"True Colors"
Single by Cyndi Lauper
from the album True Colors
B-side"Heading for the Moon"
ReleasedAugust 28, 1986
RecordedMarch 3, 1986
GenreSynth-rock[1]
Length3:46
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Cyndi Lauper
  • Lennie Petze
Cyndi Lauper singles chronology
"The Goonies 'R' Good Enough"
(1985)		 "True Colors"
(1986)		 "Change of Heart"
(1986)
Music video
"True Colors" on YouTube

"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 studio album of the same name (1986).[2] Released in mid-1986, the song would become a hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the 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.[3] 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."[2] Other songs they wrote for Lauper include "I Drove All Night" and "Unconditional Love".

Music video

The accompanying 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 soundstage, sitting beside a drum and holding a black flower. A young girl who explores a beach takes the flower and ends up seeing two women, one light-skinned and one dark-skinned, 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 (David Wolff) 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, only now, Lauper is beating on the drum four times, in time with the music.

Critical reception

Jerry Smith of the Music Week magazine deemed that "Lauper's fragile little girl voice" perfectly matches with this "effective ballad with its sympathetic, sparse accompaniment", but also added that this "downbeat style" was unlikely to make the song memorable.[4] Di Cross of Record Mirror was strongly critical of "True Colors", stating that Lauper "does nothing to restore her flagging credibility rating with a dire, slushy attempt at an emotional ballad, the mixture curdled further by some appalling little girl vocals, complete with whispering asides and chest beating passion play".[5]

Chart performance

"True Colors" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 25, 1986. It also peaked at number three in Australia and New Zealand, and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

Legacy

The single has become a popular anthem 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.[6] Years later, Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund,[7] a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating LGBT youth homelessness. On December 13, 2022, Lauper performed the song at the ceremony where U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law.[8]

"True Colors" was also featured in a 1999 promo for PBS Kids, a children's programming brand of the American public television network PBS.[9]

Tours

Lauper embarked on a True Colors Tour in 2007 with several other acts, including Eddie Money, 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-inch single
  1. "True Colors" – 3:45
  2. "Heading for the Moon" – 3:17
  • European 12-inch single
  1. "True Colors" – 3:45
  2. "Heading for the Moon" – 3:17
  3. "Money Changes Everything" (Live) – 6:04

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[38] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39]
2006 release 		Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[40] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Phil Collins version

"True Colors"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album ...Hits
B-side
ReleasedOctober 26, 1998 (1998-10-26)
StudioBrandon's Way (Los Angeles)
Length4:34
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Babyface
Phil Collins singles chronology
"The Same Moon"
(1997)		 "True Colors"
(1998)		 "You'll Be in My Heart"
(1999)

In 1998, the song was recorded by English musician Phil Collins for his first greatest hits album, ...Hits (1998). R&B singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds produced and provided backing vocals. The track peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. It additionally reached the top 40 in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, and Hungary.

In 2004, a live rehearsal version was released on Collins' Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New album.

Track listings

UK CD1 and cassette single[41][42]

  1. "True Colors" – 4:33
  2. "I Missed Again" – 3:41
  3. "In the Air Tonight" – 7:32

UK CD2[43]

  1. "True Colors" – 4:33
  2. "Don't Lose My Number" – 4:47
  3. "Take Me Home" – 5:51

European CD single[44]

  1. "True Colors" – 4:33
  2. "In the Air Tonight" – 7:32

Australian CD single[45]

  1. "True Colors" – 4:33
  2. "In the Air Tonight" – 7:32
  3. "Don't Lose My Number" – 4:47
  4. "I Missed Again" – 3:41

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD1 liner notes.[41]

Studio

  • Recorded and mixed at Brandon's Way Recording (Los Angeles)

Personnel

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 22, 1998 Contemporary hit radio
[63]
Japan October 5, 1998 CD WEA [64]
United Kingdom October 26, 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
[65]

Kasey Chambers version

"True Colours"
Single by Kasey Chambers
B-side
  • "If I Could" (live)
  • "Lonely"
ReleasedApril 14, 2003 (2003-04-14)[66]
LabelEMI Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nash Chambers
Kasey Chambers singles chronology
"If I Were You"
(2002)		 "True Colours"
(2003)		 "Hollywood"
(2004)

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 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and went on to be the 76th best-selling single in Australia that year. As of 2024, it is Chambers' second-highest-charting single in Australia, after "Not Pretty Enough".

Track listing

Australian CD single[67]

  1. "True Colours"
  2. "If I Could" (live)
  3. "Lonely"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[68] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (2003) Position
Australia (ARIA)[69] 76

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[70] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

In 2001, Sarina Paris recorded the song and it was included on her self-titled debut album. Released on May 22, the album was composed of songs co-written by Paris, with the exception of this cover. The album reached number 167 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.

In 2009, Jenna Ushkowitz performed it on the television program Glee, and this version was included on the compilation album Glee: The Music, Volume 2, released on December 4, 2009. The single charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and reached number 15 in Ireland, number 35 in the United Kingdom,[71] number 38 in Canada[72][73] and number 47 in Australia.

