Songful Style: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun!”

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

Oh, my land o lakes! I think April has been even longer than March was. It seems like it’s been April for months! And, to add insult to injury, it snowed today (Sunday)! Ah, well! Welcome to the last Monday in April and another edition of Songful Style. Suzy and Shelbee decided to riff (see what I did there) on Style Imitating Art only with music! Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Suzy of The Grey Brunette, Michelle of Funky Fashion Style, and I make up the bloggers in this group. You can find all of us on our blogs and Instagram.  Our ensembles (pun intended) may be inspired by the lyrics of a song, the artwork of the album cover, maybe the MTV video, or even a memory the song evokes. I picked this month’s song. Last month, Shelbee chose “Sweet Baby James.” You can see my look here. Oh, and there’s a link party, too!

The artist…

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper was born on June 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was Swiss-German; her mother was Italian. When she was five, her parents divorced. At some point in her childhood, the family moved to Queens. When she was 12, Lauper began writing songs and playing the guitar. Already ahead of her time, Lauper experimented with different hair colors and risked the ridicule of her peers. She attended Richmond Hill High School but was expelled (she later earned a GED). A free spirit, indeed, Lauper left home at 17 and spent time in the Canadian wilderness with her dog, Sparkle. She eventually ended up in Vermont and attended Johnson State College. In 2019, Lauper gave the commencement address at Northern Vermont University-Johnson where she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.

A little more…

For about a decade, from the early 70s to the early 80s, Cyndi Lauper performed as a solo act and with various bands. One of the bands, Blue Angel, landed her in bankruptcy. Steve Massarsky signed the group as manager. When the band’s eponymous album was released in 1980, it tanked. The group decided to fire Massarsky who promptly sued them for $80,000 which bankrupted Lauper. Following that time and an inverted cyst on her vocal chord, Lauper waitressed at an IHOP! Can you imagine being able to say Cyndi Lauper had served your pancakes? Eventually, her four octave voice delivered a new manager in the form of David Wolff.

Even more…

She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper’s first solo album, was released on October 14, 1983. That album produced four top five singles from the same album on the Hot 100…a first for a woman. The songs were Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time after Time, She Bop, and All Through the Night. In 1985, Lauper won “Best New Artist” at the Grammy Awards. She beat out Sheila E., The Judds, Corey Hart, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In addition, her album and/or record was nominated for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Time after Time was nominated for Song of the Year.

A skosh more…

In 2012, Kinky Boots opened in Chicago. Lauper composed the music and lyrics for the musical with Harvey Fierstein writing the book. The musical was based upon the movie of the same name. Opening on Broadway in April, 2013, the musical received 13 nominations and six wins at the 2013 Tony Awards. Lauper was the first woman to win Best Original Score. At this point, she has 3/4 of an EGOT. I’m rooting for an Oscar for something! In addition to these awards, Lauper has won an Emmy for her work on “Mad About You.” She has numerous Grammy nominations and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. I’m wondering why she isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

The song…

I come home, in the mornin' light
My mother says, "When you gonna live your life right?"
Oh momma dear, we're not the fortunate ones
And girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have fun

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 wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have

That's all they really want
Some fun
When the workin' day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have fun (girls, they want)
(Wanna have fun, girls)
(Wanna have)

Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest o' the world
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have

That's all they really want
Is some fun
When the workin' day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have fun (girls, they want)
(Wanna have fun, girls)
(Wanna have)

They just want, they just wanna (girls)
They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun)
Oh girls, girls just wanna have fun
(Just want, they just wanna)
They just wanna, they just wanna (girls)
They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun)
Oh girls, girls just wanna have fun

When the workin'
When the workin' day is done
Oh, when the workin' day is done
Oh, girls, girls just wanna have fun
Everybody
Huh, huh

They just want, they just wanna (girls)
They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun)
Oh, girls, girls just wanna have fun
(They just wanna, they just wanna) when the workin'
When the working day is done (they just want, they just wanna)
Oh, when the working day is done (girls, girls just wanna have fun)
Oh girls, girls just wanna have fun

What does it mean…

Interestingly, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was written by a guy. And, that song was not the female empowerment song we all know. In fact, Robert Hazard recorded his version in 1979. A mutual friend, Rick Chertoff, told Cyndi about the song. Hazard’s version was from the guy’s point of view and deemed misogynistic by Lauper. Together, they switched some of the words and came up with the iconic version we all know. The song, as recorded by Lauper, can be seen as a simple song encouraging girls to have fun whenever they can. If you look more closely at the lyrics, though, you’ll see it’s so much more than that. The song encourages women to look beyond what society expects of them, to choose a life centered around them rather than the wants and desires of family and friends.

A special meaning…

Nigel’s oldest sister died many years ago. At her funeral, her daughters told this story. B did not like this song at all and wouldn’t let her girls listen to it when they were younger because of its message. After her cancer diagnosis, B decided the song, however, had an important message for women…enjoy life! In fact, it was her idea the song be played at her funeral. Every time we hear this song, Nigel mentions that. I’m not sure he realizes the relevance of it being played then. While neither of us plans to have a funeral, if I were to have one, rock songs would be played…loud and proud! The only hymn I would want would be Judy Collins’ version of “Amazing Grace.”

The video…

This video cost less than $35,000 to produce. Most everyone appeared for free. Lorne Michaels…yeah, that Lorne Michaels…gave Lauper the use of his brand new million dollar editing equipment. Lou Albano, Cyndi’s close friend and WWF pro wrestler, and Cyndi’s real mom portray her parents. The conga dance on the streets really took place on the streets of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. By January 2022, the video had been viewed over one billion times on YouTube!

Interesting covers…

Now, I think you’d have to be pretty brave to cover this song, especially with a video! It such an iconic part of music video history! How anyone could even come close to the energy of Cyndi’s official video, I have no idea! I think it’s funny two guys from Sweden decided to cover this song, but here ya go! This band out of California does a pretty good cover. I especially love the wigs! OK, my mom always said, “If you can’t say something nice…” But, this one just makes me want to scream, “Why?” Give it a listen and a look and see what you think. I have shared videos by this guy before. He’s from Norway and does a heavy metal version that is pretty daggone cool! I think he’s even playing the banjo? The vocalist on this one does a nice job, but the video is boring (sorry). I’ll end with this one by Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj. It’s just OK given Perry’s vocal talents. In fact, I think Minaj does a nicer job with the song…love her outfit, too!

My interpretation…

Well, I tried. I thought this fun skirt would be perfect for this song. I just couldn’t find the right “rest of the outfit” bits and bobs! But, let’s take a look! I added this really, really old tank from Old Navy because it had orange in it, but, more importantly, it’s sunglasses! Now, that’s a fun graphic, right? I then tried to go a little punk and ended up with more a costume than a look. Everything in my look is in my closet and worn often. It just doesn’t seem to work for this challenge. I’m wearing an old distressed denim jacket from Target and my son’s old studded belt turned backward. I’m not sure if I even like this skirt in this color. I may see if I can exchange it for a color more me. But, maybe I should give it a second change and just change what I’m wearing with it.

The Lewk!

All of these have been on the blog before. The boots are my beloved Suzettes by L’Artiste. Honestly, they are my most comfortable pair of boots, and I wish I’d bought a back up pair for when these wear out! I think Cyndi may have invented the arm party! I’m probably wrong about that, but she certainly does it well! The jewelry is a mixture of old Stella & Dot and Premier Designs.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of Cyndi Lauper. I think her unapologetic support of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as her advocacy for women’s rights are not only commendable but totally expected. Lauper doesn’t shy away from being herself, and I love that! So, can we talk? Were you watching in the early 80s as Cyndi danced through her mom’s (that’s actually her mom) kitchen? Do you identify more with her mom or with the other girls in the video? What did you think of the covers? Any favorites? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk! I promise to respond as soon as possible!

Affiliate links and such:

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. As of right now, I also have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am now an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so glad you’re here…commenting, reading, emailing, subscribing, or following! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, and Style Splash. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend with Michelle every Thursday. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

And, now, it’s your turn!

Please link up your favorite posts…cooking, baking, DIY, fashion, gardening…it really doesn’t matter as long as it’s family friendly! If you don’t have a blog, please poke around. You just may discover a new blog! Michelle’s choice for next month is Meghan Trainor’s “All About that Bass.”

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