True Colors | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 1986 | |||
Recorded | November 22, 1985 – May 31, 1986 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 37:57 | |||
Label | Portrait | |||
Producer |
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Cyndi Lauper chronology | ||||
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Singles from True Colors | ||||
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True Colors is the second studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on September 16, 1986, by Portrait Records. [2] The album spawned several commercially successful singles as "True Colors", "Change of Heart", and "What's Going On" reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with the first two charting within the top five. The album was produced by Lauper herself together with Lennie Petze.
Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album earned Lauper several awards and accolades, including two nominations at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards. True Colors peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart. The album is Lauper's second best-selling release with around seven million copies worldwide.
By the end of 1985, Lauper was established as one of the best-selling artists in the world. Her first studio album was certified 4 times platinum by RIAA [3] and received a diamond certification in Canada for sales in excess of 1 million copies, making her the first singer to achieve such a feat at that time. [4] According to Billboard magazine the music industry was eyeing the singer's next steps anxious to know if she could maintain the success of her debut. [5]
In her autobiography, the singer says that she initially planned that Rick Chertoff, who produced She's So Unusual , would produce what would become her second album, however, the experience with him was problematic and she changed her mind, likewise she refused to produce the album with Rob Hyman since he was affiliated with Chertoff. [6] The album was then produced by her and Lennie Petze. [6] Lauper said that the songs of the album are a way to say: "Have the courage of your convictions and love yourself a little", and "not to be so hard on yourself". [7] In addition to composing most of the songs on the album, the singer also produced it. [6]
The title song, written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, has been covered by many other artists, and was used as the theme song for the 1988 Summer Olympics, the 2003 Rugby World Cup and for Kodak cameras and film.
In 2010, the song was also featured on the soundtrack of Sex and the City 2 . True Colors was reissued in a Japanese exclusive limited edition box set 11-track digitally remastered CD album.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
The Village Voice | B− [9] |
The album received favorable reviews from music critics. In a retrospective assessment, Eugene Chadbourne from AllMusic website gave the album three and a half stars out of five and wrote that while the album is "ambitious" and "some of the stretches really pay off" some of its aspects "date badly" like the "highly reverberated and artificial sounding drums and keyboards" which "were really popular at the time". He concluded that despite those problems "there really wasn't that much music recorded by this artist during her most popular period, so fans will no doubt want to own it all." [8] Robert Christgau from The Village Voice gave the album a B MINUS and wrote that the first side of the LP consists of "cheap sentiment" and is "disheartening" and that "the second isn't much more than a relief". He finalized the review writing that "girls just want to have money--and no fun changes everything". [9] Jimmy Guterman from Rolling Stone magazine gave the album a favorable review and wrote that Lauper's voice "sounds more comfortable at any given moment on True Colors than she did on all of She's So Unusual " and that the album "seems to indicate her extreme ease in her new surroundings" and that "she's found a new sense of peace — or at least she's heading in that direction" but he concludes that "her uneasiness gave her early work much of its spark; what places True Colors a notch below her debut is that Cyndi Lauper just isn't that unusual anymore." [10]
Le Guide du CD/FNAC of France, gave the album between 4-5 Stars, "“The second album by the craziest redhead of American Pop, True Colors follows the huge hit album, She’s So Unusual. Inhabiting the youthful energy that characterizes her, Cyndi Lauper reuses the recipe for success of her first album, with a touch of maturity, makes this opus an accomplished album. Her cover of “What’s Going On,” by Marvin Gaye, and the hits “True Colors” and “Change Of Heart,” propels the album and confirms the influence of the artist.”