In 2012, Artists Against Bullying (often styled as "Artists Against"), an agglomeration of seven Canadian musicians, re-recorded the song and released it during Bullying Awareness Week.[74] The project was inspired by the increase in teen bullying and cyberbullying, especially the Amanda Todd case,[75] with proceeds being donated to Kids Help Phone, a Canadian counseling service for children and youth.[75] The artists involved in the recording were Lights, Pierre Bouvier (from Simple Plan), 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[76] the week it was released.

In 2016, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick covered the song for the DreamWorks Animation movie Trolls. Their version was certified platinum in Brazil.[77]

In 2023, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem covered the song for the second episode of the Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem and its corresponding soundtrack.

References

  1. ↑ Breihan, Tom (January 11, 2021). "The Number Ones: Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 10, 2022. Lauper took their demo...and turned it into a whisper-to-howl synth-rocker.
  2. 1 2 "True Colors by Cyndi Lauper". Interview with Billy Steinberg about "True Colors". Songfacts. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper". The A.V. Club. October 26, 2011.
  4. ↑ Smith, Jerry (September 20, 1986). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 24. Retrieved September 8, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  5. ↑ Cross, Di (September 6, 1986). "Singles reviewed by Di Cross" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 10. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  6. ↑ Burnett, Richard (April 4, 2014). "The true colours of Cyndi Lauper". CurtainsUP. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Mission Statement". True Colors Fund. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Otten, Tori (December 13, 2022). "Biden Signs Landmark Bill Protecting Same-Sex Marriage". The New Republic. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ PBS Kids - True Colors (Full) (2010 Wfwa Dt2), archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved September 30, 2021
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 173. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and June 12, 1988.
  11. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ RPM 100 Singles, Bac-lac.gc.ca, November 8, 1986.
  14. ↑ RPM Adult Contemporary, Bac-lac.gc.ca, November 8, 1986.
  15. 1 2 "Cyndi Lauper - True Colors". November 28, 2003. Archived from the original on November 28, 2003. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  16. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Cyndi Lauper". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 143. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in French). Les classement single.
  18. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 48, 1986". Irish Singles Chart.
  19. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Top 40 Singles.
  22. 1 2 "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". VG-lista.
  23. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". AFP Top 100 Singles.
  24. ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  27. 1 2 "Cyndi Lauper - Chart history". Billboard.
  28. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  29. ↑ Kimberley, Christopher. Zimbabwe Singles Chart Book: 1965-1996.
  30. ↑ "Cyndi Lauper". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Kent Music Report No 650 – 29 December 1986 > National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1986". Ultratop. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  33. ↑ "RPM Weekly - Top Singles of 1986". Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1986/Top 100 Songs of 1986". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  37. ↑ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles Archived December 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, December 27, 1986.
  38. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Music Canada. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  39. ↑ "British single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  40. ↑ "American single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  41. 1 2 True Colors (UK CD1 liner notes). Phil Collins. Virgin Records, Face Value Records. 1998. VSCDT 1715, 7243 8 95383 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  42. ↑ True Colors (UK cassette single sleeve). Phil Collins. Virgin Records, Face Value Records. 1998. VSC1715, 7243 8 95383 42.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ↑ True Colors (UK CD2 liner notes). Phil Collins. Virgin Records, Face Value Records. 1998. VSCDG 1715, 7243 8 95384 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ↑ True Colors (European CD single liner notes). Phil Collins. WEA, Face Value Records. 1998. 3984 24775-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ↑ True Colors (Australian CD single liner notes). Phil Collins. WEA, Face Value Records. 1998. 3984 24774-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  46. ↑ "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  48. ↑ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – February 22, 1999" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 68, no. 18. February 22, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6993." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 46. November 14, 1998. p. 10. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  51. ↑ "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  53. ↑ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 48. November 28, 1998. p. 15. Retrieved March 6, 2020. See LW column.
  54. ↑ "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  55. ↑ "Major Market Airplay: Poland" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 40. October 3, 1998. p. 27. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  56. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  57. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  58. ↑ "Phil Collins Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  59. ↑ "Phil Collins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  60. ↑ "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Retrieved August 31, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  61. ↑ "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. Retrieved August 31, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  62. ↑ "1999 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-99. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  63. ↑ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1266. September 18, 1998. p. 39.
  64. ↑ "トゥルー・カラーズ | フィル・コリンズ" [True Colors | Phil Collins] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  65. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. October 24, 1998. p. 43. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  66. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 14th April 2003" (PDF). ARIA. April 14, 2003. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  67. ↑ True Colours (Australian CD single liner notes). Kasey Chambers. EMI Music. 2003. 5521342.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  68. ↑ "Kasey Chambers – True Colours". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  69. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2003". ARIA. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  70. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  71. ↑ "The Official Charts Company – Glee Cast". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  72. ↑ "Glee Cast Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  73. ↑ "Glee Cast". acharts.us. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  74. ↑ "November 12, 2012 Archives". Chymfm.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015.
  75. 1 2 "Artists Against remake True Colors". November 12, 2012.
  76. ↑ "True Colors by Artists Against Bullying - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  77. ↑ "CERTIFICADOS". Pro-Música Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved December 12, 2023.
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