CYNDI LAUPER

All Through The Night

written by Jules Shear

produced by Rick Chertoff

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I’m making this page on June 23rd, 2021, the day after the 68th

birthday of Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper. (Gosh, this site makes

me feel old.) Happy Birthday, CL!! (It’s kind of a bit depressing to

think that she’s now doing Cosentyx commercials, but hey, long as

she’s still healthy.)

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Cyndi... wow, where do I even start... Cyndi’s from New York—born in Manhattan and raised in Queens—as if you can’t tell from listening to her talk—and started out exhibiting her quirky personality traits early, showing off, among other things, her bizarrely eye-popping hair dye and apparel choices. The hair dye thing has of course lasted her entire life. Her persona type was clearly pretty creative and artistic; she didn’t do so great in school, but nailed art and music.

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Though Cyndi’s solo recording career didn’t actually kick off till she was 30, she was singing in cover bands as a teen, and formed the retro/rockabilly/new wave-type band Blue Angel in her 20s. Blue Angel broke up, and Cyndi was compelled to work some menial jobs to make ends meet, until manager David Wolff met her, took over her career, and nabbed her a deal with Epic Records’ division Portrait.

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With a team of a talented crew and some amazing songwriters—Cyndi actually co-wrote a few of her first songs herself; imagine that—debut solo Lauper album She’s So Unusual came into form in 1983, and was finally released in October. The album release was preceded by its leading single—and the song that really—let’s be honest—defined Cyndi’s career, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” It was made into a correspondingly fun video co-starring Captain Lou Albano—who took Cyndi on as a wrestling protegé—as her Daddy dear, and as Cyndi’s Mom... Catrine Lauper, Cyndi’s actual real-life Mom.

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Every few years after came a new Lauper record with new hits, but none made quite as big a splash as She’s So Unusual... it was nominated, just to put things in perspective, for sixteen total MTV VMAs and Grammys, winning three. Besides “Girls/Fun,” written for her by Robert Hazard, Tom Gray from The Brains wrote her and SSU a song, as well as Prince, and Rob Hyman from The Hooters co-wrote “Time After Time,” on which he also recorded vocals with Cyndi. This song, “All Through The Night,” was penned by another pop song writer, Jules Shear. With its literally dreamy feel, and descending keyboard riff, like twinkly stars slowly shooting down to Earth, it’s still probably my favorite Lauper ditty.

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And leave it to me to mention this, but not long at all after the song and album came out, my beloved favorite band (Roxette)’s female half, Marie Fredriksson (before they even formed the Roxette we know and love) had “All Through The Night” translated into Swedish for her and recorded the Swedish version for her debut album in 1984—titled “Natt efter natt” (“night after night”)—though it did not make the cut. But it did come with the album on its special edition re-issue years later. Aside from the words and the voice—and a wicked awesome guitar solo in place of the wicked awesome synth solo—it sounds almost exactly alike to Cyndi’s original.

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(P.S. Verse two below, the insert lyric says “what by day they lack”... which I just can’t hear. I swear I hear the word “binding,” but am unsure how much sense that makes. Something similar is usually going on when I write “official source or lyric wanted” below a song’s lyrics.)

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Have notes to add? Let me know!

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YT:

full version

music video

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Cyndi’s official website

Lyrics

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All through the night / I’ll be awake, and I’ll be with you / All through the night / This precious time,

when time is new / Oh, all through the night today / Knowing that we feel the same without saying  / We have no past, we won’t reach back / Keep with me forward, all through the night / And once we start, the meter clicks / And it goes running all through the night / Until it ends, there is no end / All through the night / Stray cat is crying, so stray cat sings back / All through the night / They have forgotten what binding they lack* / Oh, under those white street lamps / There is a little chance they may see / x1 / Oh, the sleep in your eyes is enough / Let me be there, let me stay there awhile / x1 / Keep with me forward, all through the night / And once we start, the meter clicks / And it goes running all through the night / Until it ends, there is no end

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*Official source or lyric wanted!

first release: She’s So Unusual (1983/10/14)