There’s a song for every mood, every occasion, every thought out there. But none do uplifting melancholia quite like “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper, thanks to the ultimate combination of a voice unlike any other paired with lyrics that twist our hearts into bowties in the best and worst ways that makes this track uniquely timeless—and we can prove it.
Lauper first graced and haunted listeners with “True Colors” in 1986, with lyrics masterfully crafted by songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was completed just in time for Lauper’s second studio album, which shares the song’s name, and enjoyed two weeks sitting nice and cozy at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100. But Lauper and the gang did more than release a chart-topper; this would be the go-to ballad when listeners need to put sound to their pain and that was very unintentionally by design.
“True Colors” performed by Cyndi Lauper was a perfect storm for an emotional journey
The original demo of “True Colors” was styled around a piano-based gospel ballad. Lauper took this original version, as produced by Steinberg and Kelly, and went a step further. Steinberg told Songfacts, “Cyndi completely dismantled that sort of traditional arrangement and came up with something that was breathtaking and stark.” If that isn’t an incredible framework for a song about tapping into your true, beautiful colors, then nothing is.
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One fact remained, however: Kelly originally wrote this tear-jerker about his mother.
Thankfully the accompanying music video is perfectly worthy of this powerful ballad. It’s cyclical in nature, much like life is, but with a resounding message of hope; what starts off as unrelenting isolation becomes uplifting change. There is love and there is heartbreak, and at the end of the day, it will be okay.
Legends never fade
“True Colors” proved formative for Lauper and her career. The track she produced alongside record producer Lennie Petze proved that she was a pop singer who was neither a one-hit wonder nor a star destined to dwindle. But it also became an anthem for the grieving, an embodiment of an inner ache that almost all other words couldn’t reach.
To this day, “True Colors” manages to resonate deeply across generations, even when listeners are feeling at their worst—and through the bittersweet notes, it manages to inspire…if not exactly hope, then at least comfort.
“This song makes me feel sad, I’m not sure why,” one listener mused of the music video, which has over 155 million views on YouTube, “like it’s reminding me of something I had forgotten.”
For some, they know exactly what it’s reminding them of, with many listeners sharing stories of loved ones who have since departed or—at the time they wrote their comments—would be soon leaving this world. In sharing their stories, listeners across generations have also been brought together, as is the case with one fan who shared a story of hardship, bullying, and harmful thoughts. “I will forever be grateful for this song getting me through that tough time in my life and the tough time I’m currently going through,” the user shared, adding, “Sending hugs to everyone who needs it.”
Another summed it up perfectly, “I’m listening to this in 2024, and it made me teary eyed. It sounds better now than I remember it did in the 80’s.”
The album celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2021, an occasion marked by an expanded digital edition released that October. Have you listened to this special edition yet?
