10 Famous Pop Songs You Didn't Realise Were Covers
6. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 feminist anthem has become ubiquitous with female empowerment worldwide and is almost guaranteed to feature at some point during any all-female gathering.
However, despite its reputation, you may be surprised to learn that Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was a demo track originally written and recorded in 1979 by new-wave musician Robert Hazard.
Initially sung from a male perspective about a bad boy being obsessed with chasing girls, Lauper’s version is certainly a far cry away from the original and managed to subvert the well-established ‘girl meets boy and falls in love’ trope, setting it apart from many other songs of the era.
The song’s empowering lyrics combined with its critically acclaimed music video, which won the inaugural Best Female Video award at the 1984 Grammys, helping it to become one of the 1980s most iconic hits.