| Time After Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | single | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Artist: | Cyndi Lauper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Album: | She's So Unusual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B-Side: | I'll Kiss You | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released: | March 12, 1984 (UK)[1] March 27, 1984 (US)[2] "Time After Time" received positive reviews from music critics, with many commending it for being a solid and memorable love song. It has since been named as one of the greatest pop songs of all time by many media outlets, including Rolling Stone, Nerve, MTV, and many others.[4] The song was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards.[5] Commercially, "Time After Time" was another success for Lauper, becoming her first No. 1 hit single in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 on June 9, 1984, and remaining at the top for two weeks. It additionally peaked at No. 6 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Background and recordingAlthough "Time After Time" would eventually become one of Lauper's signature songs, it was one of the last songs on her debut album to be recorded. While Lauper was still writing material for She's So Unusual in the spring of 1983, her producer, Rick Chertoff introduced her to American musician Rob Hyman, a founding member of the Hooters. Lauper had by then already recorded the majority of the album, including the songs "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "She Bop," but Chertoff insisted that she and Hyman needed to record just "one more song". Therefore, she and Hyman sat at a piano and started working on "Time After Time".[6] The inspiration for the song came from the fact that both songwriters were going through similar challenges in their respective romantic relationships; Hyman was coming out of a relationship, and Lauper was having difficulties with her boyfriend/manager, David Wolff. One of the early lines Rob wrote was "suitcase of memories," which according to Lauper, "struck her," claiming it was a "wonderful line," and other lines came from Lauper's life experiences. The song's title was borrowed from a TV Guide listing for the 1979 movie Time After Time, which Lauper had intended to use only as a temporary placeholder during the writing process. Although she later tried to change the song's name, she said that she felt at some point that "Time After Time" had become so fundamental to the song that it would fall apart with a different title. Initially, Epic Records wanted "Time After Time" as the album's lead single. However, Lauper felt that releasing a ballad as her debut solo single would have pigeonholed her stylistically as a balladeer, limiting her future work and thus potentially killing her career. Wolff felt that "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" could become a successful pop anthem and was a better choice; ultimately the label agreed and released it as the lead single. "Time After Time" became the album's second single,[7] released on March 27, 1984.[8] Composition and lyricsWritten by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman and produced by Rick Chertoff, "Time After Time" is built over simple keyboard-synth chords, bright, jangly guitars, clock ticking percussion, and elastic bassline.[9] Lyrically, the track is a love song of devotion. Pam Avoledo of Blogcritics speculates that, "In 'Time After Time,' the speaker believes she is a difficult person, unworthy of love. She runs away and shuts people out. However, her devoted boyfriend who loves her unconditionally is willing to help her through anything. The relationship is given depth. The couple's intimacy and history is apparent. They've been together for a long time. They love and have seen each other through every tough part of their life."[10] "Time After Time" is written in the key of C major with a tempo of 130 beats per minute[11] in common time. Lauper's vocals span from G3 to C5 in the song.[12] Critical receptionThe song received critical acclaim:
Accolades"Time After Time" has entered many lists of "Best Love Songs of All Time", "Best Ballads from the 80s" and others. Bill Lamb, also from About.com, placed the song at number 21 on his "Top 100 Best Love Songs of All Time" list.[19] On Nerve's list of "The 50 Greatest Love Songs of All Time", "Time After Time" was placed at number 5, being called "Lauper's most enduring masterpiece hits at the very essence of commitment," with the article pointing out that "she captures real romance in the most simple and straightforward of lines: 'If you're lost, you can look and you will find me, time after time'."[20] The song also appeared on Rolling Stone and MTV's "100 Greatest Pop Songs" at number 66. The song also entered VH1's "100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years and "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" lists, at numbers 22 and 19 respectively. The song was also on NME Awards and nominations
Lists of best songs
