Don't Judge a Song by its Cover: Girls just Wanna...
I'm not so smooth with the ladies. Thankfully I have this song to remind me what it is that the girls want.
This song is known as the quintessential eighties pop hit that helped really merge the new wave and disco sounds to pave the way for modern pop music. But that was only the cover. The original was recorded in the late seventies by Philadelphia rock and roll hero(and frontman for the band The Heroes) Robert Hazard. They never really made waves outside their home city. A lot of their earlier stuff barely saw the light of day. Most people don't know that
At some point in the early eighties Cyndi Lauper, or her producer heard the song Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and decided they'd make their own recording of it.
Cyndi Lauper cover version
This version has this electro-Caribbean sound to it. It starts with the ook from the original, but it has this organ synch that's got this almost two step ryhthm to it, which has this ska like feel. The guitar has that sound to it as well. Then there's another synth that sounds kind of like metal drums from that island music. Which really fits the mood of the concept of the song, which is to have fun. And the Caribean has the reputation of being the place to go, when the working day is done, you get a vacation than it's time to go to a tropical island paradise. You can party, or you can cillax or whatever.
Robert Hazard original version
This is some good rock and roll semi-punk music. It's got a guitar solo, some chunky guitar. If this was covered in the eighties and kept this same sound it probably would have been covered by Billy Idol. It's a really grate opening guitar hook. There's a bridge that's not in the original. The production's pretty bad, but it's a demo that was probably recorded in someone's garage or basement. So what are yeah gonna do. I have a few recordings in the audio-portal and I know that feel.
Which get's my number one?
It's a tough one, I like both of these songs. I think that Cyndi Lauper really made this song her own, and gave it an injection of not simply energy because the original wasn't lacking that but it gave it a fun atmosphere. As much as I love the original, it's sexist, not intentionally and many might say it's a sign of the times or that for the seventies it was trying to be progressive but thinking about it most people know better today.
You can't speak for other people. It's rude. And you can't claim other people as your own, even if you play it like it's for their better good or you're in a relationship with them. In the lyrics he says, “Some men take a beautiful girl and hide her from the rest of the world. My girls get to walk in the sun...” Well how considerate of you. It sounds like they need permission. It sounds like they need a man to let them have fun.
I just never really like the term, “my girlfriend” or “my boyfriend” a person does not belong to anyone other than themselves. That being said, I really like the sound of the original, and looking past it's unintentional sexism, and understanding that they meant well. I actually prefer the original.
Jackho
Four albums you'd recommend go