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"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 (1986).[2] Released late in the summer of 1986, the song would become a major 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.

"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

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, 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 (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, with Lauper beating on the drum four times, in time with the music.


Reception and legacy


The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 25, 1986, beating Tina Turner's "Typical Male" to the top spot. It also peaked at number three in Australia and New Zealand, and number 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.[4] Years later, Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund,[5] a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating LGBT youth homelessness.

The single was also featured in a 1999 promo for PBS Kids.[6]


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


  1. "True Colors" – 3:45
  2. "Heading for the Moon" – 3:17
  1. "True Colors" – 3:45
  2. "Heading for the Moon" – 3:17
  3. "Money Changes Everything" (Live) – 6:04

Credits and personnel



Charts



Certifications


Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[34] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35]
2006 release 		Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[36] 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)
Length4:34
LabelVirgin, Face Value, Atlantic, WEA
Songwriter(s)Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg
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 Phil Collins for his compilation album ...Hits. 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.


Personnel and credits


Credits adapted from the US promo CD liner notes.[37]


Charts



Release history


Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 22, 1998 (1998-09-22) Contemporary hit radio
  • Atlantic
  • Face Value
 [55]
United Kingdom October 26, 1998 (1998-10-26)
  • CD
  • cassette
  • Virgin
  • Face Value
 [56]

Kasey Chambers version


"True Colours"
Single by Kasey Chambers
ReleasedApril 2003
LabelEMI Music
Songwriter(s)Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg
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 and went on to be the 76th best-selling single in Australia that year[57]


Track listing


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

Charts


Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart (ARIA)[58] 4

Other versions


The song has been recorded by many artists.

In 2009, Jenna Ushkowitz performed it on the television program Glee, and it was released as a single, billed as "True Colors (Glee Cast Version)". 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,[59] number 38 in Canada[60][61] 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.[62] The project was inspired by the increase in teen bullying and cyberbullying, especially the Amanda Todd case,[63] with proceeds being donated to Kids Help Phone, a Canadian counseling service for children and youth.[63] 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[64] the week it was released.


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. "True Colors by Cyndi Lauper". Interview with Billy Steinberg about "True Colors". Songfacts. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  3. "Cyndi Lauper". The A.V. Club. October 26, 2011.
  4. Burnett, Richard (April 4, 2014). "The true colours of Cyndi Lauper". CurtainsUP. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. "Mission Statement". True Colors Fund. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  6. PBS Kids - True Colors (Full) (2010 Wfwa Dt2), archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved September 30, 2021
  7. 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.
  8. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. RPM 100 Singles, Bac-lac.gc.ca, November 8, 1986.
  11. RPM Adult Contemporary, Bac-lac.gc.ca, November 8, 1986.
  12. "Cyndi Lauper - True Colors". November 28, 2003. Archived from the original on November 28, 2003. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  13. 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.
  14. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in French). Les classement single.
  15. "Chart Track: Week 48, 1986". Irish Singles Chart.
  16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  17. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Top 40 Singles.
  19. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". VG-lista.
  20. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  21. "Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Swiss Singles Chart.
  22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. "Cyndi Lauper - Chart history". Billboard.
  24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". GfK Entertainment charts.
  25. Kimberley, Christopher. Zimbabwe Singles Chart Book: 1965-1996.
  26. "Cyndi Lauper". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  27. "Kent Music Report No 650 – 29 December 1986 > National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  28. "Jaaroverzichten 1986". Ultratop. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  29. "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.
  30. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  31. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  32. "Top 100 Hits of 1986/Top 100 Songs of 1986". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  33. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles Archived December 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, December 27, 1986.
  34. "Canadian single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Music Canada. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  35. "British single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  36. "American single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – True Colors". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  37. True Colors (US promo CD liner notes). Phil Collins. Atlantic Records, Face Value Records. 1998. PRCD 8686.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  39. "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  40. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks – February 22, 1999" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 68, no. 18. February 22, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  41. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6993." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  42. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 46. November 14, 1998. p. 10. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  43. "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  44. "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  45. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 48. November 28, 1998. p. 15. Retrieved March 6, 2020. See LW column.
  46. "Phil Collins – True Colors" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  47. "Major Market Airplay: Poland" (PDF). Music & Media. October 3, 1998. p. 27. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  48. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  49. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  50. "Phil Collins Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  51. "Phil Collins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  52. "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  53. "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  54. "1999 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-99. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  55. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1266. September 18, 1998. p. 39.
  56. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. October 24, 1998. p. 43. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  57. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003". ARIA Charts. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  58. Hung, Steffen. "Kasey Chambers - True Colors". australian charts.
  59. "The Official Charts Company – Glee Cast". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  60. "Glee Cast Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  61. "Glee Cast". acharts.us. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  62. "November 12, 2012 Archives". Chymfm.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015.
  63. 12, News Desk More from News Desk Published on: November; 12, 2012 | Last Updated: November; Est, 2012 5:48 Pm (November 12, 2012). "Artists Against remake True Colors".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  64. "True Colors by Artists Against Bullying - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved April 25, 2021.



На других языках

[de] True Colors (Cyndi-Lauper-Lied)

True Colors ist ein von Billy Steinberg und Tom Kelly geschriebener Popsong aus dem Jahr 1986,[2] der von Cyndi Lauper interpretiert wurde. Es war das einzige Lied des gleichnamigen Albums, das nicht von Lauper zumindest mitverfasst wurde. Die Single erschien im August 1986.[3]
- [en] True Colors (Cyndi Lauper song)

[es] True Colors (canción)

«True Colors» es una canción interpretada por la cantante estadounidense Cyndi Lauper, incluida en su segundo álbum de estudio del mismo nombre. La compañía discográfica Epic Records la publicó el 25 de agosto de 1986 como el primer sencillo del álbum. También figura en los discos recopilatorios Twelve Deadly Cyns... and Then Some (1994), The Essential Cyndi Lauper (2003) y The Great Cyndi Lauper (2003). Compuesta por Billy Steinberg y Tom Kelly y producida por Lennie Petze y la intérprete.[1]En un inicio, Steinberg escribió el tema acerca de su madre,[2]siendo Kelly quien alteró el primer verso.

[it] True Colors (singolo Cyndi Lauper)

True Colors è un singolo della cantante pop statunitense Cyndi Lauper, pubblicato il 25 agosto 1986 dall'etichetta discografica Epic.

[ru] True Colors (песня)

«True Colors» (с англ. — «Истинные цвета») — песня, написанная Билли Стейнбергом и Томом Келли. Заглавный трек и первый сингл со второго альбома Синди Лопер, вышедший 25 августа 1986 года. Две недели она была на позиции № 1 в американском хит-параде Billboard Hot 100 и была номинирована на премию Грэмми в категории «Лучшее женское вокальное поп-исполнение» (1987).


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