Chart performance"Time After Time" became Lauper's first number-one single on the Billboard charts, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1984.[24] It also reached the top of the Adult Contemporary and Canadian RPM Top Singles charts. In Europe, the single peaked at number 2, on July 9, 1984. In the United Kingdom, "Time After Time" debuted at number 54 on March 24, 1984, while peaking later at number 3, on July 14, 1984. In New Zealand, the song reached number 3, in Austria it reached number 5, in Switzerland it reached number 7, in France it peaked at number 9 and in Sweden it reached a peak of number 10. In Mexico's Notitas Musicales or Hit Parade the song was number 2 for four weeks, beginning on June 15, 1984. The 2005 version from the album The Body Acoustic, featuring Sarah McLachlan, reached No. 14 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Music videoThe video for "Time After Time" was directed by Edd Griles,[25] who had previously directed the music video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".[26] The video follows a young woman leaving her lover behind. Lauper's mother, brother, and then-boyfriend, Dave Wolff, appear in the video, and Lou Albano, who played her father in the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video, can be seen as a cook. Portions of the video were filmed at the now-demolished Tom's Diner[27] in Roxbury Township, New Jersey, the intersection of Route 46 and Route 10, and at the Morristown train station. Portions of the video were also shot in front of Betty's Department Store in Wharton, New Jersey, which was a staple of the community in the 1970s. According to Lauper, "It was important to me that we were natural and human in the video. I wanted to convey somebody who walked her own path and did not always get along with everyone and did not always marry the guy." The video opens with Lauper watching the 1936 film The Garden of Allah, and the final scene, where she gets on the train and waves goodbye to David, Lauper is crying.[28] Track listingEuropean 12" single
US vinyl, 7" single[29]
Personnel
Musicians
ChartsWeekly charts
Featuring Sarah McLachlan (2005)
Year-end charts
US re-releaseNotable versions and coversGunship versionBritish synthwave band Gunship covered the song and included it on their 2018 album Dark All Day. INOJ versionAmerican R&B singer INOJ recorded her version of the song in 1998. It peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The music video of this version first aired on BET and The Box.[68] Weekly charts
CertificationsNovaspace versionNovaspace, a German Eurodance project, covered the song on their album Supernova (2003). It reached number six in Germany, number seven in Austria, and number 15 in Australia. Track listingAustralia / Europe / Spain / U.S. CD Single
Sweden CD Single
UK CD Single
UK 12" Vinyl
Year-end charts
Quietdrive versionAmerican alternative rock/pop punk band Quietdrive covered the song for their debut album When All That's Left Is You in 2006. The cover version was featured in the 2006 romantic comedy film John Tucker Must Die starring Jesse Metcalfe and Brittany Snow. The cover is their only charting song, hitting number 25 on the Mainstream Top 40 Countdown. The cover was certified gold by the RIAA. Iron and Wine versionAmerican folk artist Iron and Wine created a cover of the song as a single in 2016. CertificationsDash Berlin, DubVision & Emma Hewitt versionDutch electronic music group Dash Berlin, Dutch DJ duo DubVision and Australian singer Emma Hewitt released a cover of the song on 15 December 2022.[76] [77] Other notable cover versionsJazz trumpeter Miles Davis, perhaps the earliest artist to interpret the song, recorded an instrumental version of the song for his 1985 album You're Under Arrest.[78] The song became a regular part of Davis's live concerts until the end of his career, such as on Live Around the World (a live compilation recorded 1988 to 1991, released 1996).[79] Lauper later stated that while the song has been recorded by dozens of musicians, "The most honored I ever felt was when Miles Davis covered it", adding: "the way he played it was pure magic."[80] In 1993, Mark Williams and Tara Morice recorded a cover for the Strictly Ballroom soundtrack.[81] Lauper did a parody of the song on a 1995 episode of Late Show with David Letterman as "Lactose Intolerant".[82] American indie rock band Sarge recorded a cover of the song in 1997, which was included on a 7" single that year.[83] In 2000, it appeared on their compilation album Distant.[84] AllMusic's Mike DaRonco said that their version "outshines the original." On her 1999 tribute album to Miles Davis, Traveling Miles, jazz singer Cassandra Wilson included her Miles-infused, jazz vocal version of Lauper's "Time After Time".[85] Lil' Mo recorded a cover of the song for her 2001 album Based On A True Story. Uncle Kracker covered the song for the 2002 movie Clockstoppers. A UK garage version, released in 2002 by Distant Soundz, was a top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart[86] and No. 4 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.[87] On Billboard charts for the week ending May 14, 2011, Javier Colon's version peaked at number 65 on Hot 100,[88] number 41 on Digital Song Sales[89] number four on Top Heatseekers[90] and number sixteen on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Sales.[91] Swedish duo Undressd released a cover of the song on March 12, 2021.[92] A cover version by Mabel featured in the McDonald's Christmas commercial in the UK in 2021, and peaked at No. 71 on the UK chart.[93] In popular cultureThe song was featured in the 1997 film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. Director David Mirkin explained that he felt it "was the only song that had the proper emotion" to fit the scene.[94] The song plays during the prom scene in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite.[95] See also
Further reading
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