Ten More Songs You May Not Know Are Covers: Girls Just Want to Have Fun (#5)

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I thought I'd used the big shocks up in the first go-round of a look at big hit singles that, unbeknownst to many, were actually covers. Apparently not. Here's another one of those songs that you may have had no idea was a cover. #5: Girls Just Want to Have Fun In 1983, thanks to MTV, this woman by the name of Cyndi Lauper burst onto the music scene with her happy, upbeat pop song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." The video featured former wrestler Captain Lou Albano as her dad. It was a massive hit and it set Cyndi on her way to success. (And Captain Lou didn't do too badly, becoming the subject of an NRBQ song!) Who woulda thunk it -- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was a cover. Originally written and recorded by -- you guessed it -- a guy. In 1979 American singer/songwriter Robert Hazard recorded the song for local distribution in his hometown of Philadelphia. It went nowhere with his version. I'm sure he didn't worry about that after Lauper's version sold a few zillion copies, though. Hazard had a few MTV video hits (I remember "Change Reaction" after watching it on You Tube) but never became more than a regional star. He died of complications of pancreatic cancer surgery in 2008. Cyndi caused a stir at the Pegasus Parade during the Kentucky Derby Festival a few years ago when she used profanity on live TV in front of some kids along the parade route. But she just wants to have fun, time after time. Girls Just Want to Have Fun Written by Robert Hazard Originally recorded by Robert Hazard, 1979 Famously covered by Cyndi Lauper, 1983 Here's Robert's original recording (which is rough sounding, considering he probably wasn't a candidate for a four-CD remastered box set ):