In the United States, True Colors has been certified double platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. It topped the Australian chart for four weeks and, in Japan, outsold She's So Unusual , although that was not the case in most countries. The album produced the singles "True Colors" (No. 1 Billboard Hot 100), "Change of Heart" (No. 3), "What's Going On" (No. 12), and "Boy Blue" (No. 71). Each single had a music video although the video for "Boy Blue" was just a live performance from her Zenith concert in Paris. According to Lauper's official website, the album was certified 4× Platinum in Australia and Platinum in Italy. [11] The album sold around 7 million copies worldwide. [12]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Publisher | Length |
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1. | "Change of Heart" |
| Stone & Muffin Music Corp., Rella Music | 4:22 |
2. | "Maybe He'll Know" |
| Rella Music, Turi Music | 4:25 |
3. | "Boy Blue" |
| Rella Music, Perfect Punch Music, Liquid Crystal Music | 4:46 |
4. | "True Colors" | Denise Barry Music, Billy Steinberg Music | 3:46 | |
5. | "Calm Inside the Storm" |
| Scratch & Shift Music; Rella Music | 3:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Publisher | Length |
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6. | "What's Going On" | Jobete Music Corp., Stone Agate Music Division | 4:39 | |
7. | "Iko Iko" |
| Arc Music Corp., Melder Publishing Company, Trio Music Co., Warner-Tamerlane Publishing | 2:08 |
8. | "The Faraway Nearby" |
| Rella Music, Gray Matter Publishing | 3:00 |
9. | "911" |
| Rella Music, Perfect Punch Music | 3:16 |
10. | "One Track Mind" |
| Rella Music, Fancy Footwork Music, Liquid Crystal Music, Red Sox Music | 3:41 |
Total length: | 37:57 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "True Colors" (Live at Summer Sonic, 2007) |
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "Heading for the Moon" (B-Side of "True Colors") |
| 3:19 |
12. | "True Colors" (Junior Vasquez Pride Mix) |
| 13:36 |
Total length: | 54:52 |
Production
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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1987 | "True Colors" | Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated |
"911" | Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
"True Colors" | MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video | Nominated | |
"What's Going On" | MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography | Nominated |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [39] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Brazil | — | 300,000 [40] |
Canada (Music Canada) [41] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
France (SNEP) [42] | Gold | 100,000* |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [43] | Gold | 10,000* |
Japan | — | 404,000 [44] |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [45] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [46] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [48] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 7,000,000 [12] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies (1985) and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number-one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. In 1989, Lauper saw success with "I Drove All Night" and in 1993, had her first dance club hit with "That's What I Think".
"She Bop" is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released as the third single from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1984. Worldwide, the song is her third most commercially successful single after "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time", and also reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart and number six on the ARIA Singles Chart. "She Bop" was Lauper's third consecutive top 5 on the Hot 100. She recorded a quieter version of the song for her 2005 album The Body Acoustic.
She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song made famous by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper four years after it was written by Robert Hazard. It was released by Portrait Records as Lauper's first major single as a solo artist and the lead single from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). Lauper's version gained recognition as a feminist anthem and was promoted by a Grammy-winning music video. It has been covered, either as a studio recording or in a live performance, by over 30 other artists.
"Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper for her 1988 film Vibes. It was written by Richard Orange, formerly of the band Zuider Zee. The track saw the light of day on an official CD, as of 2003, with the release of the 3-CD compilation, The Great Cyndi Lauper. It can be found on the following albums: Best Movie Album in the World...Ever! (3 CDs), True Colors: The Best of Cyndi Lauper (2 CDs), 36 All-time Favorites (3 CDs), Monster Hits 1988/Hits of 1988 and Cyndi Lauper Japanese Singles Collection Greatest Hits (audio track on CD and music video on DVD).
A Night to Remember is the third studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on May 9, 1989, by Epic Records. The album was originally set to be released in 1988, under the name Kindred Spirit, but was delayed until 1989 and the songs from the initial project were reworked. Although the album managed to score a top-10 single, it did not enjoy the commercial success of her previous two albums, and was met with mixed-to-poor reviews and in interviews, Lauper refers to it as A Night to Forget. Worldwide, the album has sold more than 1,500,000 copies.
The Bridge is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on July 25, 1986. It was Joel's last studio album produced by Phil Ramone as well as the last to feature Joel's long-time bassist Doug Stegmeyer and rhythm guitarist Russell Javors. The album yielded several successful singles, including "A Matter of Trust", "Modern Woman", and "This Is the Time".
Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some is a greatest hits album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on August 22, 1994, through Epic Records. It contains a collection of singles from the singer's first four studio albums. It also contains three new songs: "(Hey Now) Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "I'm Gonna Be Strong" and "Come On Home", all of which were released as singles. To promote the record, the singer embarked on a worldwide tour. A video album was simultaneously released and contained music videos of fourteen songs.
