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"True Colors"
Single by Cyndi Lauper
from the album True Colors
B-side	"Heading for the Moon"
Released	August 28, 1986
Format	7" vinyl 12" vinyl
Recorded	March 3, 1986
Genre	Pop
Length	3:46
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Tom Kelly Billy Steinberg
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 album. It was the only original song on the album that Lauper did not help write.^[1]

"True Colors" spent two weeks in the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the last single from Lauper to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Song information

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.^[2] 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."^[1] Other songs they wrote for Lauper include "I Drove All Night" and "Unconditional Love", of which the former went on to be covered by Celine Dion, the latter by Susanna Hoffs.

It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, three in Australia and New Zealand, and 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.^[3] Years later, Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund,^[4] a non-profit dedicated to eradicating LGBT youth homelessness.

Tours

Lauper embarked on a True Colors Tour in 2007 with several other acts including 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.

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Official versions

1. Album Version

Phil Collins version

"True Colors"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album ...Hits
B-side	"Don't Lose My Number" "Take Me Home"
Released	October 26, 1998
Format	CD
Genre	Pop rock smooth jazz R&B blue-eyed soul
Length	4:34
Label	Atlantic, Virgin, 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 covered by Phil Collins for his compilation album ...Hits. The version was a smooth-jazz-influenced version compared to the original. R&B singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds produced and provided backing vocals.

The track peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart^[24] and at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.^[25]

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

• 
  Phil Collins – drums, vocals


• 
  Michael Thompson – guitar


• Cornelius Mims – bass


• 
  Greg Phillinganes – acoustic piano & Wurlitzer electric piano
  


• 
  Babyface – keyboards, drum programming, backing vocals


• 
  Sheila E. – percussion


• 
  Eric Rigler – Uilleann pipes
  

Charts

Kasey Chambers version

"True Colours"
Single by Kasey Chambers
Released	April 2003
Format	CD
Genre	Pop rock country pop
Label	EMI 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' cover of "True Colors" became the theme song for the 2003 Rugby World Cup.^[28] The song peaked at number four, was certified gold and went on to be the 76th best-selling single in Australia that year^[29]

Track listing

1. "True Colours"


2. "If I Could" (Live)


3. "Lonely"

Charts

Other covers

The song has been covered by many artists.

In 2009, Jenna Ushkowitz performed it in the television program Glee, and it was released as a single "True Colors (Glee Cast Version)". The version was included in the compilation album Glee: The Music, Volume 2 released on December 4, 2009. The single charted on Billboard Hot 100, and reached number 15 in Ireland, number 35 in the United Kingdom,^[31] number 38 in Canada,^[32][33] 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. It was released during Bullying Awareness Week.^[34] The project was inspired by the increase in teen bullying and cyberbullying, especially the Amanda Todd case,^[35] with proceeds being donated to Kids Help Phone - a Canadian counseling service for children and youth.^[35] 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^[36] the week it was released.

In 2014, Shane Filan of Westlife released it as a promotional single for his debut album You and Me.

In 2016, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick performed a cover of the song for the animated film Trolls and its accompanying soundtrack.

References

External links

• 
  True Colors Second Hand Songs


• 
  Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics