Wanna Have Fun to be an anthem for women around the world. I mean ‘all’ women and a believable message that we are strong people. I want to make sure that when a woman watches this video, she sees herself in it, whether she's fat or skinny, attractive or not, and regardless of her race." Girls Just Wanna Have Fun's MV won "Best Female Video" at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards.
Considered a cultural icon of the 1980s, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is now 30 years old - exactly the same age as Cyndi Lauper was when she recorded the song. But just like Cyndi looks forever young in the MV, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is still modern and fresh as if it was just released to the audience yesterday.
