True Colors (Cyndi Lauper song)


"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 album. It was the only original song on the album that Lauper did not help to write. Released late on the summer of 1986, the song would become a major hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the U.S. chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Composition

Billy Steinberg originally wrote "True Colors" about his own mother. Tom Kelly altered the first verse and the duo originally submitted the song to Anne Murray, who passed on recording it, and then to Cyndi Lauper. Their demo was in the form of a piano-based gospel ballad like "Bridge over Troubled Water". Steinberg told Songfacts that "Cyndi completely dismantled that sort of traditional arrangement and came up with something that was breathtaking and stark." Other songs they wrote for Lauper include "I Drove All Night" and "Unconditional Love", of which the former went on to be covered by Roy Orbison and Celine Dion, the latter by Susanna Hoffs.

Music video

The music video for the song, which received heavy rotation on MTV, was directed by American choreographer Patricia Birch. In the video, Lauper sings on a dark sound stage besides a pair drums, while a young girl explores a beach and ends up seeing two women drinking tea on a boat. Lauper appears on the beach in an elaborate jeweled headdress with a shell in her hand. She is then seen lying on a white sheet which a long haired man proceeds to pull. They eventually share a kiss. Lauper is then seen walking on the beach with a skirt made of newspaper while she walks past a class of schoolchildren. At the end of the video, she leans over a pool of water in a scene reminiscent of the album photo cover. The video ends as it began, with the singer banging on the drums.

Reception and legacy

The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, three in Australia and New Zealand, and 12 on the UK Singles Chart.
"True Colors" also became a standard in the gay community. In various interviews, Lauper elaborated that the song had resonated with her because of the recent death of her friend, Gregory Natal, from HIV/AIDS. Years later, Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating LGBT youth homelessness.

Tours

Lauper embarked on a True Colors Tour in 2007 with several other acts including Deborah Harry and Erasure. The tour was for the Human Rights Campaign to promote LGBT rights in the US and beyond. A second True Colors tour occurred in 2008.

Track listings

7" Single
  1. "True Colors" - 3:45
  2. "Heading for the Moon" - 3:17
European 12" Single
  1. "True Colors" - 3:45
  2. "Heading for the Moon" - 3:17
  3. "Money Changes Everything" - 6:04

    Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Norway Singles Chart17

Year-end charts

Certifications

Phil Collins version

In 1998, the song was recorded by Phil Collins for his compilation album ...Hits. The version was a smooth-jazz-influenced version compared to the original. R&B singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds produced and provided backing vocals. The track peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. It reached the top 40 in Austria, Canada, France, Germany and Hungary.
In 2004, a live rehearsal version was released on Collins' album.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Canada Adult Contemporary 27

Kasey Chambers version

In 2003, Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers' recording of "True Colors" became the theme song for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The song peaked at number four, was certified gold and went on to be the 76th best-selling single in Australia that year

Track listing

  1. "True Colours"
  2. "If I Could"
  3. "Lonely"

    Charts

Other versions

The song has been recorded by many artists.
In 2001, "True Colors" was recorded by Sarina Paris and included in her self-titled debut album. Released on May 22, 2001, the album was composed of songs co-written by Paris, with the exception of this cover. The album reached #167 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
In 2009, Jenna Ushkowitz performed it in the television program Glee, and it was released as a single "True Colors ". The version was included in the compilation album released on December 4, 2009. The single charted on Billboard Hot 100, and reached number 15 in Ireland, number 35 in the United Kingdom, number 38 in Canada, and number 47 in Australia.
In 2012, Artists Against Bullying, an agglomeration of seven Canadian musicians re-recorded the song. It was released during Bullying Awareness Week. The project was inspired by the increase in teen bullying and cyberbullying, especially the Amanda Todd case, with proceeds being donated to Kids Help Phone - a Canadian counseling service for children and youth. The artists involved in the recording were Lights, Pierre Bouvier, Jacob Hoggard from Hedley, Fefe Dobson, Kardinal Offishall, Alyssa Reid and Walk Off the Earth. The song entered the Canadian Singles Top 100 chart at number 10 the week it was released.
In 2014, Shane Filan of Westlife released it as a promotional single for his debut album You and Me.
In 2016, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick performed a new version of the song for the animated film Trolls and its accompanying soundtrack. Park Hyung-sik and Lee Sung-kyung sang the Korean version for the Korean dubbed version of the film.
In 2020, Peter Gallagher performs "True Colors" on NBC's Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.