True Colors (Cyndi Lauper album)

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True Colors
Cyndi Lauper - True Colors.jpg
Studio album by Cyndi Lauper
Released September 15, 1986
Recorded November 22, 1985 –May 31, 1986
Studio The Power Station, The Hit Factory
(New York City, New York)[1]
Genre Pop
Length 37:57
Label Portrait
RK-40313
Producer Cyndi Lauper, Lennie Petze
Cyndi Lauper chronology
She's So Unusual
(1983)She's So Unusual1983		 True Colors
(1986)		 The Best Remixes
(1989)The Best Remixes1989
Singles from True Colors
  1. "True Colors"
    Released: August 28, 1986
  2. "Change of Heart"
    Released: November 11, 1986
  3. "What's Going On"
    Released: March 1987
  4. "Boy Blue"
    Released: June 1987
  5. "Maybe He'll Know"
    Released: September 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[2]
Robert Christgau B–[3]
Rolling Stone Favorable[4]

True Colors is the second album by American pop singer Cyndi Lauper, released on September 15, 1986. The album produced several hits as "True Colors", "Change of Heart", and "What's Going On" reached the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100, with the first two becoming top 5 hits.

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 Grammy Awards. True Colors peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart.

Album information[edit]

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".[5]

In the United States, True Colors has been certified double platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 albums chart. 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.

True Colors was re-issued in a Japanese exclusive limited edition box set 11-track digitally remastered CD album.

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.

The album sold 7 million copies worldwide.[6]

Track listing[edit]

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Publisher Length
1. "Change of Heart" Cyndi Lauper, Essra Mohawk Stone & Muffin Music Corp., Rella Music 4:22
2. "Maybe He'll Know" John Turi, Lauper Rella Music, Turi Music 4:25
3. "Boy Blue" Jeff Bova, Stephen Broughton Lunt, Lauper Rella Music, Perfect Punch Music, Liquid Crystal Music 4:46
4. "True Colors" Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Denise Barry Music, Billy Steinberg Music 3:46
5. "Calm Inside the Storm" Rick Derringer, Lauper Scratch & Shift Music; Rella Music 3:54
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Publisher Length
6. "What's Going On" Renaldo Benson, Alfred Cleveland, Marvin Gaye Jobete Music Corp., Stone Agate Music Division 4:39
7. "Iko Iko" Rosa Lee Hawkins, Barbara Anne Hawkins, Joan Marie Johnson, Sharon Jones, Marilyn Jones, Boogaloo Joe Jones, Jesse Thomas Arc Music Corp., Melder Publishing Company, Trio Music Co., Warner-Tamerlane Publishing 2:08
8. "The Faraway Nearby" Tom Gray, Lauper Rella Music, Gray Matter Publishing 3:00
9. "911" Lauper, Lunt Rella Music, Perfect Punch Music 3:16
10. "One Track Mind" Jimmy Bralower, Lennie Petze, Lauper, Bova Rella Music, Fancy Footwork Music, Liquid Crystal Music, Red Sox Music 3:41
Total length: 37:57
Bonus track (2008 Japan reissue)
No. Title Length
11. "True Colors" (Live at Summer Sonic, 2007)  

Personnel[edit]

Production

  • Cyndi Lauper – arranger, art direction, producer
  • Lennie Petze – producer
  • David Wolff – executive producer
  • Brian McGee – engineer
  • Jon Goldberger – assistant engineer
  • Tim Kramer – assistant engineer
  • Dave O'Donnell – assistant engineer
  • Jason Corsaro – mixing
  • Brian McGee – mixing
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Adrian Belew – arranger
  • Jeff Bova – arranger
  • Jimmy Bralower – arranger
  • Stephen Broughton Lunt – arranger
  • Lennie Petze – arranger
  • Peter Wood – arranger
  • Holland MacDonald – art direction and design
  • Annie Leibovitz – photography

Accolades[edit]

Year Nominee/work Award Result
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

Charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Brazil 200,000[30]
Canada (Music Canada)[31] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[32] Gold 136,100[33]
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[34] Gold 7,500*
Japan (Oricon Charts) 404,000[35]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cyndi Lauper – True Colors at Discogs
  2. ^ Chadbourne, Eugene. "Cyndi Lauper: True Colors > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (October 28, 1986). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 26, 2013. 
  4. ^ Guterman, Jimmy (September 25, 1986) True Colors Album Review at the Wayback Machine (archived January 19, 2012). Rolling Stone
  5. ^ Pareles, Jon (September 14, 1986) The return of Cyndi Lauper at the Wayback Machine (archived July 1, 2016). The New York Times
  6. ^ Zamora, William (24 June 2008). "A linha do tempo na música de Cyndi Lauper" [Cyndi Lauper music timeline]. O Globo (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved 9 October 2011. 
  7. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  9. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 45, No. 6, November 01 1986". RPM. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  10. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  12. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  13. ^ "Albumit 1986-10 lokakuu" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  14. ^ "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  15. ^ "Cyndi Lauper – Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  16. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  17. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  18. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  20. ^ "Cyndi Lauper | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  21. ^ "Cyndi Lauper – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Cyndi Lauper. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  22. ^ a b David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australia: St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  23. ^ "Top 100 Albums of '86". RPM. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  24. ^ "1986年 アルバム年間TOP100" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  25. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1986". RIANZ. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  26. ^ "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  27. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1987 par InfoDisc" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  28. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1987". RIANZ. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  29. ^ "1987: Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016. 
  30. ^ "Diva Brejeira". Veja (in Portuguese). Editora Abril. November 19, 1986. Retrieved July 2, 2016. 
  31. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Music Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-28. 
  32. ^ "French album certifications – Lauper C. – True Colors" (in French). InfoDisc.  Select LAUPER C. and click OK
  33. ^ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2012-02-28. 
  34. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. 
  35. ^ シンディ・ローパー (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2016. 
  36. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 2 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016. 
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2012-02-28.  Enter True Colors in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  38. ^ "American album certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-02-28.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links[edit]

Preceded by
1986 Just for Kicks by Various artists		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
September 29 – October 26, 1986		 Succeeded by
Graceland by Paul Simon
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