Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Robert Hazard penned the original version of Girls Just Want to Have Fun in 1979, but Cyndi Lauper transformed it into a global phenomenon four years later. Her debut single for Portrait Records arrived just before her groundbreaking album She's So Unusual dropped in October 1983. The track blends new wave energy with bubblegum pop and post-disco rhythms, delivering lyrics that champion female independence without sounding preachy. Lauper tweaked the verses to reflect her own perspective, turning a male-written song about carefree living into an anthem for women everywhere. The accompanying music video won a MTV Video Music Award and propelled the single to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over 14 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles by a female artist during the decade. The song earned Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance while ranking high on lists from Rolling Stone and VH1. Later versions include a 1994 remix titled Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun) and a 2013 update by Yolanda Be Cool.[edit]