Hat Full of Stars is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released in 1993. The album was released 4 years after the singer's third studio album, A Night to Remember, which received unfavorable reviews and had low sales compared to the singer's previous releases. Hat Full of Stars received favorable reviews but was poorly received by the public, receiving gold certifications in Japan and France only.
"Time After Time" is a 1983 song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, co-written with Rob Hyman, who also provided backing vocals. It was the second single released from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). The track was produced by Rick Chertoff and released as a single in March 1984. The song became Lauper's first number 1 hit in the U.S. The song was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written or recorded. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide magazine, referring to the science fiction film Time After Time (1979).
Exposure is the debut studio album by American girl group Exposé, released on March 2, 1987, by Arista Records. It reached number 16 on the Billboard 200 and number 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in May 1990. The album spawned four top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including "Seasons Change", which topped the chart in February 1988. Other successful singles were the breakthrough single "Come Go with Me", a re-recorded version of the song "Point of No Return", and "Let Me Be the One". This was the first debut album by a group to feature four top-10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 – a feat Cyndi Lauper achieved as a solo artist with her 1983 album She's So Unusual.
Break Every Rule is the sixth solo studio album by Tina Turner. It was released on September 8, 1986, through Capitol Records. It was the follow-up to Turner's globally successful comeback album, Private Dancer, released two years earlier. Turner nearly scored her second Billboard Hot 100 number one with the lead single "Typical Male", peaking at number two for three consecutive weeks in October 1986, while "Two People" and "What You Get Is What You See" reached the top 20. "Back Where You Started" earned Turner her third consecutive Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in 1987. It is her first solo album of original songs.
"True Colors" is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper's second studio album of the same name (1986). Released in mid-1986, the song would become a hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
"Change of Heart" is a song by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on November 11, 1986 as the second single from her second album, True Colors (1986). It went gold in the US, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by singer-songwriter Essra Mohawk. Popular remixes by Shep Pettibone were also released. A music video was produced for the song, filmed in Trafalgar Square in London. It features Lauper and her tour band performing the song in front of a large group of people. The Bangles sang background vocals on the original recording. A live version of the song was released on Lauper's live album/DVD, To Memphis, with Love.
Some People's Lives is the seventh studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Atlantic Records on September 4, 1990, in the United States. It contains one of her biggest hits, "From a Distance," which won songwriter Julie Gold a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991.
American singer Cyndi Lauper has released eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, five video albums and fifty-three singles. Worldwide, Lauper has sold approximately 50 million albums, singles and DVDs. According to RIAA, She has sold 8.5 million certified albums in the United States with She's so Unusual being her biggest seller.
"All Through the Night" is a song written and recorded by Jules Shear for his 1983 album Watch Dog. It was produced by Todd Rundgren.
True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Other local and private LGBT charities and foundations were supported as the event grew. The tour began with 16 shows in 2007 expanding to 25 shows in 2008. Lauper's set during the 2008 tour was basically the North American leg of her worldwide Bring Ya to the Brink Tour that year. An outing in 2009 was planned and later cancelled. In lieu of the tour, Lauper partnered with Broadway Impact to create the True Colors Cabaret. The show began September 28, 2009 and ran once a month at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. It featured performances from Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Karen Olivo, Melinda Doolittle and Broadway Inspirational Voices. The shows ran until February 2010.
Memphis Blues is the eleventh studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, containing cover versions of classic blues songs. Regarded as a continuation of her 2008 comeback, the album was a nominee for the Grammy Awards 2010 and was released on her 57th birthday, June 22, 2010. According to the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo, the album had sold 600,000 copies worldwide by November 2010. Memphis Blues was voted the 7th best album of 2010 by the New York Post, and it went on to become Billboard's biggest selling blues album of 2010. To support the album, Lauper made her biggest tour ever, the Memphis Blues Tour, which had more than 140 shows.
The She's So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour was the twelfth concert tour by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. Launched to mark the anniversary of her debut solo album, the tour visited North America, Asia and Australia.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)After the super sales of 2 million copies of her new album - True Colors - in the American market (in Brazil it is already reaching 300,000 sold) (...)