Song: "Time After Time"Artist: Cyndi Lauper
Album: She's So Unusual (the acoustic version featuring Sarah McLachlan appears on The Body Acoustic)
Year: 1984
Highest Billboard Chart Posistion: #1 (two weeks)
Players: Cyndi Lauper - singer, songwriter; Rob Hyman - songwriter, background vocals; Rick Chertoff - producer
In 1984, no one was having more fun than crazy/cool Brooklyn-born Cyndi Lauper. The pop star was coming off the highs of the danceable hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" when she released "Time After Time" which would go on to hit number one. The tender ballad was written with Rob Hyman of The Hooters, who also sang the male vocals that echo Cyndi's in the chorus. Named after a science-fiction film, the song was written because the producer felt her breakthrough She's So Unusual need just "one more song" and I'm sure glad he did!
There are so many things to love about "Time After Time;" the emotional vocals, the elegant new-wave guitars and synths; but it's the lyrics that speak to me. "The drum beats out of time" "If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting, time after time" "you say go slow, I fall behind" separately have an emotional quality that screams to be doodled on notebook covers and headlining emo blog posts. But together they weave a story of love-not-lost, just reimagined.
Speaking of reimagined, I really love the version of "Time After Time" on Cyndi's 2005 album The Body Acoustic. Her older, wiser vocals traded with Sarah McLachlan's honeyed tones over acoustic guitar and what I believe is a dulcimer are a revelation. And Cyndi's not the only one who has reworked the song in a new image. From modern song-interpreter Eva Cassidy to jazz legend Miles Davis, from pop-punkers Quietdrive to Broadway legend Patty LuPone, many artists have realized the inherent beauty and grace of Cyndi's and Rob's lyrics and melody. "Time After Time" stands as a modern pop standard.
No comments:
Post a Comment